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So a month ago I replaced the waterpump and thermostat. I still need to drain and fill with BMW coolant. The car had Prestone green in it so I drained it at the radiator and engine block. Filled it up distilled water and bled the system. Been driving it for a couple weeks. With the weather getting colder, I noticed I do not get any heat. When I had changed the coolant, the air was not much hotter than ambient. I didn't test the heater when I bought the car since it was blazing hot in the summer. I'm guessing it's either air bubble in system or heater valve. I measured the temp of the hoses going into the firewall. They are about 40-50 deg cooler than the radiator hoses. Yesterday I saw 100F at the firewall hoses vs. 145 on the upper radiator hose.
Any tips on replacing the heater valve. I ordered a new one. It looks pretty tight for access.
Last edited by blkmz3; 11-27-2020 at 04:55 PM.
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When you bled the system, did you check that you were getting hot air? The best way to tell if you’ve bled completely is when your car starts putting hot air through the vents. I would bet there’s a bubble before anything.Originally Posted by blkmz3
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^ +1
Remove everything up to the manifold. I was able to replace mine without removing the manifold.
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I swapped out the heater control valve this week. I will say this is one painful DIY. Limited access made it very difficult. I did not remove the intake manifold. I removed the throttle body and MAF sensor to slide my hand to reach the valve. Even once you reach it, getting the hoses off was a PITA. My hands are all busted up. Getting the new one on was just as hard. The hoses did go on easier with the existing coolant dripping out of the hoses. Getting that whole assembly back onto the mounting location was pretty difficult. I took a look at my old valve assembly. It had pieces of rubber shredded inside it. I believe this is a common failure. Attached pics. I also found my IACV hose is cracked after I removed some of the intake components.
What I realized in my 2 month ownership of this E36 M3 is, the car is showing its age for sure. Lot of worn down rubber and plastic components. Some connectors just snapped cause the plastic was so brittle. I have already built a list of items to replace. The parts aren't too bad but this car is not as easy to work on compared to the Japanese and Domestic cars I've owned.
ʎlpuǝᴉɹɟ ʎɹǝʌ
+1 Bleed the system.
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02.92 325is / 06.72 2002 / 02.91 XJ / 08.04 R53 JCW
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After I got the new heater valve installed. I filled with new BMW coolant/distilled water. Bled it. So good news is I finally got heat coming out now. Problem is when I'm in Park or Idle. The temp drops back down. When I'm driving (engine running the waterpump) I get plenty of hot air (110+ deg F). The temp drops soon as I come to stop or idle. Not sure what is going on.
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Just means there’s still air in the system. This is a pretty normal part of the process.
Jim Levies process:
1) Using ramps or a jack get the front of the car 1' or more higher than
the rear. That will make the radiator and bleed screw the highest point
on the engine and facilitate removal of air.
2) With the bleed screw open, add coolant until no more air comes out of
the bleed.
3) Leave the filler cap off, or at least loose, and set the heat for max
temp and fan speed. Leaving the cap loose will prevent air that's still
in the system from causing a "coolant fountain" once the engine heats
up. Start the engine and allow it to warm up to operating temp. As it
warms up occasionally crack the bleed screw to release any air and top
up the coolant as necessary.
4) Once the engine is at temp bring it up to 2000-2500 for a few seconds
several times. Then crack the bleed until no more air is released. At
this point the heater should be throwing lots of hot air, which
indicates that the heater core is filled with coolant. You may have to
repeat this a few times to get all the air out.
5) Drive the car a bit, allow it to cool back down, and recheck the
bleed for air. Over the next few days you may get very small amounts (a
few bubbles) of air out of the bleed screw.
Last edited by UsernaM3; 12-06-2020 at 06:38 PM.
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