new guy sayin hello

[Marko535i]

Hi guys,
i just recently got a 89 535i and im super stoked! its a super fun car!
unfortunately, it does have some problems:
The old oriental lady i bought it from didnt know what to do with the on board computer, and, somehow, its stuck on -37 degrees,thats for firsts. Secondly, im noticing that the car idles very, very roughly, even stalls on red lights.I cleaned the idle regulator valve, so now it spins freely, but no differnce. my last and greatest concern is that the car over heats while idling, its fine for about 5 minutes, then the temp meter jumps to red, but it goes back down to the middle during a drive. does that have something to do with the onboard computer reading -37 celcius, or some sensors???
Also, i noticed that my radiator hoses are under big pressure.
i have some more questions, but i'll leave it to this at the moment.

any help will be greatly appreciated :D

Marko

[Zeuk in Oz]

Greetings ! Welcome aboard.

I will leave the technical questions to greater minds than mine but am sure you will get some assistance.

Any pics ?

[Marko535i]

ill post some pix up soon :)

-Marko

[KenB]

Welcome Marko,

I'm no expert but if the hoses are getting big, they are shot, replace before they break.

The OBC temp reading has nothing to do with the coolant, it reads outside air temp, it's probably a bad temp sensor.

You might have air in the cooling system or loose belt. Check for worn belt first and go from there.

I'm sure you'll get more extensive advice from the experts here. They're a good bunch.

[Marko535i]

the hoses arent nesicerily getting BIG, theyre just hard, like theyre under high pressure, the rubber looks/feels ok, but you never know.

[KenB]

the hoses arent nesicerily getting BIG, theyre just hard, like theyre under high pressure, the rubber looks/feels ok, but you never know.

Sorry, misread under big pressure as 'big under pressure'...I thought they were expanding under pressure. oops.

Could be air in system preventing proper circulation.

[Marko535i]

also, one question for the EAT inclined guys, any idea where i can get a chip in vancouver, B.C.??

[kev535i]

welcome Marko EAT chips available via link at top of page

[ArtemLepilov]

Welcome to the board :cheers: if you are doing all the work yourself you will soon become an expert on these cars :)

-37 Degrees OBC temp: Bad temp sensor.

Temperature jumping into red: Air pockets in the cooling system, bleed the system (do a search on how to do that)

Rough idle: MANY POSSIBILITIES (besides the ICV), such as bad spark plugs, faulty fuel pump/clogged fuel filter, misfiring/missing cylinder, etc.

I would fi the problems before getting a chip, especially the rough idle problem.

-Artem

[Marko535i]

thanks guys!
ive searched the car for a temp sensor for the on board computer, but i couldnt find anything. anybody know where it is? :P

[kev535i]

outside temp sensor on front bumper also check brunos site for lots of tips http://www.bmwe34.net/

[ArtemLepilov]

thanks guys!
ive searched the car for a temp sensor for the on board computer, but i couldnt find anything. anybody know where it is? :P


Temp sensor is to the left (looking at the front of the car) of the driver's side foglight, you need to remove the panel that is covering it - if you go out to the car and look there, you will know what i mean

-Artem

[ArtemLepilov]

yo - if you got MSN/AIM.. Just message me.. ill let you know what to do.

AIM: ArtemLepilov

MSN: Alepilov@hotmail.com

-Artem

[BillionPa]

rough idle eh, mine did that till i stopped using gas with ethanol in it, i also got a 20% boost in gas mileage after the 2nd no ethanol tank.

i would do standard service items anyway, like changing spark plugs/oil/air/fuel filters and run some techron fuel system cleaner for 2 full tanks.

none of those may fix your idle issue but your car will run better beacause of it, and allow you to troubleshoot the issue better.

[joshua43214]

Ambiant air temp sensor is near left front fog light, commonly get ripped off from hitting curb stones.

If your cars temp will regulate properly when your are moving but not at idle, you generaly have one of two problems; insuficiant air flow through the radiator or insuficiant water flow at idle. Be very careful working arround your hot car, be careful testing the car, aside from danger to you, you dont want to over heat and damage the engine. make sure your water pump belt is tight and the fluid lvl is ok.

I am going to go out on a bit of a limb here before I give a long article on how to check for overheating causes. Since you have a problem with both your ambiant air temp reading and its over heating at idle, I am going to suspect front end wreck. Almost every body shop I have ever seen manages to muck one or the other up, insurance appraisers almost always forget to include the sensor, and 1/2 the time the wiring for it gets riped off.

Run the car at idle, turn on the AC then make sure the aux fan (infront of radiator,behind grill) comes on. If it does not, check the fuses, use owners manual for fuse locations.

make sure your fan belt is tight and the coolant level is ok, report back here with results.

[Marko535i]

Ambient temp is somewhat fixed, i found the foglight "compartment" and took the sensor off, and i noticed that the plug into which the sensor plugs into has a ripped wire. fixed, but my ambient temp still reads -34.5 celcius. so im guessing sensor is still shot.

i doubt that the car had a front end collision, cause i have every single receipt from service ( brakes, tires, even paint- the car got keyed once before) and no sign or hint of collision

ill check the coolant system and report back with results