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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Mechanical Maintenance: Break-in / Oil & Fluids / Servicing / Warranty > What causes engine to overheat?



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      05-01-2014, 06:04 PM   #1
zshortyz
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What causes engine to overheat?

My engine has been starting to overheat and I am trying to find the reason why. I have 1 code and it says "p2402 evaporative emission system leak detection pump control circuit high". Would this be causing the engine to overheat? There are no codes for the water pump or thermostat but I read those are the main causes of engine overheating at the mileage I am it, (79000). Do the water pump and thermostat throw codes when they are failing or just when they completely fail? Thanks.
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      05-01-2014, 06:15 PM   #2
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The t-stat will throw a OBDII troble code, which can be read by an OBDII code reader or OBDII scan tool.

The water pump thows trouble manufacturer-specific (i.e. BMW) trouble codes that can only be read by a BMW-specific scan tool such a Bavarian Techniques unit. It looks like you are scanning the car with an OBDII tool, which is why you are not finding the trouble codes for the water pump. Get the car scanned with a BMW scan tool.

There is a thread in the maitenance section started by ENINTY that has all of the detailed inforomation about how the water pump fails. Search for that thread and it will tell you all you need to know.
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      05-01-2014, 06:54 PM   #3
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The most common things that can cause a car to overheat are as follows:
- low coolant
- too high a concentration of antifreeze (antifreeze actually decreases the ability to release heat, but is necessary for other reasons, freezing is only one of them)
- stuck or obstructed thermostat
- dirty fins on the radiator exterior
- clogged passages on the interior of the radiator
- collapsed radiator hose (may look fine at idle, but not when the revs are up and water is moving faster)
- running too lean (many causes)
- excessive load and or speed with high ambient temperatures
- low oil level

And, I'm sure there are some I've missed.
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      05-02-2014, 01:33 AM   #4
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Thanks for the info both of you.

As far as the list this is what I have checked so far,
- low coolant check
- too high a concentration of antifreeze (antifreeze actually decreases the ability to release heat, but is necessary for other reasons, freezing is only one of them) i will try and flush out the system, it overheated on the freeway and all we had was water so we added that, then at the nearest auto store we added straight antifreeze to try and 50/50 it.
- stuck or obstructed thermostat We are checking this on saturday
- dirty fins on the radiator exterior Will also check this on saturday
- clogged passages on the interior of the radiator Will also check this on saturday
- collapsed radiator hose (may look fine at idle, but not when the revs are up and water is moving faster) Will also check this on saturday
- running too lean (many causes) Dash Command has me running at around 14-16 AFR which good I believe
- excessive load and or speed with high ambient temperatures Keeps overheating in the city with speed limit of 30-35
- low oil level Oil is good

As for now I have been riding my bike, and this saturday my dad is coming to help me with the car, ill check the what you mentioned and do more research. Then if anything get it towed to a BMW specialist there is one near my house.
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      05-03-2014, 03:09 AM   #5
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... I wanna add one more thing to check ...
I'm sure this used to be a very common problem on older (petrol) 1980's cars... Air Being Trapped inside of engine cooling system.
...and one extremely rare situations when part of the engine could be "isolated", so more heat there, because of a residue from hard water(over loong period of time..) build inside channels of engine block, or on cylinder head..

But most common remain "stuck or obstructed thermostat" mentioned by jadnashuanh.

...but, after a quick check on the net ... a think your problem (error) is related with fuel system of the car not cooling system...

Last edited by juliano; 05-03-2014 at 03:22 AM.. Reason: corelate details ;)
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      05-03-2014, 10:51 AM   #6
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Why did you add water when it overheated? Was it distilled water I hope? Also was the level low when you added?

Check everything mentioned above, it's also possible adding water to an otherwise ok/full system could have jacked things up.

Plan on replacing your wp and tstat - at 70k miles, if it hasn't died yet, it will soon anyways, but this is most likely your issue. You'll flush and electronically bleed your coolant as part of this procedure as well.
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      05-03-2014, 10:53 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zshortyz View Post
My engine has been starting to overheat and I am trying to find the reason why. I have 1 code and it says "p2402 evaporative emission system leak detection pump control circuit high". Would this be causing the engine to overheat? There are no codes for the water pump or thermostat but I read those are the main causes of engine overheating at the mileage I am it, (79000). Do the water pump and thermostat throw codes when they are failing or just when they completely fail? Thanks.
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      05-03-2014, 08:14 PM   #8
zshortyz
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We towed it to the stealership today to see what the outcome is. Apparently it has 3 leaky coolant pipes, water pump, thermostat, and reservoir all toast. Total cost to fix $2500.

So were opting for the coolant package, they are replacing every pipe, radiator, reservoir, water pump, and thermostat for $3000.
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