Overheating While Idling on Incline

00000000 · 05-20-2012, 05:10 PM

I've been experiencing a problem since Friday where when I'm in turn lane near my house waiting for the light to turn, the engine fan starts running loud and yellow engine temp light comes on.

If I turn off the A/C it begins to go away and it never goes to the red engine temp indicator. It only occurs when I'm sitting at that light that has a roughly 5% incline. After the turn, the fan and the temp return to normal after a minute.

I checked the coolant level and the oil level, both fine, and replaced the water pump at the end of 2010, 20K miles ago, but not the thermostat. Could the water pump have gone out again?

The car is only experiencing the problem in that one place. Should the incline matter?

e90pilot · 05-20-2012, 06:00 PM

Check for codes. I might tell you what's failing. Also, if you have a leak, even a small one, it could suck air into the system and cause the pump to run dry.

00000000 · 05-20-2012, 07:07 PM

I'll get the codes checked and check again for leaks and fluid levels. Hopefully that will give me something. Its odd since it's only on that incline.

00000000 · 05-23-2012, 05:27 AM

The car is now starting to overheat while driving it around, not just on an incline. The yellow indicator light is rarely coming on, but the engine fan will kick on and run harder and longer than it ever has in the past.

I took it to the dealer and they were able to replicate the fan and the indicator by driving it hard, but no codes are showing and they think the water pump and thermostat are working correctly.

They're holding it overnight to check some other things in the morning, but I think I'm going to get the car back with a bill and no resolution.

05-20-2012, 05:10 PM	#1
00000000 _ 6 Rep 31 Posts Drives: F30 335i M Sport Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Frankfurt, Germany iTrader: (0)	Overheating While Idling on Incline I've been experiencing a problem since Friday where when I'm in turn lane near my house waiting for the light to turn, the engine fan starts running loud and yellow engine temp light comes on. If I turn off the A/C it begins to go away and it never goes to the red engine temp indicator. It only occurs when I'm sitting at that light that has a roughly 5% incline. After the turn, the fan and the temp return to normal after a minute. I checked the coolant level and the oil level, both fine, and replaced the water pump at the end of 2010, 20K miles ago, but not the thermostat. Could the water pump have gone out again? The car is only experiencing the problem in that one place. Should the incline matter?
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05-20-2012, 06:00 PM	#2
e90pilot Freight Dawg 104 Rep 2,103 Posts Drives: E90 325i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oakland, CA iTrader: (3)	Check for codes. I might tell you what's failing. Also, if you have a leak, even a small one, it could suck air into the system and cause the pump to run dry. __________________ --Marcelo '06 Arctic Metallic 325i \| Sport Package \| 6MT \| Dinan Stage III suspension \| Dinan exhaust \| 330i manifold swap! Click here! \| Active Autowerke tune \| 135i Brake Calipers \| Deiselboost caliper brackets \| E46 M3 front rotors
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05-20-2012, 07:07 PM	#3
00000000 _ 6 Rep 31 Posts Drives: F30 335i M Sport Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Frankfurt, Germany iTrader: (0)	I'll get the codes checked and check again for leaks and fluid levels. Hopefully that will give me something. Its odd since it's only on that incline.
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05-23-2012, 05:27 AM	#4
00000000 _ 6 Rep 31 Posts Drives: F30 335i M Sport Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Frankfurt, Germany iTrader: (0)	The car is now starting to overheat while driving it around, not just on an incline. The yellow indicator light is rarely coming on, but the engine fan will kick on and run harder and longer than it ever has in the past. I took it to the dealer and they were able to replicate the fan and the indicator by driving it hard, but no codes are showing and they think the water pump and thermostat are working correctly. They're holding it overnight to check some other things in the morning, but I think I'm going to get the car back with a bill and no resolution. Last edited by 00000000; 05-23-2012 at 05:33 AM..
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