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Steez · 06-12-2016, 03:11 PM

So i have a 96' 318ti 5 speed with 165k miles and it overheats at idle..
So once it's on it idles perfectly, and engine itself acts really healthy. Maybe after more than a couple minutes it's at normal operating temp with guage needle in the middle, then slowly will start going more and more up.. Maybe more than 10-15 minutes and it's starting to climb into the red in which i turn it off before it gets too bad..
So i noticed only one side of the thermostat, the right tube, is hot.. But the left tube isn't as hot.. So maybe a stuck closed thermostat? The right side of the radiator is hot but left side isn't hot at all, in correlation the the thermostat.
Also my fan won't cut on, despite good fuses all the way around, or if i turn on the AC, my theory is the thermostat's closed and won't let the hot coolant flow to the temp sensor to kick in the fan.. Or maybe just a bad fan lol

i hope someone can help me out! Thanks for any information!

06-12-2016, 03:11 PM	#1
Steez Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: North carolina Posts: 27 iTrader: (0) Photo Gallery	Overheating issue So i have a 96' 318ti 5 speed with 165k miles and it overheats at idle.. So once it's on it idles perfectly, and engine itself acts really healthy. Maybe after more than a couple minutes it's at normal operating temp with guage needle in the middle, then slowly will start going more and more up.. Maybe more than 10-15 minutes and it's starting to climb into the red in which i turn it off before it gets too bad.. So i noticed only one side of the thermostat, the right tube, is hot.. But the left tube isn't as hot.. So maybe a stuck closed thermostat? The right side of the radiator is hot but left side isn't hot at all, in correlation the the thermostat. Also my fan won't cut on, despite good fuses all the way around, or if i turn on the AC, my theory is the thermostat's closed and won't let the hot coolant flow to the temp sensor to kick in the fan.. Or maybe just a bad fan lol i hope someone can help me out! Thanks for any information!