BMW Z3

Joined
Aug 20, 2020
Points
1
Hi
I own a 1997 BMW Z3 with the 1.9 litre engine

I am looking for advise on an overheating issue.

A couple of years ago the engine overheated and blew the plastic pipe connection off the back of the engine.
This occurred in stationary traffic on a very hot summers day.
I repaired this and it ran for the summer with no issue

This year the car again overheated in crawling traffic but when the roar opened up the temperature returned to normal

On the way to the MOT centre the car ran perfectly but at the MOT centre the car overheated on the ramp and the MOT centre failed the car and said it was a head gasket fault and would be £1300 to repair.

I filled the engine with coolant and drove home with no issues.

Tried again a few days later and same issue.

Can anybody please suggest a garage in sheffield i could use to check the issue or suggest what itests I should do to check if it is the head gasket.

I am not a mechanic but what they are saying to me does not make much sense.

Welcome any help

Regards

Phil
 

t-tony

The Legend
Deceased
Supporter
#ZedShed
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Points
226
Location
Torksey Lock,Lincoln, England
Model of Z
E89 Z4 23i Auto
What did the car fail the test on Phil? By the sound of what you say it would seem to me that the thermostat isn’t working properly.
This could eventually lead to head gasket failure though.

Tony.
 

Ianmc

Zorg Guru (IV)
British Zeds
The M44 Massive
Joined
Oct 12, 2014
Points
165
Location
New Forest
Model of Z
Z3 (M44)
My April 1997 M44 engine doesn't have a cooling fan (from factory). It relies on the aircon fan to kick in for "stationary" cooling. Do you have aircon? If so, there are a few issues to be aware of.
 

Keet

Zorg Guru (IV)
Supporter
British Zeds
Joined
Apr 22, 2018
Points
171
Location
Mansfield
Model of Z
E89 20i M Sport
Hello and welcome to the forum :thumbsup:
 

t-tony

The Legend
Deceased
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Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Points
226
Location
Torksey Lock,Lincoln, England
Model of Z
E89 Z4 23i Auto
They refused to test it said car was dangerous
That is fair enough, so it didn’t fail?, or did they find anything before doing the emissions test? They should have issued a form stating that the test could not be completed, but should have reported any failures or advisory items found up to that point.
If you have no history of the thermostat having been changed I would just fit a new one regardless Phil, they’re not expensive. Is it something you can do yourself? You can test the old by placing it in a pan of water and bring to boil and see if it opens.

Tony.
 

t-tony

The Legend
Deceased
Supporter
#ZedShed
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Points
226
Location
Torksey Lock,Lincoln, England
Model of Z
E89 Z4 23i Auto
Hi
I own a 1997 BMW Z3 with the 1.9 litre engine

I am looking for advise on an overheating issue.

A couple of years ago the engine overheated and blew the plastic pipe connection off the back of the engine.
This occurred in stationary traffic on a very hot summers day.
I repaired this and it ran for the summer with no issue

This year the car again overheated in crawling traffic but when the roar opened up the temperature returned to normal

On the way to the MOT centre the car ran perfectly but at the MOT centre the car overheated on the ramp and the MOT centre failed the car and said it was a head gasket fault and would be £1300 to repair.

I filled the engine with coolant and drove home with no issues.

Tried again a few days later and same issue.

Can anybody please suggest a garage in sheffield i could use to check the issue or suggest what itests I should do to check if it is the head gasket.

I am not a mechanic but what they are saying to me does not make much sense.

Welcome any help

Regards

Phil
@Richardrix any chance you could have a look at this for Phil please mate?

Tony.
 

Richardrix

Zorg Legend
British Zeds
Joined
Oct 5, 2019
Points
67
Location
sheffield
Model of Z
Z3 3.0
Hi, Newhall Independant BMW Specialists across the road from Sytners is really good. Sean and his team are spot on and they love the classics.
 

Ianmc

Zorg Guru (IV)
British Zeds
The M44 Massive
Joined
Oct 12, 2014
Points
165
Location
New Forest
Model of Z
Z3 (M44)
Yes I do have aircon
In that case, the air con fan is likely the only source of additional cooling for your car. Keep an eye on the water temp gauge in traffic; if it starts to rise, turn on the aircon which will active the fan (puller I think). There is a sensor that should do this automatically for you, but mine gets to 3/4 hot (some times plus) before it kicks in. There was also a wiring issue on early cars that caused the sensor to come in very late - there is information about this somewhere. Some years ago I investigated and the fix was to swap some of the wires on the sensor plug, which did improve things. Could of course be a faulty sensor.
As you describe your overheating scenarios, this could well be the cause. Hope this helps.
 

Ianmc

Zorg Guru (IV)
British Zeds
The M44 Massive
Joined
Oct 12, 2014
Points
165
Location
New Forest
Model of Z
Z3 (M44)
Can I ask does the engine fan increase in speed when the engine get hot or at higher revs
The aircon fan is on or off I think. Airflow is increased by the blower motor; this also aids cooling of course.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2020
Points
1
Took off thermostat
Put in pan of water and brought to boil
Did not change
Does this mean thermostat is faulty
 

Mint

Zorg Expert (I)
Supporter
British Zeds
East Anglian Crew
Joined
Sep 23, 2012
Points
222
Location
Stafford
Model of Z
2.2 Sport Individual
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