So Ive noticed over the past few weeks that my radiator fan is ALWAYS on. Finally tried to figure out the reason and this is what I have come up with. I knew from past experience that the fan really only came on during HOT summer days, and when it did, it did not stay on very long after the car was shut down. Now, the fan is on every day, and the highs are in the low 80s at best. Even on cool mornings, the fan is on.

So, via this post, I accessed a coolant temp readout via the tach screen.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...316-post6.html

Did some driving yesterday and today, and it appears that coolant temp will hover in the 111-112C range, or 232-234F, with a one time spike to 117C or 243F.

Reading multiple threads, it appears that the "normal" operating temp for the coolant is in the 220-225F range. Clearly, my car is running hot.


My first thought was a poor coolant fill when I had my aux. water pump replaced. So to start I ran the car with the heat on, hoping that an air pocket might circulate through and relieve itself via the coolant overflow. No luck.

Next I went to the burp/purge method. Turned on the heat, opened up the vent next to the head, opened up the coolant overflow. Started the car and let it idle. Not a single bubble appeared nor did ANYTHING come out of the vent screw. So at this point Im stumped.

Now, I know that thermostats can fail, but usually they fail in the open position. Is that not the case on the R56? I believe it is electronically controlled, so I figure a CEL would show if that was the case.

Anything I am missing here??

 

It is NOT a thermostat as you are thinking. The thermostat housing on the 2nd Gen cars is a multi funtional device that send coolant to a bunch of locations.

as for the car running hot it does seem that it is but if you went thru the burp procedure and did not get any coolant out then it seems you have a problem.

Did you have the heat turned all the way up and the fan running at full?

 

Yes, well, both. I had the heat full blast but the fan on low, then also tried with the fan on high.

More research is pointing me towards the water pump.

 

Okay Just a lot of people miss that part.

How much coolant is in the overflow tank?

When i replaced the thermostat because it was cracked and leaking. I found I had to pressurize the tank a few times to get it to take the coolant to bubble down into the radiator.

It could be a bad water pump but on these cars then tend to lead or work well. But that does not mean it is not bad, anything is possible.

 

The coolant level is at the "max" line in the overflow bottle.