Coolant temperature gauge issue

[Circa Surviven]

Tried that method. With car off it was a little under 1/4th mark. Once started it jumped to 1/4 at 29 degrees. Rose to 65 in 3 minutes. After about 5 minutes it was up to 81. This was all in 79 ambient outside temperature. I went on a drive and it never went above 86 on a couple of hard pulls. It's not the heat of the day in Texas today though, it's usually 90+ degrees outside here.

[yhp2009]

I assume the numbers are Celcius. Converted it to Fahrenheit and it makes sense 85C = 185F which seems reasonable. I'd say the gauge needs fix
And please get a second opinion. Engine cooling issues are not trivial

[sapote]

Once started it jumped to 1/4 at 29 degrees. Rose to 65 in 3 minutes. After about 5 minutes it was up to 81. This was all in 79 ambient outside temperature.

Coolant=29C = 84F and ambient = 79F. Wonder if 5 degrees diff is due to sensors or engine still warm even resting overnight.

The pics show the gauge is bad.

[Circa Surviven]

Coolant=29C = 84F and ambient = 79F. Wonder if 5 degrees diff is due to sensors or engine still warm even resting overnight.

The pics show the gauge is bad.

Yea sorry, I should have put 79f to not make it confusing. Is the gauge controlled by the temp sensor under the manifold or the lower radiator hose? I've read that a bad temp sensor would cause fueling issues because the computer will think the temperature is off. Does the car have an actual overheating message/light, or an ecu code that would pop up?

[Shonky]

I don't think this has been clarified. In the second pic in the first post it shows the ignition off with the guage near the first dot. If this is dead cold then the cluster must be broken or the needle is misaligned.

[thegenius46m]

Get an infrared thermometer and confirm the radiator is consistent temps across the entire width. It may be clogged and time for a replacement OEM one. Did you bleed the cooling system properly to remove all the air? S54 is self bleeding but if you had a massive amount of air it may still be there.

[sapote]

Is the gauge controlled by the temp sensor under the manifold or the lower radiator hose? I've read that a bad temp sensor would cause fueling issues because the computer will think the temperature is off. Does the car have an actual overheating message/light, or an ecu code that would pop up?

The hidden displayed temp value and the gauge both use the sensing data from the sensor on the hard pipe under the intake, rear of the pump. From the pic showing the displayed 85F-ish while the gauge was over the middle. This means the sensor is OK but the gauge is out of calibration.

[ZiMMie]

The hidden displayed temp value and the gauge both use the sensing data from the sensor on the hard pipe under the intake, rear of the pump. From the pic showing the displayed 85F-ish while the gauge was over the middle. This means the sensor is OK but the gauge is out of calibration.

That is Celsius.



The answer to this is all in the first post.

STOP CHASING GHOST!

FIX THE DAMN CLUSTER!

[Circa Surviven]

The hidden displayed temp value and the gauge both use the sensing data from the sensor on the hard pipe under the intake, rear of the pump. From the pic showing the displayed 85F-ish while the gauge was over the middle. This means the sensor is OK but the gauge is out of calibration.

Thank you! I wasn't able to find a DIY on that sensor under the manifold. Usually with a DIY people will list symptoms of why they are in there replacing it.

[BMWE46M3]

I had mine repaired by Circuit Board Medics and would recommend them. https://circuitboardmedics.com/1999-...luster-repair/

[sapote]

I had mine repaired by Circuit Board Medics and would recommend them. https://circuitboardmedics.com/1999-...luster-repair/

Or buy a used one on eBay.

[heinzboehmer]

Or buy a used one on eBay.

Just FYI OP, swapping in a new (used) cluster is a bit more than involved than just physically doing so. Your mileage will be off and the cluster will have the tamper dot until you sync the VIN and mileage.

Here's some resources on how to do that in case you wish to go the DIY route:
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...VIN-and-coding
https://forums.autolanka.com/topic/1...cement-coding/

Edit: wait, I just read through the post again (and looked at the pics) and the needle isn't all the way to left with the car completely off? You should really disassemble your cluster and make sure that the needle is physically aligned correctly before spending any money on anything else. The second link I posted is a good reference for how to disassemble and reassemble the cluster.

[Obioban]

yeah. A needle that's pushed too far onto it's peg can bind. Or maybe it just wasn't oriented on the peg correctly...

Was the cluster apart before this issue occured?

[sapote]

Just FYI OP, swapping in a new (used) cluster is a bit more than involved than just physically doing so. Your mileage will be off and the cluster will have the tamper dot until you sync the VIN and mileage.

For some reasons I thought the temp gauge can be separated from the whole cluster; I own too many vintage cars.

[Circa Surviven]

Just FYI OP, swapping in a new (used) cluster is a bit more than involved than just physically doing so. Your mileage will be off and the cluster will have the tamper dot until you sync the VIN and mileage.

Here's some resources on how to do that in case you wish to go the DIY route:
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...VIN-and-coding
https://forums.autolanka.com/topic/1...cement-coding/

Edit: wait, I just read through the post again (and looked at the pics) and the needle isn't all the way to left with the car completely off? You should really disassemble your cluster and make sure that the needle is physically aligned correctly before spending any money on anything else. The second link I posted is a good reference for how to disassemble and reassemble the cluster.

Yea with the car completely off it stays around the 1/4 marker or a little below. It just started happening one day.

yeah. A needle that's pushed too far onto it's peg can bind. Or maybe it just wasn't oriented on the peg correctly...

Was the cluster apart before this issue occured?

The cluster hasn't been touched. I guess this would be a good time to get some of the engine warming up lights replaced since some are burnt out.