Array of issues with my 92

[m5runner]

A while back I got pulled over for my tail lights being out and I found out the problem was the fuse was blown. I replaced the fuse with a 15A (normally rated at 10A) and I had to replace it again last night because it blew out! I'm wondering what the issue could be and why is it popping the fuses like hotcakes? It doesn't blow the fuse immediately so I'm still wondering.


2nd issue:

This one is well known if you drive an E36. Overheating! My symptom is simply this: No AC on, the car is fine. With AC, car warms up a little (I know something is wrong then) and the needle moves noticably. I stop at a gas station, get me a sub and fired the machine back up and the temp gauge was showing 3/4 hot! Water level is fine. This has been going on since last summer. I need help with this before GA gets up to bakery temps

 

[Big Daddy]

1st issue, what bulbs do you have in the car? They should be a silver colored base (nickel) not the brass. European cars do not like the brass and they cause electrical issues. Check that first.

2nd issue, is you aux fan working? When you turn the AC the electric fan should start up.

 

[m5runner]

I'll check the bulb later today when I go outside. The AUX fan is working. The one on it now is fairly new (not to say it can't be messed up). It did the same thing before I changed the fan last year. I still have the old one

 

[andreyiv]

It could be the temperature triggered relay in the engine radiator. There are three contacts on it, as far as I remember, one is ground and the other two represent different temperature. It works like this: when the sensor reaches a certain temperature (I think its around 60 degrees C), it shorts one of the prongs to the ground prong which should turn on the AUX fan to slow speed, if the temperature rises and gets up to a higher point (I think this one is around 90 degrees C), the sensor/relay click yet again and this time the AUX fan is supposed to come on at full speed. Maybe your temp sensor/relay does not react to the higher temperature and long story short, the engine starts overheating.

This sensor/relay is located on the passenger side of the radiator, it is about half way down and is screwed into the plastic part of the rad and has 3 wires coming off it. Lately I have been forced to drive around without the engine fan and this little baby operates the AUX fan well enough to keep the engine at or around the center mark (barely a hair to the left or right) even with AC on (yesterday it was over 80 and it didn't show any signs of overheating and I had the AC on and off.

Hope this helps.

 

[m5runner]

Thanks for the info. I had it changed the last time I changed the radiator about 1.5 years ago. I'll check it again today and see what the story is.

The other problem I had is still going on. The car is popping fuses daily. I went to the dealership and bought the bulb that it is tied to that fuse. If u have an 3e6, it's fuse 37. i dropped a 20 amp fuse and it just ate it. I don't know what the hell.

 

[andreyiv]

You might have a wire shorting out that circuit (actually, you probably do have something shofrting out the circuit).

Btw, that switch that i was talking about, turns on the low speed at 90 degrees and high speed at 98 degrees, I checked in the manual a couple of days ago and forgot to tell you.

 

[nadroj]

my guess would be the aux fan or possably the fan infront of the engine the clutch on it could have gone bad. maybe?

 

[m5runner]

Any way to tell if it has? It is functional but how would I know if it's going at the right speed?

 

[m5runner]

Semi-good news. The fuse popping issue was resolved. I took it to my buddy's BMW shop in Atlanta and his mech figured it out in like 5 minutes. Turns out one of the bulbs in the rear was causing the madness and ofcourse this would happen to me because I changed the one in the front and it was still popping fuses. The most expensive bulb change in history....$3 bulb and $100 labor.