No Heat & Temp Gauge Goes Red

[carrjg1]

My 325i heater has been blowing cold air when the temp gauge is in the mid range. Sometimes the temp gauge has been going to the red. The car is not overheating and the temp only goes to red occassionally and then drops right back down. I checked and have the correct amount of coolant in the radiator. Any ideas? Could it be my thermostat or maybe something else?

 

[Tigas Bud]

Thermostat would be the first thing I'd blame for the problem. It's not too expensive to buy or replace.

 

[frolf]

yeah, thats exactly what i thought from just reading the title of the thread, thermostats are wayyy cheap too, so pray that its only a thermostat. good luck.

 

[airlordz]

Definitely the thermostat. the same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. Check the fan clutch also. But its definitely the thermostat and it usually cools down when you start driving right.

 

[Tigas Bud]

I'm not sure the car has a heater control valve, my old Volvos do and I did find a website with a price for one for '92-'95 325. If it has, then this would be the culprit after the thermostat.

 

[allhavoc]

Yeah you should check your fan clutch if it's not the thermostat. If your fan is not rotating fast enough (i.e. you can stop it by hand) then it's prolly your fan clutch

 

[andreyiv]

I don't think you should stick your hand into the fan to se if it stops, can be painfull if it doesn't stop.

 

[mjbst111]

If it was your fan clutch you would definitely have plenty of heat and be overheating while standing still. (thats what mine did)

You can check you themostat by grabbing coolant pipes before and after the thermostat. If they are the same temp then your thermostat is fine.

 

[mjbst111]

What happens if your hand does not stop the fan allhavoc?

 

[polar]

I don't think you should stick your hand into the fan to se if it stops, can be painfull if it doesn't stop.

LMAO!

 

[mikev]

I don't think you should stick your hand into the fan to se if it stops, can be painfull if it doesn't stop.

and you'd be stuck driving auto for the rest of your life!!

 

[allhavoc]

Hey fellas,
I guess "sticking your hand to stop the fan" was a bone-head idea. But that's exactly what I did (in retrospect, prolly not very smart). Altho, I could tell the fan wasn't blowing fast enough as soon as I opened the hood. So to set things right here's my disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: Do NOT attempt to use your hand to stop your fan. Doing so may result in serious injury or death or even worse: not being able to drive your bimmer no more.