Changed thermostat today

[Grant Moss]

Good Evening,
Today i had the thermostat changed as my 1.9 M44 was running cold, when i examined the one that was taken out, i was surprised to see it was dated 1988 and stamped BMW, so its possibly the original one, i cant believe its last 17 years, so much for the poor reputation they have.

The new one is made by Behr hopefully it will last as long, its great to see the temprature needle pointing to 12 oclock position.

I just hoping its been bled right.

Grant

[Bowler]

Did the same job a couple of weeks ago. Spent since staring at the thermostat waiting for it to rise above 12 o'clock.

[MarkAP68]

snap lol

[Grant Moss]

WOW, I cant believe my journey to work this morning, the heater is amazing for the first time since Ive had the car, and the needle pointed to 12 O`Clock on the whole journey, just need to keep an eye on the fluid level now.

Grant

[Del]

You can roast chestnuts in front of those BMW air vents with the heater turned up full blast in the winter If you still had loads of air trapped inside the system, the gauge would tell you by moving up towards the red. If it is staying at 12 o-clock you will have little or no air still trapped - any small amount trapped will show in the expansion tank over the following two days my just needing a small top-up of coolant.

[Grant Moss]

Thanks Del, thats useful, after a 12 mile journey the needle stayed at 12 oclock, and when I checked the fluid level it was about an inch above the line, I will check when I get back to the car as hopefully it will have cooled down back to the line.

[Rob56]

When you guys did the change were there any washers to replace on the radiator & engine block plugs?
Did you also change the hoses to the thermostat as pelican parts recommends - I'm getting all my bits and pieces together ready to do the job, just want to make sure I'm not missing anything before I start

[Grant Moss]

Rob 56,

The only parts I had change was the thermostat and the plastic housing which had the rubber gasket already in situ and G48 anti freeze coolant, all the hoses were still in good condition etc.

Regards


Grant

[Bowler]

When you guys did the change were there any washers to replace on the radiator & engine block plugs?
Did you also change the hoses to the thermostat as pelican parts recommends - I'm getting all my bits and pieces together ready to do the job, just want to make sure I'm not missing anything before I start

Changed the hoses on mine for a bit of silicone blue bling!

[Southernboy]

Easiest method of checking hoses is by touch.... feel for any "soft" spots in the hose. These are often close to the coupling points... Any soft spots are a clear indication of the hose already breaking down in it's wall thickness. Also check for any external signs of perishing, like fine cracks etc... Replace the hoses if you feel anything suspect, it's not a happy situation if you're out and a hose pops. Most hoses for these cars are available from Meyle. They are excellent quality and around 1/2 the price or less than from BMW.

[Vince70]

So is it an easy job to change the thermostat and housing on a 1.9 M44 engine as if just been and ordered one myself to fit as my car only gets up to about a quarter of the way on the gauge.

[Rob56]

Any advice on where is best to get the Meyle hoses from - Usually I'd have just gone straight for Samco blue silicon ones but there doesn't seem to be a kit for the M44 engined Z3 :S

[Southernboy]

http://www.meyle.co.uk/

[Del]

So is it an easy job to change the thermostat and housing on a 1.9 M44 engine as if just been and ordered one myself to fit as my car only gets up to about a quarter of the way on the gauge.

Not difficult as long as you have a bit of DIY servicing type experience and a reasonable socket set (small 1/4 inch drive). On the M44 you need to remove the large plastic cowling which involves carefully removing some plastic "expansion" clips and around four (10mm from memory) nuts. The cowling slides out from retaining guides in front of the radiator. Unless you wish to drain every bit of coolant from the system I would just loosen the blue plastic drain plug at the bottom right of the radiator (as you stand in front, facing the windscreen). The plastic thermostat & housing is obvious and requires the removal of the top and bottom hoses. There are four (10mm from memory) bolts holding it to the engine - for the two lower ones need you to rely on touch as they are partially obscured. A 4-inch/6-inch extension will allow you to access these bolts through the plastic blades on the fan. These bolts should be slightly torqued.

Whilst I am not OCD about BMW parts etc, I have always used BMW antifreeze as it is a unique inky blue colour (which cannot be readily matched elsewhere) and which does not cost too much. Personally, I find the system a little tricky to bleed and after filling the expansion tank as far as possible, I resort to removing the radiator bleed screw and trickling further coolant mixture in down a very small funnel.

Whilst the cowling is off, I recommend checking the auxiliary belt and top up the power steering reservoir with ATF.

[Vince70]

Cheers Del for the info I'm going to give the thermostat change a go during the week..
I noticed on my old 1.8 E36 compact the cowling clips has been changed to small cable ties so I guess the reason was because it must of had a thermostat change at sometime in its life so I'm prepared for a couple of snapped clips when I start taking the Z3 apart.