Jump to content
holymoly243

330ci running temperature

Recommended Posts

i know these engines run higher than most other cars but i have recently changed the radiator so not sure what the temp was before but i am getting 98-99 no matter what speed i drive, however if i rev over 3500rpm the temp drops a little but apparently once over 3500rpm the ecu tells the thermostat to open, but basically just wondered if them sort of temperatures where correct.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i never really checked the temp before the radiator change but i put a circoli thermostat in about 3 month ago and just been reading about them and apparently there rubbish so going to get a wahler one and try that as there supposed to be a lot better 

 

or am i just worrying about nothing :/

Edited by holymoly243
Link to comment
Share on other sites

sounds alright to me mine is 97 and goes down in hard driving yours is OK but change it if it bothers you they are cheap there's a mod you can do to make the temp gauge accurate for more peace of mind it's on the forum you use PA soft

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a few thousand miles of mixed driving in varied weather, my temperature gauge has been absolutely anchored to the middle of scale. Probably the most consistent car I've ever driven in that regard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a few thousand miles of mixed driving in varied weather, my temperature gauge has been absolutely anchored to the middle of scale. Probably the most consistent car I've ever driven in that regard.

That's because it's programmed to do that, the temperature can be anywhere within a 30 degree range and the needle will still stay in the middle. It's called 'perceived quality' and can hide all manner of small issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fitted a Wahler stat and it sits on 96 pretty much all the time.

It does the temperature drop thing when I boot it too, usually down to 85 Celsius or so but I've seen it go a bit lower.

If you don't fancy going the PA Soft route, a Scangauge II (https://www.telematica.uk.com/product/LLU-0007/sgIIe/ScanGaugeII-with-extra-cable?gclid=CPS46Yb9msoCFVVAGwodFYUDLQ) or Ultragauge (http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/ ) display is a good way to have a reminder of the temperature is when you want it, or if you have an Android device then a Bluetooth dongle and Torque can show lots of gauges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/8/2016 at 11:22, bungers said:

That's because it's programmed to do that, the temperature can be anywhere within a 30 degree range and the needle will still stay in the middle. It's called 'perceived quality' and can hide all manner of small issues.

That's really interesting! Do you have a link to anything confirming that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/11/2016 at 11:33, Dave330 said:

That's really interesting! Do you have a link to anything confirming that?

@bungers

Did you manage to unearth anything from BMW that confirms that?

Or is this to be another E46 Chinese Whisper, much like the "1L/1,000miles is normal oil consumption, according to BMW"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never quite got the hang of the hidden menu thing, actually. I won't see my car for another week or so, but I'll try to remember to give it a bash when I do - unless anyone else has tried and can confirm?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well mine sits in the normal position from 75 degrees upwards, and the highest I remember seeing was 100C and the needle didn't move - measured off a Scangauge reading temperature from the OBD port. So that's at least a 25 degree "buffer". From what I've read around the web, it won't start moving north until you are above 110C at least, which is usually close to fairly big overheat territory. I think it's designed this way to avoid customers getting spooked if their needle rises a bit on a hot day/hard run, so better to play it safe and make the needle sit in the middle over a wide range to avoid people returning their cars to the garage for investigative work.

I think there's a thread on the American forum E46 fanatics where they were reprogramming the gauge control module using NCS expert to get a better early warning of an impending overheat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No worries...

If you are keen on having the various engine conditions displayed in the car (coolant temp, battery voltage and quite a few more), a Scangauge or Ultragauge might be a good thing to have. I run the Torque app on mine (Android head unit), and with a bluetooth OBD adaptor. I have an alarm set on mine so if it reaches 100 Celsius the stereo will shout a warning at me.

I'm keen to get a PA Soft kit soon so I can try coding some features, tried NCS expert and it was a bit beyond me.

Edited by Tim-Ci
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Tim-Ci said:

Found the thread, they state the "buffer" range is 75-115 Celsius, so actually a massive 40 degrees... : http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1013600

That's a really interesting little design quirk. Thanks for sharing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...


×
×
  • Create New...