Z3 2.8 cooling fan question

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MpowerRob
Joined: Thu 13 Aug, 2015 19:36
Posts: 89

  Z4 roadster 3.0i
Location: North London/Cockfosters

Z3 2.8 cooling fan question

Post by MpowerRob »

Hi all haven't posted for a while, been enjoying the Z and good weather even if I do get constantly berated by work colleagues about why I've brought my hairdressers car in!

My question is that is it normal for the engine cooling fan to come on quite a lot, the drive to my barracks is around 13miles and half of that is sat in traffic am I just being paranoid or is something amiss :?: my X5 3.0sd cooling fan never comes on on the same journey.

Plus it sounds like a bloody airplane when it really kicks in :lol:
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Gazza
Joined: Tue 04 Oct, 2005 20:58
Posts: 9521

  M roadster S54
Location: Romford Essex

Re: Z3 2.8 cooling fan question

Post by Gazza »

The temp gauge should sit at midway, if that is the case then don't worry.
Gazza

"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"

Z3 S54 M roadster Image, BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
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Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Z3 2.8 cooling fan question

Post by Del »

If you are talking about the mechanical, viscous fan, it shouldn't be particularly noticeable in the transition from free-wheeling (cold) to locking (hot conditions e.g. summer traffic jam) when it runs at the same speed as the engine. As Gazza says, if the temperature gauge is sticking at 12-o-clock throughout it will be operating OK. What sometimes happens is that less expensive, aftermarket replacement units are fitted that can be a little noisy. I believe the OE ones were made by Sachs.
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
Posts: 2225

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Z3 2.8 cooling fan question

Post by BladeRunner919 »

It would be worth checking that the viscous fan is actually locking up when hot and providing enough cooling. One of the downsides of the temperature gauge being damped is that they don't really give any indication of what the engine temp is, unless it gets over a certain temp at which point it shoots up.

To get a proper idea of what the temp is doing, you could try putting the dash into test mode and checking out the actual temps coming from the sender (see http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showt ... n-your-car!).
mrscalex
Joined: Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14
Posts: 910

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Z3 2.8 cooling fan question

Post by mrscalex »

Del wrote:If you are talking about the mechanical, viscous fan, it shouldn't be particularly noticeable in the transition from free-wheeling (cold) to locking (hot conditions e.g. summer traffic jam) when it runs at the same speed as the engine. As Gazza says, if the temperature gauge is sticking at 12-o-clock throughout it will be operating OK. What sometimes happens is that less expensive, aftermarket replacement units are fitted that can be a little noisy. I believe the OE ones were made by Sachs.
The OEM is Behr on my 2.2. In fact I think most items in the cooling (and some heating) system are Behr. Sachs is obviously OEM quality but I found it to be much more expensive.
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2001 Z3 2.2 Topaz Blue (Trudy) - Keeper rebuilt from a write-off
2002 Z3 2.2 Titan Silver (Cookies) - Keeper rebuilt having been bought with a seized engine
2002 Z3 3.0 Sapphire Black (Peanut) - Keeper awaiting rebuilding having been bought as an abandoned project
Plus Willy, Kodak & Maycee - All 2.2 Sport projects. Yes, 6 is a lot of Z3s :)
Always happy to try and help with spares :)
MpowerRob
Joined: Thu 13 Aug, 2015 19:36
Posts: 89

  Z4 roadster 3.0i
Location: North London/Cockfosters

Re: Z3 2.8 cooling fan question

Post by MpowerRob »

Thanks for the replies guys I think it's still on its original, temp needle always on the middle as well, thanks for the replies :thumb:
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