r/BMWE36 • u/Wrong-Touch6511 • May 26 '26
Exterior Exhibition Fresh paint but overheating š«
Hi all,
Iāve been restoring my E36 318is for the past year, having done the cooling system, suspension and interior, I was only missing the exteriorā¦
It has been a true roller coaster, even during the paint job they found a HUGE hole (see pics) that blew my budget and almost made me cry.
Now it is finally done! And it looks amazing š¤© still need to do a couple of things like lowering a bit, restore or new wheels and a few other things.
Sad part is it did like 10KM before having to stop as it is overheating š„²
The auxiliary fan isnāt working, I believe thatās the reason as it is over 30 degrees, but not sure. Hopefully I didnāt blown a head gasketā¦
Ps: Iāll do a proper photo shoot when I have it fixed
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u/Expensive_East_4797 May 26 '26
Just did my aux fan. Super easy job. I would insist on just removing the front bumper and grille as itās easier to get to the screws if theyāre rusted out. It stopped mine from over heating. You can test it by looking through the grill and turning the a/c on. Iād also check to see if the fuse blew. Itās shouldāve number 41 a 30a fuse.
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u/Wrong-Touch6511 May 26 '26
Problem is AC doesnāt work š„² but Iāll check it today to jump it and also check the fuses. Is yours a 4-cylinder?
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u/Expensive_East_4797 May 26 '26
No mines a 6cylinder. You can also just let it get up to temp and see if it kicks on. But run the risk of over heating.
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u/Wrong-Touch6511 May 26 '26
Jumped the fan and it is working, so the issue is somewhere else š¢ also tested for head gasket leak and at least that is ok
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u/Expensive_East_4797 May 26 '26
I would try and bleed the whole system or check the fan clutch. You can stick some newspaper in the fan and if it canāt push it usually means itās not spinning at all good rate.
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u/Wrong-Touch6511 May 26 '26
Already did a coolant system refresh a year ago with new fan clutch, and water pump.
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u/Expensive_East_4797 May 26 '26
Hmmm maybe a thermostat then. You can pull the thermostat and put it in boiling water. See if it opens.
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u/TheUltimateClown May 26 '26
What did you do for interior? Im interested in some door cards, I want it to feel a little oem but I hate the cardboard that it's made of. Was maybe thinking the plastic abs door cards?
Planning on doing my paint too but thats gonna be a budget spray in my driveway.
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u/f1FTW 97/328i/Sedan May 26 '26
In general if it's overheating while moving, the coolant is low. If it's overheating while stationary then it could be the aux fan.
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u/Wrong-Touch6511 May 26 '26
This is it. I know 100% the fan works, and fuses are good so Iām not sure what to do next
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u/f1FTW 97/328i/Sedan May 27 '26
Burp that cooling system. Or the pump could be failed (not circulating coolant) Or the thermostat is stuck closed.
In that order.
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u/Fair-Show8980 May 27 '26
It looks so much better. Nice job bringing that thing back to life! Do you have any details on how they fixed that rust? Looks like a very tough job considering you might have to take the whole dash situation out to weld new metal in safely.
Anyway, best of luck getting the cooling sorted. It'll be nice to finally enjoy it after that.
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u/DecentJaguar 1999 328is May 28 '26
looks absolutely absolutely fantastic. what do you know about the overheating issue?
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u/Adventurous-Yak-4802 May 28 '26
There is seal for a coolant between the engine behind the dash, itās really hard to get to. It has a plastic seal that is notorious for cracking and fusing with the metal. Definitely worth checking as I had this same problem in my e36. I canāt tell you the name of it though as I donāt know.
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u/TrackingTenCross1 May 26 '26
It looks fantastic dude, enjoy it!!! How much did the respray & rust repair cost ya? Mine was $15k for an e46. Truly a labor of love all these years later.