Re: Overheating and drivers door problems.

["Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ashley,

Comments inline...

- -rb

>
>Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 23:01:02 +1200
>From: "Ashley R M  Cox" <acactus@domain.elided>
>Subject: Overheating and drivers door problems.

[snip]

>Well then, out for a weekend drive in my 1989 520i E34 and have noticed 
>that the temperature gauge that normally sits on exactly 1/2 way shot up to 
> > when I began to climb a hill in low gears. I thought the engine seemed 
>to perform less at this point- could be mixture though (we've been getting 
>some really bad fuel), but later was back to normal. I pulled over & 
>stopped. I did what you should never do & eased the cap. Not greatly hot, 
>but a little coolant raced up & overflowed. Screwed the cap on and with 
>nothing else amiss, carried on. Seems this only happens on hills under load 
>through the gears. On the flat its dead steady at =. Really scared of 
>cooking it and would appreciate any feedback. Had the thermostat & cam belt 
>replaced  3000km ago. Could it be: radiator, water pump, head gasket 
>(gulp)? What order should I get these things looked at? Is a TK test any 
>good for diagnosing a blown head gasket? Can a genuine BM garage diagnose 
>easily & how? Any simple tests I can do? Have Haynes manual.


It's possible that you have air in the cooling system.  Follow the 
instructions in your Haynes manual to bleed the system.

It's also possible that you have a bad fan clutch, so it isn't pulling 
sufficient air through the radiator.

You should also have the coolant temp. sender tested.  You need to verify 
that your engine is really running hot, and that a bad sending unit (or 
gauge) is giving you a false indication.


>Secondly, the same trip yielded another problem. In the morning drivers 
>door lock knob was observed to not go down when auto locking.


I'm not sure what's going on with this.  There is a switch that tells the 
lock system whether the door is closed or not, in order to allow the 
driver's door to lock.  Perhaps the switch is bad, or mis-positioned?  As 
far as to why you can't move the locking mechanism within the door, you may 
be able to better understand what's WRONG if you pull off the door panel on 
the passenger-side door and look at what's RIGHT.  You may find a binding 
link, something bent, etc.

<snip>


>Is this anything to do with the means of getting entry to the car when 
>there is a flat battery by overriding the central locking- ie lift the 
>handle of the drivers door, turn the key right, then lift the handle again? 
>Some say this is a feature of their passengers door, others I hear are like 
>mine. I have since disengaged the aforementioned rod, and the hiccup thing 
>has stopped, but the door is locked now when shut and only openable from 
>the >inside. At least safe. I suspect the solenoid is OK, but what is 
>inaccessible is the lock/handle above the latch- Is this likely the culprit 
>or will a new latch solve it?