Questions and Answers

BMW 528i Getting Hot At A Stop Q. Vincent, I recently bought a 1997 BMW 528i with 118,000 miles on it. Its the standard V-6 with an automatic transmission. My question is the temperature gauge normally gives a normal engine temperature reading until I begin to idle. Then the needle will move into the red but as soon as I start moving again the needle drops back down to normal again.

The car has never overheated and there is plenty of coolant in the system. I have narrowed it down to three possible reasons but really need a professionals help before I start replacing things that aren't broken. I think it could be: the thermostat, a faulty gauge, or possibly the switches that control the fan. What do you think? Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank You in advance,
Danny

A. It is very likely that the cooling fan(s) are not working. If your vehicle is equipped with A/C does it still overheat while the A/C is on and stopped? If not, the fault is either with the radiator cooling fan, fan switch or the fan relay. Troubleshooting is a matter of testing each component separately.

A jumper wire run from the positive terminal of the battery to the fan wiring will determine if the fan motor is working properly. A test light or voltmeter connected to the hot wire of the fan with the fan switch jumpered will point you in the direction of or rule out the relay. For example, if the fan works with the switch jumpered, then the switch must be at fault.