Rising Temp

[rrgroup]

Recently, my X5 E53 indicated a "low coolant level" and the temp was rising from around 82F to 89F. so i had it checked and apparently the radiator Expansion Tank had a crack. also observed was the aux fan was sporadically working. i asked them to replace the tank and leave the aux fan for me to observe. Temp now is back to around 77F but when i park it and come back after a few hours, temp indicator reads 89F. is that normal o there's something else causing the problem? Hope to hear from you guys soon.

Thanks and more power!

[TerminatorX5]

you did not say if you are 4.4, 3.0 petrol or diesel... or, what year your car is... the aux fan kicks in under A/C load and is electronically operated, older versions used staged resistors, newer ones use Pulse Modulated Wave, older ones are placed in front of the radiatior, newer ones are behind radiator...

give us more details, what do you mean - you come back after few hours and the temp reads 89? does the car run continuously for those hours?

the temperature is a buffered info - the absolute number does not matter as much as long as the needle sits in the middle of the gauge - the buffered area is from about 75 to about 110 degrees (C)... if temp is over 110, then the needle moves up... if it is below 75, then it never reaches the center of the dial, and the engine runs too cold... the buffering depends on the DME or DDE and is matched to your car from the factory (unless you have changed some parameters in the General Module)

[bastereo]

So, these engines have a normal operating temperatire over 200f.

When you parked it at 77, was it warm outside?
When you came back and it was 89 was in nearing hot outside?

Seems more likely those temps you were reading are ambient temperature...

[SlickGT1]

Originally Posted by bastereo

So, these engines have a normal operating temperatire over 200f.

When you parked it at 77, was it warm outside?
When you came back and it was 89 was in nearing hot outside?

Seems more likely those temps you were reading are ambient temperature...

I almost said another troll till you replied.

Yes I too think this person is looking at the temp outside. Because my temp gauge doesn't read out tempt like that. And you would have to be a special person not to realize the temp you were looking at was the outside temperature.

[TerminatorX5]

do they have celcius in philippines? he did not offer anything for sale, so... maybe i was taken... to a picnic!!!! hahaha

[TwinTurboGTR]

Nah, guy is real. He posted and replied before. But I think he has an E70 and a E53. He posted about a whistling sound out of his 07 E70.

In any case, yeah, I think you are reading ambient outside temp, not coolant temp. Because if it were, you have the coolest running engine in history.

I also concur with Term on his points.

[rrgroup]

thanks for quickly replying guys. i do have both '07 E70 3.0D and '03 E53 3.0D. i really feel stupid at this point coz i really thought that temp reading indicates the engine or coolant temp. it's really dumb considering i've had it for almost 10 yrs now and i have 2. i wont even make an excuse for it. sorry about that. and you're right! the needle stays at the middle when running. so i guess i dont have a radiator problem. but my fan is still not working well and they said something about a clutch fan problem too.

[TerminatorX5]

you are talking about the E53 fan, right?
Take a look at your engine bay, and see if the electric fan is in between the engine fan (that one has a clutch) and the radiator (big empty space between radiator and front bumper) or if the fan is in the front of the car.


it seems on '03 that it is located in front of the radiator, between the front bumper and the radiator, right?... i am not really that familiar with diesel layout though...

in that case, there could be some road debris, like leaves, bugs... dead birds... that may have cluttered the electric motor (not sure if electric motor has a clutch). To see if the fan is working, you need to start the car and turn on the A/C full blast, the fan will start jerking, and then will start spinning... if it just jerks a little bit but does not spin, the motor could be clogged with bugs... try it by hand (when the car is off, be carefull, it can run even with keys out the car), if it does not spin freely, do a search on line for electric fan repair - there are E39 folks that have revived the fan by taking it apart and cleaning and lubing - otherwise, it is about $300, if I remember correctly...

[rrgroup]

correct it is infront. i will have it checked immediately. do we have posts on how to remove the fan on the e53?