2011 X5 E70 possible overheating ( No warning)

[X5E70Dazza]

Hi Guys,

Recently purchased a 2011 E70 Msport 3.0 Xdrive with 80,000 mls.
Having previously owned an E53 and also an F10.
My E70 the radiator aux fan is constantly coming on whilst driving. After about 10 mins of driving it will come on and stay on until ignition is switched off. I loaded up the temp gauge via the hidden menu in the instrument panel and my cars averaging 100 degrees celsius with the maximum it got to being 104 C.
First of all, is this the engine oil temp or the coolant temp?
I am not getting any errors or messages regarding overheating. But I'm stumped as to why the fan is always coming on. Could my water pump be on the way out?
Any simple ways of testing? Is this a normal operating temperature and if so why is the fan constantly coming on?
The fan turns off when I turn the ignition off. its also not blowing hot air out when waving hand in front of it.
Any info much appreciated thanks guys

[ard]

Originally Posted by X5E70Dazza

Hi Guys,

Recently purchased a 2011 E70 Msport 3.0 Xdrive with 80,000 mls.
Having previously owned an E53 and also an F10.
My E70 the radiator aux fan is constantly coming on whilst driving. After about 10 mins of driving it will come on and stay on until ignition is switched off. I loaded up the temp gauge via the hidden menu in the instrument panel and my cars averaging 100 degrees celsius with the maximum it got to being 104 C.
First of all, is this the engine oil temp or the coolant temp?
I am not getting any errors or messages regarding overheating. But I'm stumped as to why the fan is always coming on. Could my water pump be on the way out?
Any simple ways of testing? Is this a normal operating temperature and if so why is the fan constantly coming on?
The fan turns off when I turn the ignition off. its also not blowing hot air out when waving hand in front of it.
Any info much appreciated thanks guys

Almost certainly your water pump.

problem is that when the pump stops turning, the water in the jacket heats VERY quickly. Looking at the temperature gauge will not show this temp, you will only see the temp where the sensor sits.

Also, the electric pump fails intermittanty- some people get on-off...others limited pumping. As a result the failure can be differnt behaviors...

Change it before you are stranded. And DO NOT drive it once it fails, you can go from a $$ repair to a $$$$ repair (insert your own currency)

There are TONS and tonnes of posts on this...

[X5E70Dazza]

Hi ard,
Many thanks for your response. I have actually just checked the coolant tank and it is below the min line. Getting a hold of bmw specific coolant will be tough right now with this virus, should I top it off with distilled water and see how it goes? Rule that out before going near the water pump.
Cheers

[Mackskibum]

Slightly low coolant in the bottle will not cause overheating. Pull codes with a quality scan tool that can read BMW specific codes. I have seen codes for “pump not reaching target speed” before complete failure.

[ard]

Originally Posted by X5E70Dazza

Hi ard,
Many thanks for your response. I have actually just checked the coolant tank and it is below the min line. Getting a hold of bmw specific coolant will be tough right now with this virus, should I top it off with distilled water and see how it goes? Rule that out before going near the water pump.
Cheers

Sure, no problem with using DI water to top off, especially in summer and where you live.

But dont think it is fluid level issue