2003 x5 4.4 running hotter then most...
 

hey guys, ever since I got the rig, I noticed the engine temp arrow is always a little past the center, I checked operating temps, and it runs at 118F all the time, already replaced thermostat, water pump, new expansion tank, I did NOT however replace the little sensor at the bottom of the expansion tank, could that be my issue or is there something bigger going on?

Car runs great other then that, but it just bugs me that it runs that hot

Fan clutch is what I'd look at.

Hmm...never crossed my mind lol ill do the news paper trick today and test it

I assume you mean 218F, not 118F. 118F would mean it runs at the same temp as a nice July afternoon in Vegas. :D

FWIW, my 2005 4.4i used to run at 219F all day long. Now it just sits in the garage waiting for me to fix what I broke last weekend...

Need some help with that from the knowledgable members here though...:stickpoke

Where should the temperature gauge needle be ? and
Ummm.... What's the old newspaper trick ?

Normal operating temp is 225F. How did you check the coolant temp?

sorry guys I meant 118C which is about 244F, I checked it with INPA and on the speedometer while running

the gauge needle should be in the center right? mine is past the center towards hot

the newspaper trick is if you can stop the fan easily with a rolled up news paper when its running, means the clutch is bad

If someone had the pixels fixed by replacing the ribon, some remove the needles on the dial to complete the fix. If it isn't done right the needle will be in the wrong place. So look to see if the needle is hitting the stop when the key is turned off if it just a little off the stop that is your problem.

Nope arrow stops where it should, pixels actually need to be fixed as they are starting to pixelate worse and worse :(

I'm gonna test the fan clutch tomorrow and see what happens

No need to remove any needle to replace the ribbon.

The X-Man, when did you have the cooling system flushed? You had new coolant when replacing the thermostat, expansion tank and water pump. Did you flush the system to get rid of the old coolant too?

244F is higher than the norm of 225F. The temp needle would be past the center line. Depending on the outside temp and if A/C is running the temp can go higher than 225F but should stabilize at 225F.

A few questions--
Have you checked for fault codes?
Am I correct to assume the reason you replaced thermostat etc. was because the needle was past center?
When you refilled the coolant did you bleed the system?
Have you checked accessory belt to see if it is as tight as it should be?
Have you checked for trash in the radiator fins?
When you first start your X does auxiliary fan come on at high speed for a short period?
Has coolant stayed at the full level?

If the answer to all of above is yes, I would have the system pressure tested, as previously suggested, before doing anything else.