Lifted E30 V2

[Earl]

haha just foolin=) Did they end up getting you that new manifold?

[GunMetalGrey]

Shiny head! 
I got it all assembled and it still overheated, so either I'm bad at bleeding m20 cooling systems or something is wonky. 
I took the thermostat out and it still started creeping past 1/2 at idle, so I replaced the clutch fan. Shall test all of that tonight. 

This car resulted in this picture, it makes dealing with constant issues easier.

[KaiserRolls]

PBR? Did Andy buy something from you?

[GunMetalGrey]

KaiserRolls said:

PBR? Did Andy buy something from you?

lol, nope! That's Mikes beer of choice.

[straight6pwr]

pbr is pretty good for cheap light beer. better than lite or bud or other terrible domestic light beers.

on topic - i'm sure you know how to bleed one of these cars, but what process are you going through exactly?

i just bled my e30 before winter and it took probably 4 cycles of: start car - warms up - massage radiator hoses -  starts to creep past 1/2 - shut it off - let it cool - open the cap - more coolant - repeat.

[KaiserRolls]

FWIW, my cluster reads more than half. Shooting the t stat housing always comes back around 195F +\- 5

Which is close enough for me, currently using a 92C t stat so it's right about where it should be. I'm sure the ground nut and 30 year old electronics arent being helpful.

Also why I'm installing an actual temp gauge this winter...

[GunMetalGrey]

I actually have little knowledge in terms of bleeding m20 systems, as I am more familiar with e46 and 318 style bleeding. 
I know that it's not just the temp gauge as the radiator wasn't getting hot previously. 

I found a few articles on it and will give it another couple goes tonight, after putting the thermostat back in. I may add a hole to that for bleeding ease.

[GunMetalGrey]

straight6pwr said:

pbr is pretty good for cheap light beer. better than lite or bud or other terrible domestic light beers.

Let's get @suspenceful to chime in about how bud light tastes!

[suspenceful]

straight6pwr said:

pbr is pretty good for cheap light beer. better than lite or bud or other terrible domestic light beers.

on topic - i'm sure you know how to bleed one of these cars, but what process are you going through exactly?

i just bled my e30 before winter and it took probably 4 cycles of: start car - warms up - massage radiator hoses -  starts to creep past 1/2 - shut it off - let it cool - open the cap - more coolant - repeat.

GunMetalGrey said:

Let's get @suspenceful to chime in about how bud light tastes! 

I held back my comments. But now that you've asked for it... I'd snort Bud Light before drinking PBR through my mouth.

Bud Light is the best light domestic beer by far.

PS: I thought you didn't drink when you were angry? 

[GunMetalGrey]

Well who wouldn't be willing to snort water?

It amuses me that you actually think I got angry about the whole situation!

[HipMF]

straight6pwr said:

pbr is pretty good for cheap light beer.

Technically, PBR isn't a "light" beer, although they make that too...

I only drink it because I'm a hipster.

[Bassboy3313]

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[GunMetalGrey]

Tried a couple of things last night and got it to not overheat quickly like it had before, but it still crept over half. 
When I stopped I noticed that the hoses seemed to have a bit more pressure than what I would assume to be normal, and the radiator still wasn't getting full coolant flow. 
Going to re-bleed and try again.

[Earl]

Does the car still have heat or did you loop it? Could be a clogged up heater core?

[GunMetalGrey]

Earl said:

Does the car still have heat or did you loop it? Could be a clogged up heater core? 

Car has heat, heat works quite well.

[KaiserRolls]

Have you shot it with a temp gun?

[GunMetalGrey]

KaiserRolls said:

Have you shot it with a temp gun?

I can assure you it is actually overheating. 
But no, I do not have one.

[Jdesign]

Could it be a flow issue? Did you try forcing coolant through the system or vacuuming the air out? Also are you putting the car at an extreme angle when you are bleeding it? I think sharing your bleeding process in more detail might help depict the issue.

[jc43089]

The e30s all have self bleeding cooling systems right, early ones had the rounded expansion tank and late had the lumpy one.  Is your bleed line clogged that comes from the top of the radiator?

[GunMetalGrey]

I am starting to think my problem is not surface level. 
I massaged hoses for awhile last night, cracked the bleeder for a bit, and checked levels. 
I then went for a drive, and the coolant took awhile to get to temp but slowly started creeping past once I got there. I felt the radiator and once again just the top row was hot. 
I went to squeeze a coolant hose after shutting the car off and it was hard, much more so than normal. The rest of them were plagued by the same problem.

I am starting to think that somewhere in the cooling jacket the block was cracked when the "coolant" froze and this is causing my problems.

I started all of these lines with the letter I, so that is amusing.