jp1580

Attention BMW fanatics,
I've attached a picture of the warning that I got 4 times. At all times, I've taken the car to BMW dealer with no luck . so far they did a coolant leak test, updated the computers, check the fans, water pump, etc. Still, same problem after 1 week of driving. It mostly happens when i get out of the tunnel (3x). The last time i was in open air (rainy day about 60 deg F). At all time, the car is being driven normally/babied (no wot). If anyone can answer this, it'll be helpful:

a) what's the normal operating temperature of 2.5l e60? (there's no temp gauge grrrr)
b) what's the temperature at the time that warning appears?
c) what are the symptoms that the water pump is going bad? (aside of that warning)

JP

porsche911targa

Sorry that this is happening to you. I'm sorry I don't have the answers for your questions but I wanted to give you a word of encouragement and the advice to not give up. Escalate this to your regional BMW rep. If you are a member of the BMWCCA (you all are members, right?) call your local ombudsman who will try to work with your dealer. No way in hell would I drive my car with the notion that the engine might be overheating thus possibling causing the head to warp. Go fight 'em, man, and take no prisoners. G/L and keep us posted.

SilberGrauE60

I agree that this is a serious warning, and I would not rest until it is solved. I have had non-BMW water pumps fail, and symptoms include weeping/seeping of coolant from the bottom of the pump. There may also be increased grinding/mechanical noise when pump is running. If you've got no coolant leaking out, then other things I would look into are the condition of the thermostat. A thermostat stuck in closed would prevent coolant from circulating. Also sludge or blockage in the radiator itself could reduce circulation of the coolant. Can you pull the radiator and run a circulation test? Finally, there's the sensor that is reporting this high temp condition. I would think BMW would check these obvious things, but you did not mention it in your writeup. Good luck...

jp1580

I brought the car in today. The good thing is that the service adviser is knowledgeable and fortunately, he's a good person. He assured me that it's the last time that the car is in for this issue. He will not rest until the problem is solved. He?s in direct contact with BMW and he told me that he has an elaborate plan of action for the car. What?s also great is that the problem occurred right before the car went out of warranty so BMW is willing to cover the expenses regardless of the out-of-warranty issue.
That being said, they already changed the thermostat, they have not noticed any leaks from the water pump. They did a continuity test for the water pump and found out that the pump is performing as designed (although it's on the low end of the spectrum). They looked over the coolant. There?s no sign of oil residue or head gasket debris in the radiator. They also did a continuity check on the fans. Both are performing as designed. He mentioned that it's not the sensor on the cylinder head, because if it was, the problem would occur often.
Bottom line, I have a gut feeling that it's the water pump. I think that they want to do all sort of test before changing the water pump. I think that it's a waste of time since they crossed out all possible causes. I told my service adviser that changing the water pump should solve the issue. I think that the water pump does not spin up fast enough and in return the warning comes up. I also think that that warning comes on right after the temperature creeps past normal.

Any thoughts?

ricky1329

I prefer listen to the service adviser instead of told him changing any parts.

sixcard

jp, we had two such warnings recently that led to being towed to the dealership. On the second occurrence the dealer replaced the coolant reservoir.

There have been a number of recent posts on similar issues. I suggest you search the forum to learn more.

sixcard

jp1580

I got the car yesterday. they could not replicate the problem. they told me that they had BMW look over the car wirelessly, with no luck. I mentioned to them that i was not surprised b/c of the drop of temperature nowadays. winter is approaching rapidly in NJ. The service adviser advised me that BMW is aware. They are willing to help me out. Basically the agreement is that if the message returns, I'll bring it to a BMW dealer and have that dealer forward the info to the dealership that has been overlooking the situation. We'll see the outcome. I must say to any readers out there living in NJ, bring the car to Roxburry BMW. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Mac the service adviser is hands down one the very best in that place.

porsche911targa

Wow!! Sorry to hear this. I hope this is not going to have any long-term consequences on your car. I wonder if a RPI scoop would help?

CaptH

I would like to see someone be able to provide a way to get into the iDrive program and allow water temperature to be shown on the bottom of the screen since the program is obviously monitoring it.