abduke232

Hi all, I have searched all over the net and continue to find different answers on what the ideal operating temperature is for the n52 engine. I have seen everything from 96c to 107c as being normal operating temp. I recently replaced my water pump after getting the yellow and red warning messages on idrive and I have yet to gain full confidence in the car so I monitor the temp via the secret OBD menu and the car does the following:

goes up to 107c-108c then drops down to 96c-99c. It constantly does this during city driving, when I get to highway speeds it goes down to 96c and sometimes goes up to 100-102c. My question is, is this normal? Before looking at the coolant temp in real time I was under the impression that the temp reached a certain # and stayed there but the car isn't doing this and I am a bit nervous about getting the dreaded "engine overheat" message or even worse, ruining the new water pump. Any clarification will be greatly appreciated as I have a road trip this weekend and would much prefer to go in my car than in my wifes corolla Thanks!!

abduke232

Anyone? :S

AchtungE60

Yes temperatures go up and down due to air flow. Your car is both air cooled and liquid cooled as are most vehicles unless you drive a 1960's beetle. So on the freeway your temperature is going to reduce. Also if you have the under belly cover off the car it will reduce. If you're within normal operating temp and have bled properly then you shouldn't get any errors unless that wasn't your isssue to begin with or just one of mulitple issues. I hope that answers your question.

216F ? 225F should be within normal spec for your engine. My sportbike runs to 225F before the aux fan kicks on. When I'm riding constantly about 169F...and that's with lots of air flow.


Did you follow procedure correctly for refill and bleed?

abduke232

Thanks for the response, yes I followed the correct procedure. I filled it with the 50/50 mix of bmw coolant and distilled water and then let the water pump do its 12 minute bleed procedure. I was just a bit freaked out about the constant changes in temperature since my E46 used to have the temperature gauge and it used to stay right in the middle which led me to believe that the temp didn't fluctuate as much as it does when looking at it in real time in the hidden menu.

I guess all that is left then is an oil change and I am off on my 4 hour trek! Thanks again!!