jamesnau
Joined: 19 Jul 2002 Posts: 520 Location: NC State University
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Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:06 am Post subject: temp gauge and heater |
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Greetings UBBers,
I haven't posted in a while because the old '85 325e is going strong, save for two nagging problems:
1. The engine temp gauge reads low and is jumpy. I thought the problem was the sender, so I replaced it. No change. Then I thought it was the thermostat because the output from the heater is low, so I replaced it. No change. Then I thought a bad connection, so I cleaned the ground connection under the dash and the connection on the gauge itself after pulling the cluster. No change. OK, I need some suggestions....bad solder joint on the printed circuit board in the cluster? Bad gauge itself?
2. Second, and I think unrelated problem, is low heater output. Changing the thermostat did no good. Thought maybe there was an air pocket in the heater, so I bled the system. Front end on ramps, fast idle, opened bleed screw. Bled for a good 15 minutes with varying engine speed. Couldn't tell if any air was expelled...the stream looked steady. While the heat output seemed a little better, it still feels cool to me. Could it be that the heater control valve isn't opening fully? It is 28 years old after all. I will drive the car for a week or so and bleed again. Any other suggestions? If it is the valve, it is NLA...suggestions?
Thank you in advance,
Jim
'85 325e, born October 1984
220K miles, original owner |
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