The Random E46/ZHP Question Thread

[704sw]

Does anyone else's ZHP run cold? Since I've gotten it it has never gone past half way into hot, and sits at 1/4 way into cold
My brothers sits at halfway the whole time.
Even when I was really pushing her as much as I ever had down backcountry roads(hard pulls and constant downshifting, doing 80 in 3rd, you get what I'm saying, driving gloves were brought out) it never passed that middle.
I suppose it's a good thing? Only difference between our cars is I have a cone air intake while his is stock, but I've heard negative things about cone filters(drawing in hot air from engine).
Penny for your thought?

Has your cooling system been refreshed? Sounds like a failing thermostat, they are designed to fail open. Also, when pushing my car hard, the water temp usually drops a few degrees as the cooling system does its job.

This: I'd say something is definitely off.

In addition to the above, I'll simply ask if your other 3 needles are accurate? For example, when I took my cluster apart to swap to US gauge faces, I didn't get all 4 needles back on perfectly. My speedo is ~3mph off, and my temperature gauge sits at 12:30, instead of 12:00. It annoys the eff out of me, but taking that thing out/apart again isn't something I'm dying to do.

[John in VA]

Wondering how people feel about the use of fuel system cleaners like Techron on a regular basis. I've been doing it out of habit. Good/bad?

Top-tier gasoline has cleaners/additives in it. That said, BMW has approved Techron, so it shouldn't hurt anything, as stated earlier.

[webster]

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...728#post539728

[Dual]

Top-tier gasoline has cleaners/additives in it. That said, BMW has approved Techron, so it shouldn't hurt anything, as stated earlier.

Thanks, guys.

[webster]

Does anyone else's ZHP run cold? Since I've gotten it it has never gone past half way into hot, and sits at 1/4 way into cold
My brothers sits at halfway the whole time.
Even when I was really pushing her as much as I ever had down backcountry roads(hard pulls and constant downshifting, doing 80 in 3rd, you get what I'm saying, driving gloves were brought out) it never passed that middle.
I suppose it's a good thing? Only difference between our cars is I have a cone air intake while his is stock, but I've heard negative things about cone filters(drawing in hot air from engine).
Penny for your thought?


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My temp gauge needle did the same thing. You need to adjust the position of the needle to the right. You'll have to remove and disassemble the cluster and adjust the needle with your hands. It's an easy job shouldn't take more than 20 minutes or so.

Watch the video on this page:

https://bimmian.com/Accessories-for-...le-Gauge-Face/

[stephenkirsh]

Prestovie, the E46, unmodified and in good condition, should run with the temp needle always at the top, roughly 11:55, on the clock.

Your t-stat has failed and is stuck open, so the coolant never gets up to full temps.

This is exactly what happened on my car.

I'm pretty sure a dealership "inspection" won't pick this up.

[BMWM3186]

+1 on thermostat, my car did the same thing. Idling was the only way to get the temp up further

[webster]

I should've prefaced my post by saying that if the thermostat is OK then my description applies. Obviously the thermostat is the most likely culprit and should be the first thing to look at

[az3579]

You can just verify the actual coolant temp by utilizing the built-in cluster functions for coolant temp readout.

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[stephenkirsh]

You can just verify the actual coolant temp by utilizing the built-in cluster functions for coolant temp readout.

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Correct. It should run around 93-95 Celsius, but i think it's a bit diff between autos and manuals.