Diagnosing and Replacing the Thermostat | BMW E39 540i
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- Today I’m replacing the Thermostat on my 2000 BMW 540i. It has been taking the car forever to reach operating temperature, sometimes exceeding 15 minutes before the needle in the temperature gauge reaches the center position. Even if the car had reached operating temperature, highway driving would cause the needle to drop towards the cold side of the gauge. I didn't have a check engine light, but the consistently cold temperatures was hinting at a failed thermostat that was stuck open. After performing this repair, it takes the engine between 5 - 6 minutes to reach operating temp and the needle stays centered throughout the drive.
This repair is for a 2000 BMW 540i, which is fitted with the 4.4L V8 M62 Engine. BMW used this engine across a couple of different vehicles, including the 1998-2003 540i (E39), 1999-2001 740i (E38), and the 1999-2003 X5 (E53). There are even some non-BMW vehicles with this engine including the 2000-2004 Morgan Aero 8, and 2002-2005 Range Rover (L322). It is CRITICAL to note that there are 2 different Thermostat variations to be aware of. If you have a 540 or 740 produced BEFORE September 1998, you’re going to need a different Thermostat than the vehicles produced AFTER September 1998.
I suggest shopping around for the best deal you can find on the Thermostat. My 540 was produced after September 1998 so I ordered a Mahle, 105 degree Celsius Thermostat from Amazon. I order a lot of parts from ECS Tuning so that's probably a good place to start your search for comparison. BMW's coolant does not come premixed so the distilled water is needed to dilute the mixture to a 50/50 ratio. Expect to pay ~$100 for the Thermostat, Coolant, and distilled water.
Overall, this is an easy repair that will only take an hour or so to complete. I will be documenting the cooling system bleeding process in a later video so keep an eye out for that. Please leave a comment if you have any questions, thanks for watching!
Parts:
1. (1) Thermostat w/ Gasket
- PN (BEFORE 09/1998): 11531437526 www.ecstuning....
- PN (AFTER 09/1998): 11531436386 www.ecstuning....
2. BMW Antifreeze www.ecstuning....
3. Distilled Water
Tools:
1. 10mm Socket
2. 3/8" Drive Ratchet w/ Extensions
3. 10mm Wrench
4. Flat Head Screw Driver
5. Drain Pan
6. Mallet
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Tire Kickers, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Tire Kickers assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Tire Kickers recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Tire Kickers, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Tire Kickers.
Excellent video. Concise, informative, and well-produced. Thanks!
This helped me out so much, about to check out your coolant fill video and hopefully be able to see my family for christmas since all the shops are booked. Thanks!
I missed this comment when you posted it, but I really hope you were able to get to see your family for the holidays!
@@TireKickers it was a success! Got to go see my folks while they were in town visiting my sister's family. Thanks again for your help 🙌
Thank you bro definitely helpful!
Orange coolant? I guess we will never know if he added blue BMW coolant to his orange coolant.
sooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! stuart i just got done watching your video and yeah i was meaning to talk to you about this. so i watched your reaction when you removed the housing and i'm sorry stuart but i'm not sure what kind of reaction i was suppose to be looking for so now im dealing with another failed thermostat cause i missed your reaction stuart. cool great talk hope to catch more educational videos
Why didn't you go with a lower temp thermostat?
Honestly, no particular reason. If I had put more thought into my decision I would've gone with a lower temp thermostat, but haven't had any issues with the replacement so it's all good.
Blew my expansion tank hose to my coolant and now my temp gauge is stuck red gonna try replacing my thermostat but people are sayin I need to replace my water pump as well. Car runs and drives normal but I haven’t put coolant in yet haven’t had time gonna buy the part today but wanna make sure that it’s the right thermostat I got the same car 2000 540i e39
So I’m changing my thermostat soon because it pops up on my dash saying temperature -41 or something like that but I was wondering if it could be something else
Im having a similar problem recently but after cooling down slightly it will peg over to red. It is still only at operating temperature because when I pull over I reset the battery and it goes back to normal for a while and does the same thing again, do you think this is the same issue?
Also as I’m driving it will intermittently go back and forth from normal operating temperature and pegged. But no check engine light or anything, hoses and everything inside engine bay is still at normal temp
That's really weird and I don't know the answer. I see that you tried resetting the battery and it temporarily fixed it but the problem came back. I was reading in a forum that someone left their battery unplugged for 10-15 minutes and it solved their problem. Judging by the discussion in that thread someone also mentioned that it could be a faulty sensor or maybe a blown fuse, but I'd start with leaving the battery unplugged a little longer if you haven't already.
www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2319788-Temperature-needle-immediately-goes-to-red