Fan Clutch Question & over heating

my 95 525i seems to have cooiling system issues....


How can one tell if the fan clutch is bad or going bad?
BMW dealer said if it is loose, but how loose? define loose?
I can turn the blade with my hand pretty easy , should it be stiff and not turn at all while the motor is off? or not

Along the same lines of issues maybe some can shed some light on this issue.

I had an issue with the second waterpump( was leaking ) and in the meantime while waiting for the part to come in I bypassed it and everything was fine for about a week, the part came in but got busy and being that the car was running 100% fine i putoff working on the car for a bit then while driving into my garage my upper radiatior hose broke off and dumped the coolent everywhere. ( common issue on these cars )

I fixed the issue ( still with out the second water pump installed ) and tried to bleed the system and the car would not bleed for several hours. The system would only blow cold air and I am now not sure if the temp gauge is 100% I have a manual temp gauge hooked up in the meantime but i need to know the normal tempature on F deg. not just ( in the middle) the temp is reading about 185-190F is this normal. I also can't get hot air to blow out the vent if my life depends on it. I am not sure if it is several issues on one. I could go ahead and replace everything but rather not if I dont have to, becuase my other car is giving me problems and costing me lost sof money.

Help anyone

IS that second water pump just add comfort device? I have been told that it lets the interior cabin heat up faster? True or False?


Thank you everyone
John

Hi John, This will probably be another of my useless posts but I'll see what i can do.
in the summer the fan will be very loud when hot outside and the air is on, schoolbus sounding. When your engine is cold and you first start it the fan should spin fast and hard and make that sound for a few seconds until the fluid in it softens up. Other than that I have read and dont recommend sticking your hand in there.

The auxillary heater pump allows the coolant to circulate at an idle, when the flow is slow.

Your temperature seems fine. but you might have either air in the heatercore or the pump isnt working. You should however get heat when the engine is reving above an idle.

OK to add to this... I just tried it one more time and the system for some reason bleed out this time... the gauge in the car reads in the middle and now blows hot air.( i am stumped ) ...As far as the fan goes.. WHen Cold the car would make a rattle like noise that bothered me and at first thought it was comming from inside the engine.. but was lead away from that idea after checking it out in more detail. Now that you mention the the Fan clutch that could be the cause for that noise.the noise did some sound like a school bus. but only for about 2-3 secs.

Hey any thoughts on another topic...my stupid wipers like to stop and go when they please... ...This issue is driving me nuts too. MY fix for that is to drive my other car when it's rainning...haha ....The wiper arm rubs the hood a little and the wiper only 100% in the fast mode....on the slower speed it works for a short time then gets worse to they stop working. any ideas wiper switch? wiper relay, or motor?

Ok..now after testing the car and almost 50+ miles of stop and go traffic no overheating issues at all.

QI am wondering if I should just return that second waterpump because i dont see much of a change...What is everyones Thought About the second water pump ? Honestly I don't see the change with out it. I should be getting a newer BMW soon but i still want to keep this car.

the aux pump is so that you get heat at an idle, and for bleeding purposes only. If you can live with it than return it.

Fan clutch will be very noisy the first 2500 or so RPM when the engine is nice and hot--roll down the window and you will definitely hear it. The "Newspaper test" or "rolled up towel test" works if you let the car get nice and hot, then open the hood and stick the newspaper/towel in there where the fan is. If it stops easily, the clutch is toast. Insist on a Sachs fan clutch [NOT BEHR!!] if you need a new fan clutch.