I have a 98 f3. I noticed the other day that it was not cooling on a short ride to the gas station. I thought that something could be wrong with my fan because it was not turning on. When I got home I tested the fan motor and it worked. Im not sure how to test the sensor. I was curious if it could be the thermostat, water pump, or if its the sensor on the radiator. Can anyone give me any assistance on this?

Thanks everyone and safe riding!

 

Looks like when I took off the fairings and looked with a flashlight that the water pump is leaking. I think this is the issue!!

 

The coolant temp sensor is on the bottom left side of the radiator. It has a single, I believe, black wire going to it. Unplug it & ground it to the radiator. The fan should come on. do that 1st & let us know... If it doesn't we need to back up & make sure we have power. That tests the electrical side of the cooling system except for the sensor itself. What is the temp you are seeing on the dash?

 

I already did do that. The fan does come on. The water pump is leaking both oil and coolant. I went into my local shop to talk to them. They agreed. I purchased a used working pump from ebay. I also bought a new gasket and o ring as well as the seal inside the engine.

 

Leaking mechanical seal will do it....

 

Perfect. So I have all the parts on order should all be here by the end of next week. I also got new oil, oil filter and coolant. Should I drain the fluids and prep it now to install the new parts late next week? Also does it matter if I drain the oil or the coolant first?

 

I would leave the oil in while you perform these steps so you can determine if the oil is constantly getting into coolant system. Could be a bad head gasket. Could be a cracked head. Either way whatever the problem is, it needs to be checked with a compression test. Did the mechanic you talked to not say this? If he didnt say this then you need to look for a better mechanic. There should not be oil in the coolant, period.

Go get some distilled water and start pumping it through the system. Distilled is cheap. (THere are so many debates about this as well, filtered vs. distilled. There are treatments designed for this as well) In your case I would buy 4 gallons or so (at least)because you are going to want a very thorough flush. You may also look into a coolant system treatment that you can run through the system.Pull the drain plug off of the water pump first. Start at the rad cap end and start pushing it through. Collect drained water in clear container to examine. Next start at the resovior and start pushing coolant through it and see what comes out.

If you have steady oil in the water that is still present then you have an issue. Its already an issue being in there but you need to get to the root of it. Maybe its left over from a previous fix, maybe its a current problem. Also, if you run all that through and its lessening, then put water in and leave sit for a night or so. Then drain again. This may determine the speed at which the oil is leaking. Please do this and report back your findings. There is def. some other things at work here regarding proper operation.

-Poss

 

There was no mention of coolant in the water or the other way around, just a leaking water pump. A bad o-ring where the pump is installed in the engine will certainly cause it to leak oil as well. The mechanical seal leaks (coolant) to the outside, not the oil side.

It does not matter which fluids are drained 1st or 2nd. I would suggest not mixing them, as some parts stores will not take mixed coolant & oil. When installing the new/used water pump, put a little bit of grease on the o-ring to help it slide into place.

 

I understand what you are saying. But you are just going to assume its that seal vs. the head and oil being in the coolant? He didnt specify that there was oil in the coolant, just that it was leaking coolant and oil. Just to be aware I would be checking these things. But yea theres a difference, if not in the coolant then it doesnt matter. But hey if assuming problems and taking those assumptions on fact is how you want to operate by all means. I prefer to factually eliminate possible scenarios. Hell maybe I just read it wrong. I'll admit that one. Still though, coolant in the oil is no joke and is a very serious issue if it is whats wrong, in any coolant system anytime.

 

Let me clarify. There is an oil leak and a coolant leak at the water pump. I have not visually seen any mixture of coolant and oil yet. Again just 2 separate leaks from the water pump.