Radiator fan keeps running high and low nonstop

Brunner22 · 10-09-2021, 09:57 PM

what's up guys just bought a 2013 BMW 535xi like 2 months ago. it only has like 38k miles on it.

i noticed that when i start the car up and drive about a 1/4 mile down the road the radiator fan will run high speed for like 5 seconds and then wine down and run regular for a few seconds, then wined back up to high speed, then low.. just a constant pattern in speed changes. it never stops doing this even when i come to an idle or put it in park, it just keeps doing the high and low pattern non stop.

I have no check engine light at all.

now i also noticed that when i start the car the fan doesn't kick on high speed at all, which actually causes the car engine to start running hot eventually.. the gauge gets up to about half way, which is like 250.. but as soon as i drive and get down the road a bit like i mentioned it will kick on and start doing what i mentioned. the car temp will go back down to "normal"but the fan just keeps doing the pattern i mentioned.

again there is no check engine light.

my coolant is topped off and good

any ideas?

cdmulders · 10-09-2021, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

what's up guys just bought a 2013 BMW 535xi like 2 months ago. it only has like 38k miles on it.

any ideas?

Water pump is failing. Same thing happened to mine with exactly the same symptoms.

Brunner22 · 10-09-2021, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdmulders

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

what's up guys just bought a 2013 BMW 535xi like 2 months ago. it only has like 38k miles on it.

any ideas?

Water pump is failing. Same thing happened to mine with exactly the same symptoms.

damn really? wtf it only has 38k on it..

i thought it would just be a bad fan relay or something sheesh

Dan944 · 10-10-2021, 07:32 AM

I had the same symptoms and it was the water pump for me. At the time I had 59k miles. I did have the water pump code though when I scanned the car.

Brunner22 · 10-10-2021, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan944

I had the same symptoms and it was the water pump for me. At the time I had 59k miles. I did have the water pump code though when I scanned the car.

yeah mine doesn't have any check engine light at all..

did your fan do it when the engine was cold also?

my engine can be completely cold and i'll get about 100ft down the rd and the fan will start doing it

cdmulders · 10-10-2021, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

yeah mine doesn't have any check engine light at all..

did your fan do it when the engine was cold also?

my engine can be completely cold and i'll get about 100ft down the rd and the fan will start doing it

Mine threw codes as well. This is not a check engine light, but rather someone hooking up a code reader to scan your car.

And yes, mine did it when cold. The fan would start racing as I was leaving the driveway.

Dan944 · 10-10-2021, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan944

I had the same symptoms and it was the water pump for me. At the time I had 59k miles. I did have the water pump code though when I scanned the car.

yeah mine doesn't have any check engine light at all..

did your fan do it when the engine was cold also?

my engine can be completely cold and i'll get about 100ft down the rd and the fan will start doing it

I didn't have check engine but when I scanned it, it was there. Yes, even on cold start 100 ft away. I kept driving it and eventually the fan stayed on. Shortly after I had the over heating light and had to stop driving. Luckily I was just parking at work. I drove home 8 hours later and just monitored the temps and fan with BimmerLink and was able to make it home. At that point I purchased the new pump and waited till I installed it before driving the car again.

Brunner22 · 10-10-2021, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan944

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan944

I had the same symptoms and it was the water pump for me. At the time I had 59k miles. I did have the water pump code though when I scanned the car.

yeah mine doesn't have any check engine light at all..

did your fan do it when the engine was cold also?

my engine can be completely cold and i'll get about 100ft down the rd and the fan will start doing it

I didn't have check engine but when I scanned it, it was there. Yes, even on cold start 100 ft away. I kept driving it and eventually the fan stayed on. Shortly after I had the over heating light and had to stop driving. Luckily I was just parking at work. I drove home 8 hours later and just monitored the temps and fan with BimmerLink and was able to make it home. At that point I purchased the new pump and waited till I installed it before driving the car again.

damn, i'm mind blown that the pump would go bad this early.

but i guess it's good it happened now while i'm still under the 90 day purchase warranty so i can get it replaced for free. hopefully they don't try any bull shit with me

Brunner22 · 10-10-2021, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdmulders

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

yeah mine doesn't have any check engine light at all..

did your fan do it when the engine was cold also?

my engine can be completely cold and i'll get about 100ft down the rd and the fan will start doing it

Mine threw codes as well. This is not a check engine light, but rather someone hooking up a code reader to scan your car.

And yes, mine did it when cold. The fan would start racing as I was leaving the driveway.

damn, i'm gonna scan mine tomorrow and see what it says..

Dan944 · 10-10-2021, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdmulders

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

yeah mine doesn't have any check engine light at all..

did your fan do it when the engine was cold also?

my engine can be completely cold and i'll get about 100ft down the rd and the fan will start doing it

Mine threw codes as well. This is not a check engine light, but rather someone hooking up a code reader to scan your car.

And yes, mine did it when cold. The fan would start racing as I was leaving the driveway.

damn, i'm gonna scan mine tomorrow and see what it says..

There was a recall or some notice I had received in the mail for the water pump but I missed it by the years since I have a 2012.

Brunner22 · 10-12-2021, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan944

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brunner22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan944

I had the same symptoms and it was the water pump for me. At the time I had 59k miles. I did have the water pump code though when I scanned the car.

yeah mine doesn't have any check engine light at all..

did your fan do it when the engine was cold also?

my engine can be completely cold and i'll get about 100ft down the rd and the fan will start doing it

I didn't have check engine but when I scanned it, it was there. Yes, even on cold start 100 ft away. I kept driving it and eventually the fan stayed on. Shortly after I had the over heating light and had to stop driving. Luckily I was just parking at work. I drove home 8 hours later and just monitored the temps and fan with BimmerLink and was able to make it home. At that point I purchased the new pump and waited till I installed it before driving the car again.

will any simple code reader tell me? i don't own one but i was gona drive to autozone or something and use theirs tomorrow

Dan944 · 10-13-2021, 06:38 PM

Im not sure if any scanner will work. Did you end up using the one at autozone to check?

Brunner22 · 10-16-2021, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan944

Im not sure if any scanner will work. Did you end up using the one at autozone to check?

yeah i have no codes at all..

i even bought one for myself just to have and that one didn't pull any codes at all

beegeezy · 10-16-2021, 01:43 PM

Scanning with ISTA would be best IMO. I also use an OBD dongle (MHD) and the Bimmer Link app, which works better than a generic scanner.

Hoa · 10-16-2021, 02:15 PM

Regular scanners won't show the codes. Those scanners can only show codes if you get a check engine light. You will need BMW diagnostic tools to show codes. Sometime it won't even throw a code. Like mentioned above, those are the recommended tools to diagnose your car.

If you are replacing the water pump, replace the thermostat as well. It's next to each other. Save you the hassle in the future.

Brunner22 · 10-16-2021, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beegeezy

Scanning with ISTA would be best IMO. I also use an OBD dongle (MHD) and the Bimmer Link app, which works better than a generic scanner.

ok bet, i just bought the OBDlink cx for bimmercode. we'll see what happens.. i have another 6 days til my service appointment so hoping nothing goes wrong til then other then what's happening with the fan

Brunner22 · 10-16-2021, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beegeezy

Scanning with ISTA would be best IMO. I also use an OBD dongle (MHD) and the Bimmer Link app, which works better than a generic scanner.

i did the BMW water pump test that is shown everywhere on youtube and it seems to be working just fine... it's so weird the fan is doing this

Houranimd49 · 10-21-2021, 02:55 PM

+1 on the water pump. Mine had the same symptoms and it happened at 55,000 miles.

10-09-2021, 09:57 PM	#1
Brunner22 New Member 0 Rep 24 Posts Drives: BMW 535XI Join Date: Aug 2021 Location: Baltimore Md iTrader: (0)	what's up guys just bought a 2013 BMW 535xi like 2 months ago. it only has like 38k miles on it. i noticed that when i start the car up and drive about a 1/4 mile down the road the radiator fan will run high speed for like 5 seconds and then wine down and run regular for a few seconds, then wined back up to high speed, then low.. just a constant pattern in speed changes. it never stops doing this even when i come to an idle or put it in park, it just keeps doing the high and low pattern non stop. I have no check engine light at all. now i also noticed that when i start the car the fan doesn't kick on high speed at all, which actually causes the car engine to start running hot eventually.. the gauge gets up to about half way, which is like 250.. but as soon as i drive and get down the road a bit like i mentioned it will kick on and start doing what i mentioned. the car temp will go back down to "normal"but the fan just keeps doing the pattern i mentioned. again there is no check engine light. my coolant is topped off and good any ideas?
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10-10-2021, 07:32 AM	#4
Dan944 Private 18 Rep 63 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW 535xi Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Florida iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW 535xi [0.00]	I had the same symptoms and it was the water pump for me. At the time I had 59k miles. I did have the water pump code though when I scanned the car.
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10-13-2021, 06:38 PM	#12
Dan944 Private 18 Rep 63 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW 535xi Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Florida iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW 535xi [0.00]	Im not sure if any scanner will work. Did you end up using the one at autozone to check?
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10-16-2021, 01:43 PM	#14
beegeezy Second Lieutenant 70 Rep 210 Posts Drives: 2013 535i M-Sport Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: New Orleans iTrader: (0)	Scanning with ISTA would be best IMO. I also use an OBD dongle (MHD) and the Bimmer Link app, which works better than a generic scanner.
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10-16-2021, 02:15 PM	#15
Hoa Major 513 Rep 1,356 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: May 2010 Location: GA iTrader: (9)	Regular scanners won't show the codes. Those scanners can only show codes if you get a check engine light. You will need BMW diagnostic tools to show codes. Sometime it won't even throw a code. Like mentioned above, those are the recommended tools to diagnose your car. If you are replacing the water pump, replace the thermostat as well. It's next to each other. Save you the hassle in the future.
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10-21-2021, 02:55 PM	#18
Houranimd49 First Lieutenant 252 Rep 332 Posts Drives: F10 535i xDrive, F25 xDrive35i Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: MI iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW X3 xDriv ... [9.25] 2011 BMW 535i xDrive [9.50]	+1 on the water pump. Mine had the same symptoms and it happened at 55,000 miles.
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