Heating/Engine Temp Issue

[Freeman09]

Good morning and I hope all is well for everyone! I'm a frequent reader and infrequent poster but the question below is something I could not answer with prior posts and would welcome any insight.

I have a 2015 F80 M3 w/DCT and 43k miles that had an odd issue on the way into work this morning. The heater stopped blowing warm air on auto (yes, the vent knobs were turned to warm) and then would not blow warm air on the manual mode. The fan itself was kicking on manual.

I turned the entire system off and when I turned it back on auto, the system blew warm air for less than a minute and then quit putting out any air. It would still move air on manual but the heat itself was gone. The inside of the car was chilly.

At the same time, I noticed the engine oil temp was around 220 when it's normally around 200 for regular driving. I also noticed the faint burning smell coming from the front wheel well that I've noticed intermittently in the past but never worried about. (see https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1587357).

Environmentally, the morning was around 34 degrees F and I'm in SE VA at about sea level. Yesterday was warm (65) and a cold front came through last night. The car is garaged at night.

I checked the codes and nothing was tripped nor were any warning lights on. Both coolant reservoirs are also at their proper level.

Finally, the heater has been blowing warm air (remarkably quick compared to my old 335i) all winter and we just exited a 4-6 week stretch with temps in the 20s-30s in the AM without any issue or concern.

Any thoughts on what the cause could be? I'm going to check the coolant temp and other metrics this evening on the way home with Bimmer Link but I'm at a loss at the moment. Thanks!

[TideMD]

Originally Posted by Freeman09

Good morning and I hope all is well for everyone! I'm a frequent reader and infrequent poster but the question below is something I could not answer with prior posts and would welcome any insight.

I have a 2015 F80 M3 w/DCT and 43k miles that had an odd issue on the way into work this morning. The heater stopped blowing warm air on auto (yes, the vent knobs were turned to warm) and then would not blow warm air on the manual mode. The fan itself was kicking on manual.

I turned the entire system off and when I turned it back on auto, the system blew warm air for less than a minute and then quit putting out any air. It would still move air on manual but the heat itself was gone. The inside of the car was chilly.

At the same time, I noticed the engine oil temp was around 220 when it's normally around 200 for regular driving. I also noticed the faint burning smell coming from the front wheel well that I've noticed intermittently in the past but never worried about. (see https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1587357).

Environmentally, the morning was around 34 degrees F and I'm in SE VA at about sea level. Yesterday was warm (65) and a cold front came through last night. The car is garaged at night.

I checked the codes and nothing was tripped nor were any warning lights on. Both coolant reservoirs are also at their proper level.

Finally, the heater has been blowing warm air (remarkably quick compared to my old 335i) all winter and we just exited a 4-6 week stretch with temps in the 20s-30s in the AM without any issue or concern.

Any thoughts on what the cause could be? I'm going to check the coolant temp and other metrics this evening on the way home with Bimmer Link but I'm at a loss at the moment. Thanks!

What driving mode (Efficient vs Sport vs Sport+) were you using during this episode, and what mode are you using when seeing the 200F oil temp?
IIRC, routine driving in Efficient or Sport keeps oil temp around 220F, while Sport+ quickly drops it down to ~205-210F.

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by TideMD

What driving mode (Efficient vs Sport vs Sport+) were you using during this episode, and what mode are you using when seeing the 200F oil temp?
IIRC, routine driving in Efficient or Sport keeps oil temp around 220F, while Sport+ quickly drops it down to ~205-210F.

^^ this

Efficient is higher than S+ in regards to both coolant and oil temps.

Also have you checked your engine oil level by any chance? Not just the coolant.

[Freeman09]

Hello, it was efficient which for me has normally been in the 200-210 range. The engine oil was also reading as full too---not the max reading but the full reading which is where I normally keep it.

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by Freeman09

Hello, it was efficient which for me has normally been in the 200-210 range. The engine oil was also reading as full too---not the max reading but the full reading which is where I normally keep it.

Best bet would be to take it to the dealer or a local garage, but I think the consensus is that the oil temps in efficient are closer to the 220 range. I think you are fine, but once again take it to the dealer.

[Freeman09]

Thanks. That's the plan at this point is getting it into my mechanic to see if anything is amiss.

[Freeman09]

Hi, late reply on my part. The issue never happened again and my mechanic couldn't find anything wrong. Maybe it was just a vestige of 2020...who knows! Thanks again for all of the input.