E39 - K&N Filter

Diary of a Second Hand 15 year old Beamer (Maintenance - Battery Drain included...,
BMW E39 520i year 2000 Engine 1995cc)
M Series.

Workshop/Diary - Radiator Thermostat

Today on the 06.02.2019, the e39 under new ownership with my son, is going through a bad patch, not sure if it is down to a different driving style or it is just down to a requirement of updating the maintenance schedule, bearing in mind the e39 has being going through a maintenance free spree for awhile and is now due for some attention.

This time the e39 is down, due to poor performance initially and has gone into limp mode. It is never straight forward in identifying the problem, however there is always a step-by-step sequence we work through to get to the fundamental cause identifying issues leading up to the problem, a case of identify, replace eliminating that particular possibility and moving on to the next possible cause on the list. We have got up to the accelerator pedal, a fuel filter and now we are looking at the thermostat, pump and housing. With further investigation, of the thermostat and housing; there seemed to a break in the thermostat stem within the housing. Unfortunately the thermostat is not a separate entity as one would expect and comparing the e39 to earlier earlier cars. Later cars consist of sensors for everything and the e39 is no exception.

I have received these images of the thermostat housing:

Note: Inside the housing , you will notice two red wires, it is easy to mistake it for being one wire with a tie in the middle, however, this is a space. Also note the plastic stem attached to the upper thermostat.

fig: There is a hairline crack also on the stem and the wires are exposed

fig: Thermostat Housing

When re-ordering the replacement part make sure, you at least have the correct part number, (obtained via BMW parts outlet) as well as make and model of vehicle; as companies online seem to suggest it will fit through their advert however, when the part is delivered it can be the wrong part, wasting everyone's valuable time and effort. At least one of these will need to be returned...

The camshaft sensor was also needed to be replaced, and another one not matching was sent in error, only to be returned

The Thermostat Housing has now been fitted and has improved the performance greatly, as to the camshaft sensor, we are waiting on another replacement, this will be fitted, if and when it arrives...