Hi Guys,

I just finished doing an overhaul on the cooling system on my E55 and also replaced the IC pump (have a large heat exchanger as well)
I followed instructions posted on the forums on bleeding the IC pump and not sure if I bled it properly, and did the following.
- After filling coolant/water I let the car warm up to operating temp.
- Once at operating temp and holding it properly, turned it off.
- Removed the nipple from the IC lines.
- Attached a clear hose and ran it to the reservoir
- Clamped the line below the bleeding nipple.
- Provided 12 v power to the pump

here is where it got interesting, with the line clamped below the bleeding nipple I would not get any coolant flow coming from the bleeding nipple.
I unclamped the line and was able to get flow, bled it that way for about 10 minutes, got air bubbles out and some uneven flow, made sure no air bubbles were coming out and reinstalled the nipple block.

do you think it got bled properly or should I attempt it again ?
Also, why was there no coolant flow with the line clamped ?

After the bleeding, I drove it for a bit:
Ambient Temp: 25 C

First pull:
Coolant temp: 91 C
IAT: 34 C
got up to 48C and then dropped back down to 36 C within a minute

Second Pull:
coolant temp: 92 C
IAT: 36 C
got up to 46 C and then dropped back down to mid 30's in a bit over a minute

does that look reasonable for a good working pump ?

 

You clamped the line coming from the pump. The instructions you obtained were wrong. You did it right the second time, just letting it flow back into the reservoir. The system is self bleeding, and the IC "nipple" just speeds up the process if there's a significant amount of air in the system.

Yes to your second question. Your pump is sufficiently cooling. Did you replace your pump with the Bosch 010 or something else?

 

Thank you for the response, I did another bleed without clamping just to be on the safe side.
Yes, I changed the pump to a Bosch 010. It had the Johnson CM-30 pump which seemed to be on its way out.
I also replaced the radiator, waterpump, thermostat, hoses & reservoir, since I did not know when they were last replaced.

For anyone who might run into the same problem as me where the previous owner cut of the original plug to install the Johnson IC pump plug, use the coolant reservoir level sensor plug or the brake fluid sensor level plug from any BMW between 2000 and 2003 (easy enough to find at the junk yard), on the inside of the plug one side has a black notch shave that down flat ( I used a blade to cut it off and a small screw driver to shave it flat) and the plug fits perfectly to the Bosch pump.

I had a few more questions if you might be able to answer:

- What coolant temperature is considered normal for the e55 ?
before replacing the cooling system, I was getting up to 100c, now I got at most up to 97c, ambient 34c, waiting in a long drive thru line. This did come down to 93c after I changed the fan speed using the engineering menu (option 10) to 80 from 66

- The thermostat I believe opens at 88 C ?
if so how far up is it considered to be within normal operation, since I was able to get up to 97c, that's a 9 degree difference. On my other car ( e60 550i) I have replaced the thermostat with a 90c one and it runs 93c constant on the freeway and at most 96c in the city, haven't checked in drive thru yet.

- For the IAT, what is the temperature differential between ambient and IAT temp that's considered normal ?
Is IAT 10-20 c over ambient? today while on the freeway the IAT read 39c while ambient was 34c, waiting in the drive thru it climbed up to 57c and then after 5 mins of driving (city 45-50 MPH) only dropped down to 43c

- a bit off topic but what temp should the transmission be running at ? mine fluctuated between 86-89c

 

I struggled to get my transmission up to 80 degrees driving hard (both E55 and on a CLK55) but I don't think that is a problematic temperature range as long as your fluid looks good and is at the correct level. https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...id-dealer.html

Just another point of reference, https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...-pictures.html

 

I'm in a CLS55 which I'm about to retire, but average temperature for me is 87-89~C. If outside temp is in the 70~f range, my operating temp could be as low as 84-85c. Can go up to 93c in extreme heat outside (90+f) if I'm in stop and go for a long period, but no higher with the STAR engine fan modification.

Your IAT is climbing while idling? That seems odd. Ambient temp +10-15F is considered "normal" for IAT.

Your transmission temperature is way too hot. I can hardly get mine up to 80C unless it's pretty warm outside (85-90F).

What's the temperature outside while you're doing all this?

 

You can check your fluid level cold. WIS is clear that you only need to check it at 80c if you're experiencing shifting problems. Whenever I drain my ATF (at 20k mile intervals), I fill it cold, start the engine, row it through the gears several times, and then use the dipstick tool to make sure its at the cold max line + 1/4" (personal preference). It's absolutely full at that point.

I normally then check it with STAR to verify its around 80c. I have a Snap-on thermal imager, and a Snap-on infrared temp gun, but I've noticed that the pan temperature doesn't equal the fluid temperature. The sensor in STAR is exact. Get the car to 75C or so, and idling it'll come up to 80C while you're watching it.

Then check it with the dipstick to verify it at the hot range.

I'm really looking forward to this 2018 S65 Coupe I'm about to buy with no dipstick whatsoever for the transmission. It's back to the old days of my 750iL's where you have to fill it from the drain plug until it spills over. Idiotic bull****.

 

Congratulations on the beautiful car, post some pics when you have it.

Sounds like when they introduced the 722.9 and many other new transmissions. I think toyota got it right on their 90's cars, just pour it in until it comes out the fill hole and your done.

 

This is the 7G-speedshift without the torque converter. Has a wet clutch instead. Shifts in the same 100ms time as my Italian V12 I'm currently driving. I thought they had ruined the car with some terrible engine design, but I found out a few weeks ago it's still using the M275 (in M279). The new "63" AMG is a 4.0 bi turbo. Can't imagine a lawnmower engine like that lasting long with the amount of boost they're pushing through it.

 

Somehow they put a factory warranty on M139 cars with 30psi of boost so I guess they must have it sorted. The driving experience between a M279 and M178 is going to be very different, I am sure it is at least as fast but the torque delivery might leave something to be desired. The M178 runs 17psi apparently (not sure which trim this relates to, maybe an AMG GTS) which should provide for a long semi-reliable life.

 

I would love for the car to run around 84-85c but I don't think that is even possible with the thermostat set to open around 87-88 C

I just did a quick test:
Ambient temp per car: 100 F (37.8 - 38 C)
Vehicle coolant temp: 203 F (95 C)
IAT after warm up: 114-116 F (46 - 47C)

WOT run for one mile.
IAT climbed up to 135 F ( 57C)
dropped down to 116 F (47C) after around one minute of 45 MPH driving.

@ idle after 5 minutes of idling
Coolant temp: 203F (95C). dropped down to 198f (92) after using the engineering menu option 10 and set to 99
IAT: 135F (57C)

could not read the transmission temps, since I didn't have my snap on with me, but normally they stay around 88-89C, 80C is when you check the transmission fluid level and it gets up their fairly quickly.

 

Thanks for the reply, I have been using the Mercedes transmission dip stick to measure the ATF at 25C and then at 80C, using a snap on scanner to read the ATF temp when in Drive. I was just wondering as to what temp range the transmission is supposed to run at. I am currently not having any issues with the transmission. Just nosy in terms of knowing the numbers and logging them as I drive.

Congrats on the new car, the S65 is a beauty, may I ask why you are retiring the CLS ?
Yes, BMW doesn't make it easy to fill the transmission fluid, though they are very responsive on getting back to you.
Every question I've ever asked in terms of specs or temps for specific models, they have gotten back to me within 24 hours. Mercedes im still waiting to hear back since end of April.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with your temps. I also feel like people missed that you are driving in some pretty hot ambient temps.

 

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