88 735i - Running hot

hi i have a 1988 735i and for awhile now it has been running hot but not overheating ive had trouble with it overheating before. It was blowing hoses constantly broke off parts to the heater tap. i have had the water pump and the thermostat both replaced the cooling system flushed and cleaned and when i drive it the inside off the car gets really hot and theres a strong smell of coolant the temp gauge sits just over half i dont no if thats ok for it to sit there i live in australia where it does get quite hot but when im constantly stopping at traffic lights it will sometimes go into the red but if im not stopping all the time its fine and sits just over half so please if anyone knows whats going on could you let me know it would be really appreciated

Originally Posted by wld735i

hi i have a 1988 735i and for awhile now it has been running hot but not overheating ive had trouble with it overheating before. It was blowing hoses constantly broke off parts to the heater tap. i have had the water pump and the thermostat both replaced the cooling system flushed and cleaned and when i drive it the inside off the car gets really hot and theres a strong smell of coolant the temp gauge sits just over half i dont no if thats ok for it to sit there i live in australia where it does get quite hot but when im constantly stopping at traffic lights it will sometimes go into the red but if im not stopping all the time its fine and sits just over half so please if anyone knows whats going on could you let me know it would be really appreciated

Any idea what temperature the thermostat is rated at? My 735 stays at 1/2 way 98% of the time, maybe a cm.higher in heavy traffic - thermo is 80 C. Getting into the red is not cool, so to speak.
Do you lose any coolant?
Do you have clear air passage through the A/C radiator to your primary radiator?
Flushing the system is a good thing but are you sure tyou are getting enough flow through the rediator?

Its somewhat normal for this car to run hot but if you're blowing hoses, etc., its too hot - check that thermostat first, then see if any blockage may be present in the heater loop in the dashboard (not an easy task).

i have know idea what the temperature is rated at how would i find that out?
i do lose coolant i know theres a leak in one of the hoses put not a huge leak
and i dont know if i have clear air passage through the a/c radiator is that the same thing as a condencer and again how would i go about checking that would i be able to look at it myself?
but it has not been blowing hoses for awhile

Originally Posted by wld735i

i have know idea what the temperature is rated at how would i find that out?
i do lose coolant i know theres a leak in one of the hoses put not a huge leak
and i dont know if i have clear air passage through the a/c radiator is that the same thing as a condencer and again how would i go about checking that would i be able to look at it myself?
but it has not been blowing hoses for awhile

The thermostat is temperature rated - it will be on the box and stamped on the body.
For your radiator, check that there is no blockage to air flow over the vanes. Then check there is adequate water flow through the inside (use a hose).
Then the fan clutch may be bad - does the fan spin freely by hand?
Then there may be air in the soolant system - bleed it via the small screw on top of the thermostat housing.