Bleeding the cooling system question

So I bought my 93' 325i sedan 3 days ago and saw that the temp gauge was always up and down and then realized that my car never blows truly hot air. So i decided to try and bleed the cooling system by watching a DIY on these forums.

It seemed easy enough after watching the video so I went out and gave it a try. It seems no matter what I do I can never get all of the air bubbles out. I tried for 35 minutes last night squeezing the hoses and just kept on getting air bubbles out of the bleeder.

Thanks for the help in advanced, this is my first BMW I have ever owned in my 7 years of driving so I am new to these car, but love turning wrenches and working on cars.

Any light on why this could be? Thermostat possibly? and is it safe to drive this way?

You have to build the pressure back up after releasing the bubbles.
How I do it is drive car for few minutes till at operating temperature and then bleed. Drive car more then bleed. Drive car more then bleed. So on and so forth untill all bubbles gone.

OK thank you for the input, very much appreciated.

Is it safe to drive this way? Because i got work in about an hour and don't want to risk overheating it.

Dont let it get past 12 oclock operating temp. Do you have enough coolant in car?

Originally Posted by B1MM3R

Dont let it get past 12 oclock operating temp. Do you have enough coolant in car?

Yes I made sure of that last night. It is all topped off

Is the needle going past 12 oclock?

Originally Posted by B1MM3R

Is the needle going past 12 oclock?

Nope doesn't even get to 12 oclock, get to just a sliver under. i know the guy put a new radiator in it in December of 2012 still have the receipts int he glovebox

Originally Posted by NW E36

Nope doesn't even get to 12 oclock, get to just a sliver under. i know the guy put a new radiator in it in December of 2012 still have the receipts int he glovebox

SOunds like you got a bad thermostat. Seems like its stuck open not allowing to get to operating temperature.

Originally Posted by B1MM3R

SOunds like you got a bad thermostat. Seems like its stuck open not allowing to get to operating temperature.

Ok, so should I not drive it to work until i put in a new thermostat?

Originally Posted by NW E36

Ok, so should I not drive it to work until i put in a new thermostat?

I mean its kind of hard on the engine to not get to operating temperature b/c the moisture in the engine never gets burnt off. Id not drive it untill I put one in it if was my car. Also get the aluminum one, the plastic ones stink.

Agreed, it does sound like a stuck thermostat. Keep bleeding the system until no more air comes out. If you keep bleeding it for days and days, and air stills gets in/comes out, you won't want to hear what we have to say...

Follow this video if you haven't already.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Agreed, it does sound like a stuck thermostat. Keep bleeding the system until no more air comes out. If you keep bleeding it for days and days, and air stills gets in/comes out, you won't want to hear what we have to say...

Uh Oh! well hopefully the thermostat will fix the problem haha. Luckily one of my buddies runs a Euro Specialization shop so if I run into any problems I should be alright in that sense as long as I got the money to afford parts and some beer haha.

Originally Posted by IgotBMW

Follow this video if you haven't already.

and yes this is the exact video I went off of

Its ok to run with an open thermostat, better than a stuck closed thermostat. Engine won't run optimally, you may get O2 sensor CELs, but its not the end of the world.

Originally Posted by B1MM3R

I mean its kind of hard on the engine to not get to operating temperature b/c the moisture in the engine never gets burnt off. Id not drive it untill I put one in it if was my car. Also get the aluminum one, the plastic ones stink.

I believe you mean for him to replace his thermostat housing (plastic) with an aluminum one when he changes the thermostat itself.