The BMW X3 is a type of SUV made by BMW, known for being comfortable and fun to drive. The 2011 version has different engine options and is popular for its quality and features.
The check engine light is a light on your car's dashboard that tells you there might be a problem with the engine. It can mean anything from a small issue to something more serious that needs fixing.
The radiator fan is a part of the car that helps keep the engine cool by blowing air through the radiator. It turns on when the engine gets too hot to help prevent overheating.
P0128 is a code that your car's computer uses to tell you there's a problem with the engine's temperature. It usually means the engine isn't warming up like it should, often due to a bad thermostat.
The thermostat in your car helps control the temperature of the engine by regulating how much coolant flows through it. If it doesn't work right, the engine can get too hot or not warm up enough.
The transmission oil cooler keeps the fluid in the transmission from getting too hot. This is important because hot fluid can damage the transmission over time.
Fuel efficiency is how far your car can go on a certain amount of gas. If your car isn't working well, it might use more gas than it should, which is not good for your wallet or the environment.
The electrical system is what powers things like your lights, radio, and other electronics in your car. If it's under too much stress, it can cause problems with these features.
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Hi, it's Mark.
I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver's best auto service experience.
And we're talking cars.
How are you doing, Bernie?
Doing very well today.
Today's guest is a 2011 BMW X3.
What was the presenting issue with this vehicle?
So this vehicle had a check engine light on and the other issue with it is the radiator
fan would sometimes come on full speed.
When this thing comes on full speed, it caused a lot of noise.
Also noticeable was the heat in the vehicle.
It's coldest time of year in Vancouver, not freezing, but pretty cold.
And there was not a lot of heat in the vehicle.
It was there, but it wasn't fantastic.
Clearly an issue.
A scan of the vehicle computer is the first thing we do with a check engine light.
Found a code for a thermostat issue, P0128.
It's a common code among many cars.
And you could almost just replace the thermostat on a vehicle because the code basically indicates
the engine's not to warming up properly.
And it's always the thermostat that causes that, but BMW is unique.
It has actually two thermostats.
So further testing is required to make sure you replace the right one.
Let's go to some pictures.
There's our BMW.
Great shape.
Yep.
Good for a 15 year old car now.
What are we looking at here?
So this is the transmission oil cooler.
And that red arrow is pointing to the thermostat on the transmission oil cooler.
So who knew, but these cars actually have a thermostat on the transmission oil cooler.
And this is the thing that we need to test first to make sure this is not a failed item
because these can fail and cause that code.
Did the tests on it found that this thermostat was working fine?
So immediately if that's verified, then it's the main engine coolant thermostat.
So here we have a picture of the old thermostat, which is stuck open.
We can toggle between the pictures of this one and the good one.
And it might take a minute, but if you look where the red arrow is pointing,
you see that sort of golden color that's sticking a little bit further away from the
black piece at the top on that one and closer on that one.
And so that is basically the thermostat that's actually stuck open.
So it's allowing coolant to flow to the radiator all the time.
And of course, it will open more as it warms up, but the engine never warms up.
And if you shine a flashlight through one end, you can actually see light shining
through the thermostat when you shouldn't.
This is a view of the thermostat.
The red arrow is pointing to an electrical plug.
This is an electronically mapped thermostat.
And what that means is the engine computer can control a thermostat opening
by applying voltage to the thermostat.
And that'll actually open and close the heater as well as being mechanical.
It's electronically controlled as well.
So after changing everything, how was the performance of the vehicle?
Perfect.
Like light gone?
Yeah.
We switched the engine light off.
Eventually the engine light would switch off, but sometimes it takes a long time to do that.
So we switched the check engine light off.
The warm up was immediate.
You could tell right away in the car that the heat was coming through like much more
powerfully and the radiator fan never came on.
But we really wanted to verify things.
We can actually look on a scan tool.
We can see what the engine operating temperature is, but no need to do that.
You could just tell by the operation it was good.
So you got a little band-aid and put it over the check engine light to make it go away?
Yeah.
We don't like to do that kind of stuff here.
We're here to rip band-aids off and it can be painful too.
Sometimes the check engine lights, people often go,
my check engine lights on.
Do I need to worry about it?
If it's not flashing, you have time to have it looked at.
But there's things like with this thermostat, there's lack of heat in the car.
The engine's not warming up.
You're going to be using more fuel than you need to.
You don't need to get it fixed like right away, but you need to get it fixed pretty soon.
Plus having the fan running on high speed is a strain on the electrical system
to have that happen all the time.
But again, best to fix things because it's cheaper in the long run.
If you're looking for service for your BMW in Vancouver, BC, Canada,
the people to see are at Pawlik Automotive.
You can book your appointment online at pawlikautomotive.com
or you can call them at 604-327-7112 to book your appointment.
The real deal here is you got to book ahead.
They're always busy.
Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Thanks so much for watching and listening.
Thank you, Bernie.
Thank you, Mark.
Thanks for watching.
It's greatly appreciated.
About this episode
A 2011 BMW X3 presented with a check engine light and issues with the radiator fan running at full speed, leading to inadequate cabin heat. The diagnosis revealed a common P0128 code indicating a thermostat problem, but BMW's unique dual thermostat system required thorough testing. After confirming the transmission oil cooler thermostat was functional, the main engine coolant thermostat was found to be stuck open. Replacing it resolved the issues, restoring proper heating and eliminating the check engine light. The episode emphasizes the importance of addressing such problems promptly to avoid further complications.
