Hi all

Can anyone tell me where to locate the thermostat on a South African 1995 BMW 316i (E36) (it's got the 1.8l 8-valve motor with timing chain (not cambelt) in SA)? It's running cold most of the time, which I think indicates a stuck thermostat.

I'm also wanting to replace the pollen filter; I know it's somewhere behind the glovebox, but I'm not exactly sure where.

Any details will be appreciated - the local agents are not too helpful, and so far I haven't been able to locate these locations myself.

Thanks!

The Tstat is located on front of the head above the water pump. Should the same as any M44 engine. The micro filter is behind the glove box but it doesn't have to be removed. There is a panel below the glove box that has 2 screws in it. Remove these screws and pull the panel down. Next pull the vent that fits into that panel towards the front and away from the ac box. Next look up above the vent and you will see a big block of wires. There are two clips that are hard to get to, so my reccomendation would be to just pull down on it and snap it off. No harm done by this btw. Look towards the ac box really close to the fire wall and you will see like a cover that has a little t handle on it, turn it to one way or the other and pull it off, your micro filter is in there. Another recco would be that the micro filter snaps in two different places. The micro filter will look like you could fold it into a triangle. Break these tabs that are designed that way and it makes it easier to put it. All this assuming its not a Ti. Hope this helps. PM me if you have any more specific ?'s

Thanks, I'll give it a try!

Hi there

Well, I successfully located the thermostat, although the one I had as a replacement was the incorrect part. The pollen filter was more elusive however, and I was unable to locate it no matter how many wires were moved. I removed the glove box and air vents too to make things easier to see, but still had no joy. Are the right-hand drive variants different to the left-hand drive units with regards to the location of the filter? I would have thought it would be reasonably easy to get to, otherwise it would never be replaced by the dealers...

Well that sucks, I should have asked about lhd or rhd. I will have to check for you. It may actually be on the drivers side but I will check. Also your car isn't a Ti is it? 2dr hatchback? Just making sure it isn't because its in a different location if it is.

No, it's not a Ti - just a plain old 4-door sedan. I also had a look around the driver's side, but couldn't spot anything there without disassembing most of the dash.