BMW E39 540i Thermostat Mod (85c Instead of 105c)

[@glasspedals6857]

at this point in time I couldn't find any cooler thermostat options for my pre vanos literally anywhere, so this saved me alot, thank you!

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Glad I could help!

[@jasontorres2416]

did everything you said and it works fine. thanks for posting this bc i had no idea i was getting robbed out of having a superior thermostat

[@madmax3397]

one of the best upgrades u can do

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I'm so happy with it so far :)

[@muddakiral_bedrany1862]

I am from Iraq, I have the same car and the same suffering, imagine in the summer I raise the thermostat because the temperature here in the day reaches 50 degrees, but when running in the morning, the engine is cold and more fuel starts to be spent and the smell of fuel burning. Thank you, I'm going to look for this 85-degree mechanical thermostat. 🙏

[@mohammedhilal8130]

اذا حصلت كلمني انا بعد ابيهم

[@HarleySoftailSlimS]

Thx. I life in Germany and i’ve learned more about this upgrade in this Video as in all german Communitys. Really

[@_Quis_Ut_Deus_]

Thanks for a good vid m8, ill be doing this now this weekend on my E38 prevanos.

[@povdrivekls8369]

i think 88C thermostat from 740D e38 is good too , i see they are the same

[@darek4488]

My E38 740d typically runs at 93-95°C. It has 16 liters of coolant and 9.5 liters of oil so it never changes quickly.

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Yes, I think they are the same

[@anthonyk]

You can use the 740d m67 thermostat on the facelift ones that is a 88c thermostat instead of the 105c

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Good to know :) Thank you

[@bassam7amad103]

Hello my friend I have bmw e39 540i Is there any problems if i removed the thermostat and reinstall the housing of the thermostat without it ? What i mean is leaving the car without thermostat

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Hey Bassam 😊 a lot of people actually do that. It's not too bad to do but just keep in mind that it will take a long time for the car to warm up and can cause damage to engine parts if it's really cold

[@bassam7amad103]

@@MichaelRoninTV Thanks brother for your response Actually i had just remove it yesterday and i noticed that the coolant temp is not going greater than 85c Appreciate your help. 🙏

[@ayad2012ify]

@@bassam7amad103 Hi , Does every thing OK after removeing thermostat ?

[@dave-8910]

Great video detailing the process with changjng the thermostat and results from it keep up the great work 👍 I purchased a 90°C thermostat for my E66760Li as i agree with you that 105°C is too hot for any car and components over time and hope to get the same results as you did with your beast!!

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Hi Dave, thank you. It's been amazing since doing the thermostat change :)

[@andresont]

as for the Winter / Summer comments on here. the T-stat will open at preset temp, say 90C. Its all the same 90C in winter and or the Summer, the only difference is that in hotter climate it will reach 90C sooner, and cool down faster that's all. But engine will be at around 90C is same winter or Summer.

[@Titansilber.540i]

Mine went to 108 today, was 30C outside, and I'm also running the car without the visco (fan clutch). From my understanding, the normal operating temps should be around 90-93 with that t-stat. Since I'm only using the Aux fan for cooling, would it be normal for the temps to raise that much? And would that be a problem? Considering those are the normal operating temps for the M62 with a standard thermostat, but would it be a problem if it runs on those temps with the 88c one?

[@andresont]

@@Titansilber.540i 108C is No problem at all. OEM BMW T-stat just starts opening at 101C and car runs at 105 -110C "normally". I now have installed my Summer T-stat that opens at 75C and the X5 V8 runs at 85, but in slow moving traffic and or when going up hill it goes up to 97C-105C. My wife's RDX T-stat starts opening at 80C Car normally runs at 88C but when going up hill the block reaches 110C and radiator gets to 100C. As long as you fan works and radiator has lower temp compare to a block you are good. At 75 if weather is colder and it takes longer to reach over 85C The BMW MAP system thinks T-stat is broken and throws a secondary code (Tstat malfunction) but no check engine light.

[@Titansilber.540i]

@@andresont Thanks a lot man, this really put my mind at ease. I was worried that I'm basically running higher temps than the 88c t-stat is designed for, so I thought that may be an issue. But you are right, logically if the operating temps on the engine are around 105-110 with the normal t-stat, then the car getting up to those temps even with the 88c thermostat installed, in hot weather and only using the aux fan for cooling is not that big of a deal. I believe the temps will go significantly down after I re-install my visco fan again (was waiting on a new fan clutch, as mine was seized and sounded like a train 100% of the time).

[@Titansilber.540i]

@@andresont As for radiator etc. I'm thinking of getting a new water pump and radiator as soon as possible. I believe they were replaced around 30-50k km ago, but I'll still definitely do them, just to have that piece of mind.

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Yep, exactly

[@SuperChlin]

Hello Michael, I did this mod 2 weeks ago, and now I see your vid :) Living in France, in a cold area, I noticed my engine is running a bit cool on highways (especially when going down hills where the engine is less charged). My engine can go down to 70 degrees, which does not concern me that much but it bug me a bit. So I have a question : did you find the diagram of this thermostat ? I thought it would start to open at 85, so I can run approx 90 degrees, but this is not really what I have, as I excpected it to be at least at 82 83. Thanks !

[@MichaelRoninTV]

@@SuperChlin they usually do stay above their opening temperature but if you live in a cold area it could perhaps stay cooler. It's probably not a concern as long as its at a decent operating temperature. 70c is quite cold but it should be ok. Worst case is you could swap back to the original 105 thermostat or find something inbetween.

[@SuperChlin]

@@MichaelRoninTV Thanks for the reply. Clearly I won't go back to the 105, it was a nightmare... I guess I'll live with it for a while :)

[@MichaelRoninTV]

@SuperChlin it should be ok :)

[@BMWEiV-Drivingaroundtheworld]

Thanks for this video. Do you have by chance a video about the electric fan conversion? I could not find it.

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Hey :) here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmiTZYaCdq90aMU

[@royvisser90]

Hi, what is the temperature of yer oil now? I manipulated my oem (TU) thermostat into not getting higher then 88. But now my oil won't get higher then 80 degrees Celsius. Only when I push the car hard it will reach 98 to 100 degrees Celsius. I'm not comfortable with these low Temps tbh

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Hi Roy :) How are you checking the oil temp? As far as I knew, the M62TU doesn't have an oil temp sensor that can be read. I have never checked my oil temp so i'm not really sure what it is.

[@walternyakwaka5481]

Does the fan clutch engage?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I don't have one anymore as I replaced it with an electric one but, yes it should still engage as normal if you do have one :)

[@ssmurkish9199]

So I got a year 2000 e39 540i my coolant hose from the expansion tank blew. for now I zip tied it but after that my car started overheating obviously bc no coolant and omw home my temp gauges shoots red and now it’s stuck In red whenever I turn the car on. Looking to replace it but I’ve seen that some thermostats won’t fit bc of the year of production the car was made after 9/1998 i believe I have to buy a different thermostat? I’m not sure could you help?

[@carloslopezcaballero]

Hi. I have the same problem of overheating, specially when y change de fan clutch for electric fans, i need your idvice. With the replacement of the thermostat you resolve the overheating problem?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

If it's overheating then you may have an issue with the cooling system somewhere else. Maybe air in the system or something else not working properly

[@dicappa.7298]

Have you got a video on how to bleed the coolant ont those m62s to get out all the air in the system? did mine recently but kinda feel that there's too much pressure in the system and I can't get it out, maybe I'm using the wrong method... any ideas?

[@Vatabg]

cant you just program the wax thing to open the stock thermostat sooner if there is a plug that controls when the thermostat opens?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I did look into that but it seemed easier to just change the thermostat. Even though it is electronically controlled, I think the wax still won't open/close unless it's at a certain temperature. I may be wrong about that but I'm pretty certain I also read that if you code it to a different temperature, it can cause issues with other systems in the car.

[@honzagalabov6900]

Does that make CEL light on gauges or the error code is only visible through diagnostic? Because the heater element is obviously not working this way.

[@MichaelRoninTV]

From what I've read, some cars will throw a CEL and others don't. Mine didn't. I haven't scanned the car yet for codes but I'm sure it will have a MAP cooling circuit failure code now because it's unplugged

[@vanceyoutube1631]

Hi bro for the machine M54 525 do this same thing? May I have a link to order a valve removal tool.

[@MA.CUTLER]

I noticed you said you needed to get a pixel fix for your display... who fixes those?....I have dead pixels also.... Thanks

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Are you in Australia? There is a guy on one of the E39 FB groups that does them :)

[@MA.CUTLER]

@@MichaelRoninTV Ohhh thanks... but no I'm in United states

[@ssmurkish9199]

@@MA.CUTLER u ever find someone I need pixels fixed to

[@MrStokesman22]

So what did you do about the old Plug in since there was stray wires

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I just tucked it up under where the engine cover is

[@manliocicchelli8763]

Where do you shop termostat?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I got mine from BMW directly but there are lots of other online stores that sell them too

[@robertguy150]

I’m really surprised as my 97 E39 540 runs really cool by the gauge in winter it doesn’t meet the first mark and runs in the middle of the gauge all the time so I will have to run a gauge to see what it is running at and the if hot will chain it to this

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Hey Robert :) Does it take a long time for the car to get up to that middle mark? It could actually have a faulty thermostat that is stuck open causing it to possibly run cooler but take a long time to heat up.

[@ابنالجزيره-ب8ط]

Is it fine if i do that to my range rover M62 engine? Thanks!

[@jacobduncil4702]

I would like to put a cooler thermostat in my 2003 540i (vanos) what type of resistor specifically should i put in the cable

[@TheGigolou]

Putting a cooler thermostat on a M62 (which is an aluminium block) is not the best idea due to the fact that aluminium has a different thermal expansion than cast iron (cooler thermostats are meant to be used in cast iron engines like the M57). So, if we keep the engine block cooler by putting a cooler thermostat in the M62, the piston-block fitment would be tighter and may cause it to wear out sooner.

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I see what you're saying but I disagree. The S62 from the M5 shares basically the same block as the M62 (aluminium) and they run an even cooler thermostat (around 79 degrees c if I remember correctly). There are also many, many other vehicles out there running cooler temps than this with aluminium blocks. The other thing is that this replacement thermostat is out of another M62 motor just from a different model car. From all of my research, the only reason BMW put a thermostat in that runs this hot (105c) is to get the best emissions scores possible. It probably makes more sense in very cold climates to have the hotter thermostat but I don't think it's required at all where I am, I think it's actually doing more damage than good.

[@TheGigolou]

​@@MichaelRoninTV thank you for your reply. I need to investigate this further. I believe the cooler thermostat on the E39 M5 (which is as you said 79 celsius degrees) is because looser fit piston-cylinder (its just a guess). The reason of looser piston-cylinder fit is that engine power is higher than regular m62 (more heat) so piston thermal expansion is also higher.

[@paperandmedals8316]

What is the production date of the E39?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

From memory mine is Sept 97

[@paperandmedals8316]

@@MichaelRoninTV thanks. Same situation as you 100%. What was offered for sale didn’t match what arrived. Been searching all over for a E31 thermostat housing, which doesn’t exist without getting another thermostat which I don’t need. So 2 years later no problems with your solution?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Yeh I found it difficult to find one too at the time. It's been perfect the whole time :)

[@paperandmedals8316]

@@MichaelRoninTV so I followed your build. Car went to 95C. Radiator is bled. Plenty of fluid. Can’t figure out what the problem is other than doing it with it being 110F outside or 43.3C. Thoughts?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Are all of your fans working? How long have you been driving the car since doing the thermostat change?

[@Matthewleiva09]

I have a 99 540i what termostato u suggest me to use on it?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Is it vanos or non-vanos?

[@Matthewleiva09]

@@MichaelRoninTV is my first bmw but I think I do have the venos . Is a M5 540i.

[@WOLF-mf6om]

Can we install the thermostat of diesel m57 4.0?

[@darek4488]

There is no such thing.

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I have no idea, sorry.

[@fourage5995]

I've got a Vanos 540, and my thermostat just failed. I couldn't believe how hot it runs... Would this mod work for a Vanos model? Or mess with the computer too much?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Hey :) it will definitely work for a vanos model it would just be a different thermostat. I know plenty of people who've done it with vanos models and it's been great for them :)

[@fourage5995]

@@MichaelRoninTV thanks mate! Legend

[@husseinalhelali4012]

Bro I have question this will fitting in Range Rover l322 model 2005 petrol M62 4.4 ?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Hey bro :) I'm not 100% sure. I would imagine if it was a 2005 model it would have vanos so it might be a different thermostat needed

[@Kaneikins]

Hey mate, does the stock thermostat housing on the car look like the new one you showed in the video? cheers

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Yep, it basically looks exactly the same as the original one

[@manliocicchelli8763]

My z4e85 2.0i use termostat at 105° But on internet don not exist with opening temperature inferior. Only 1 product at 95° Help me thanks

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I have no idea about that model, sorry.

[@williamscott4358]

What wheels are those

[@guillaumenoel7692]

Hello, thanks for the video. I did the modification on my 740i but here in France the weather is a little bit colder, so the car is running between 78 and 80 degrees (13ºC outside). isn't there a risk if my engine is running too cold ? I guess in summer it will get a little bit hotter but isn't it dangerous for my engine now in winter ? Thanks a lot 😀

[@MichaelRoninTV]

It's not really dangerous unless it runs extremely cold where it can then cause wear on the engine but I think at those temps of 78-80 that's perfect anyway.

[@SuperChlin]

Salut, je tombe sur ton commentaire par hasard, as tu toujours ce véhicule et ce thermostat ? J'ai installé le thermostat de 840Ci 85° sur ma 540i car j'avais des soucis permanents de destruction des durites, plastiques et autre... Bref j'ai remplacé il y a deux semaines et c'est super, excepté sur autoroute où la température est basse (surtout dans les descentes, avec le froid actuel, je tombe à 70 degrés parfois, 75 quasi tout le temps), est ce que c'était aussi ton cas ? Merci !

[@guillaumenoel7692]

@@SuperChlin Salut, oui j'avais aussi le cas en hiver, la jauge de température ne restait pas parfaitement au milieu et revenait un peu à gauche en descente par exemple. J'ai rapidement retiré ce thermostat et ai installé un thermostat de 740d e38, qui régule lui à 88 degrés officiellement. Avec celui-ci je tournais toujours entre 87 et 95 degrés donc c'était parfait

[@SuperChlin]

@guillaumenoel7692 merci pour ta réponse. Bon je vais voir avec le temps quand même, peut-être que je partirai sur ta solution.

[@amiraux7234]

Please give us the part number 85°C

[@MichaelRoninTV]

It's in the description

[@larryjohnson8168]

cool, i want to do this, 108 to 110 is too hot, does it have to be this exact thermostat? do you have your fans setup at the same temp?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Man, this car has never been better since I did the thermostat swap. Runs cooler, sounds healthier and weirdly feels less sluggish. I love it. I'm not sure if it has to be this exact thermostat but this is one I saw a few others using. My fan turns on at around 82 degrees from memory but I can't control it as it's set by the fan manufacturers thermostat. I'm really happy with the thermostat swap :)

[@larryjohnson8168]

@@MichaelRoninTV yeah, this is good, I'm going to do this, good thing I waited to change the thermostat. I just looked at the fan switch I think the computer might determine if it turns on at 91 or 110 C. So it might determine which thermostat is in there. A cooler running engine pollutes less probably as well.

[@MichaelRoninTV]

@@larryjohnson8168 Well I know with my original fan (clutch fan) it would engage once the fluid inside got to a certain temperature. I'm not sure if it was computer controlled at all. I know the original thermostat has a plug on it though which allowed the computer to control the thermostat. The new one doesn't plug in any more though.

[@larryjohnson8168]

@@MichaelRoninTV I'm talking about the electric fan in the front, it has a switch to turn on at a certain temperature that screws into the radiator

[@larryjohnson8168]

@@MichaelRoninTV oh so with this mod the thermostat is disconnected?

[@ilhanalpo]

Hey man, i will also order this 85c thermostat tomorrow from dealership. I also ordered thermostat from Abbes Performance and for a week they haven't contacted me in any way. I will also open a dispute.

[@MichaelRoninTV]

I also ordered from Abbes Performance and they never contacted me or sent me the thermostat either so I had to also open a dispute and got my money back

[@ilhanalpo]

@@MichaelRoninTV omg lol we are going through the same thing. I literally just wrote a dispute after seeing your video. What a scam this turned out to be!

[@MichaelRoninTV]

@@ilhanalpo yeh it's really strange. It's like they're not in business anymore or something but they should at least write something or close down their website lol

[@ilhanalpo]

@@MichaelRoninTV So, after opening a dispute he contacted me literally 10 minutes after the dispute! Then he didn't even apologize, yet promised he would ship it today even though I said I don't want it anymore. Then he refunded a little less than the all amount. No apologies or anything lol? Anyway, I did what you did and ordered an 85c thermostat from Gulf country e31 840ci today from the dealership. When you talked about a shop not shipping your part at the beginning of the video, you enlightened me. Thanks mate.

[@deconconveyors_bespokeeng]

Thanks Michael, where did you buy the thermostat. BMW dealer?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Yep, I actually went through a local BMW dealer here who then ordered it for me from Germany but I have seen it on a few websites also (ECS tuning, etc) but the shipping time from them to me seemed like it was going to be a long time

[@maczanescorpious]

Cant that thermostat be programmed?Anyone?

[@MichaelRoninTV]

@@maczanescorpious it probably could be programmed to heat/cool the thermostat in order to open/close it but I couldn't find much info on it so it was easier to just change it out

[@timyrrrrka]

i know someone put diesel thermostat on 540i

[@gregoryesman9442]

Considering your old thermostat was controlled electronically, what are the chances you can recode to a lower temperature and call it a day?

[@andresont]

OEM T-stat is not "controlled" electronically. Its just have a connector that will supply current to Speed Up opening by increasing temp or the rod that has wax around it. This happens when MAP knows that car is going up hill, towing (more load) or in sport mode. Thermostat is only controlled by the expansion of the wax that increases volume when coolant temp is higher and that will open the membrane.

[@mitchelessang3645]

Fyi you can grab the thermostat from oreillys for like 60 bucks, atleast thats how much I got it for

[@ssmurkish9199]

How does your car run

[@mitchelessang3645]

@@ssmurkish9199 runs way cooler looking at temps with the gauge cluster secret menu. Car is daily driven and sees alot of abuse and drifting and it takes waaaay longer for it to overheat using a low quality electric fan. Still need an upgraded cooling fan and shroud to take full advantage of the thermostat imo. For regular driving and cruising it's definitely worth it so the car isn't sitting at 220°f to 230°f while driving around the city. Car now sits around 190°f to 200°f.

[@ssmurkish9199]

@@mitchelessang3645 thanks for letting me kno I j bought mine for 70 from oreilly haven’t started or ran the car yet to see what it sits at but I’m hoping that the temps are good and my gauge shoots back over to the operating temp 🤞🏽

[@RabbitofPeace]

Fantastic Vibe.❤️ love the video......❤️ ❤️s❤️u❤️b❤️ with love.❤️ Much success and happiness.❤️Stay safe and _con_nec_ted_ with❤️Rabbit❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@ANDYW031084]

Change this green coolant to OE BWM this green coolant is crap

[@goclunker]

This thermostat is Chinese garbage. It is NOT oe. Looking it at it side by side with the real one, is pretty obvious. 😞

[@MichaelRoninTV]

Which one are you talking about? It came directly from BMW

[@goclunker]

@@MichaelRoninTV the exact same one you got. I got the exact same one, it looks like a knock off. I got mine off ebay, i can’t believe that is oe. It doesn’t even have a oe stamp.

[@paperandmedals8316]

@@goclunkerha!! You bought EBay shit