overheated

[Ali]

I know this matter has been discussed several times b4 but I wanted to be sure that what I had was indeed a blown head gasket or a damaged head.

3 days ago as I do routinely was checking water / oil levels in my car a couple of hours prior to driving to work and forgot to put the cap back on my radiator, came back drove to work everything looked fine but it overheated on the way back.

Anyway next day I start the car and it has this weird vibration at idle and the coolant disappears now on a daily basis, haven't checked the dipstick yet but the coolant in the radiator is not brown.

Anyone ?

[632 Regal]

Overheating is NOT a good thing...describe your definition of overheating...

Did you thouroughly bleed the system after this "overheating" incident?

[Ali]

Overheating is NOT a good thing...describe your definition of overheating...

Did you thouroughly bleed the system after this "overheating" incident?

Jeff,

The temp stayed at max for about 4-5 mins till I got to the gas station, when I opened the bonnet I saw the cap next to the radiator where I accidently left it, I poured about about a gallon of coolant and in about 10 seconds it just gushed up as steam, turned the engine off, let car cool down put in about another gallon of coolant topped off with water, next day came to check on it started it and it just started vibrating at idle only slight but noticeable, and it loses all its coolant in 1 short trip, temp stays in the middle as long as it has coolant, when it starts going any higher than 12 o'clock I stop check if its empty and add coolant.

One more thing the radiator in my car since the day I bought it was not OEM its like the kind u have in japanese cars with no expansion tank, I guess it probably meant for some other car but it had never overheated on me b4 so I was trying to postpone replacing it and when I took it to get the coolant temp sensor fitted to it (for the a/c fan) I thought about having it flushed, anyway after removing it to fit the sensor the guy there told me it was almost brand new and needed no flushing unless I was having overheating problems, so I didn't.

I thought at first it could be air in the system but then why the strange idle.

Hope this helps.

Ali

[632 Regal]

well id hope the idle is cause you getting hot spots (very optomistic here) bleed it good and hopefully run on. Reboot the computer just for the hell of it and hope for the best until later?

[Ali]

well id hope the idle is cause you getting hot spots (very optomistic here) bleed it good and hopefully run on. Reboot the computer just for the hell of it and hope for the best until later?

Jeff,

Thanks for ur express reply, I did already reboot it twice, idle is still the same, and how do u bleed a system which has no bleed screw (as I know the OEMs do) as soon as it starts getting warm the water gushes out if the cap isn't on. One more thing while searching previous threads on this topic (I tend to spend 2-3 hours everyday in this forum (since Feb this year) more as a spectator afraid of giving bad advice to anyone and trying to fix my car using the info provided by the senior members but never read much about bleeding radiators or overheating thinking it wouldn't happen to me as I use the car only to travel to and back from work (about 10 miles one side), in usually little or no traffic (I have only night shifts).

Ali

[uscharalph]

How the heck do you bleed the coolant without the bleeder screw and expansion tank?

[Kalevera]

Ali, running an overheated M50 for any period of time, even the alusil block that's probably in your car, is dangerous. The car should be off the road by the time it goes above the 3/4 mark.

There are obvious things to check (water pump -- it is lubricated by the coolant and could very well be a plastic impellered unit), but the car probably needs a cooling system pressure test, then a compression test.

If you're in Abu Dhabi and aren't already taking the car to Abdulkader Saleh at Autotech Centre, you might consider going there.

best, whit

[Ali]

Ali, running an overheated M50 for any period of time, even the alusil block that's probably in your car, is dangerous. The car should be off the road by the time it goes above the 3/4 mark.

There are obvious things to check (water pump -- it is lubricated by the coolant and could very well be a plastic impellered unit), but the car probably needs a cooling system pressure test, then a compression test.

If you're in Abu Dhabi and aren't already taking the car to Abdulkader Saleh at Autotech Centre, you might consider going there.

best, whit


Whit,

I'm about 130 miles from Abu Dhabi so driving the car there in this condition is really asking too much of it even if I stop ever 10 miles to add coolant, getting it towed there by a recovery vehicle is possible but I'm hoping I can find a place closer to home, I know about compression tests as I've have them done before I bought my previous car but what or how do u do a cooling system pressure test ?.

I haven't let the temp get past half since then but still it loses almost all its coolant on a short trip. Anyway you have convinced me I won't use the car again until I get the time to get it fixed on one of my off days either Monday /Tuesday, I'll keep u updated.

Thank u again,

Ali

[shogun]

basically you can make a pressure tester by yourselves. You need an additonal reservoir cap which you modify to attach a hose. Then a hand pump to pump air into the system and a pressure gauge. Harbour freight tools sells it for 80 $. Have a look how it looks. Cannot make a direct link. Just type in under search by item number : 45831-1VGA
http://www.harborfreight.com/

[SRR2]

Don't you think it would be a good idea to have a look at what's in the crankcase?

I don't understand how the cooling system in your car could ever have worked properly without an expansion tank. Coolant expands quite a bit over the operating range of the engine. As it expands, it has to go somewhere. Normally the expansion tank, but in your case, probably swelling the hoses, stressing the radiator, and most likely, out the cap and overflow. So every time you put more in, it's probably going to be blown out. Are you leaving a trail of toxic antifreeze everywhere you go? In the worst case, which isn't too far-fetched in your case, the coolant was pumped out (perhaps over a number of start/stop cycles), the temperature sender and thermostat was left high and dry (so your temperature gauge was telling lies) as was the upper end of the engine.

Anyway, you need to stop guessing and have this system and your engine properly tested. An Internet message board is no substitute for a competent mechanic. And if you have any hopes of rescuing this, think long and hard about a flatbed to the shop.

[uscharalph]

Don't you think it would be a good idea to have a look at what's in the crankcase?

I don't understand how the cooling system in your car could ever have worked properly without an expansion tank. Coolant expands quite a bit over the operating range of the engine. As it expands, it has to go somewhere. Normally the expansion tank, but in your case, probably swelling the hoses, stressing the radiator, and most likely, out the cap and overflow. So every time you put more in, it's probably going to be blown out. Are you leaving a trail of toxic antifreeze everywhere you go? In the worst case, which isn't too far-fetched in your case, the coolant was pumped out (perhaps over a number of start/stop cycles), the temperature sender and thermostat was left high and dry (so your temperature gauge was telling lies) as was the upper end of the engine.

Anyway, you need to stop guessing and have this system and your engine properly tested. An Internet message board is no substitute for a competent mechanic. And if you have any hopes of rescuing this, think long and hard about a flatbed to the shop.
That problem has to be hell on the heater core also!

[genphreak]

Don't you think .... an Internet message board is no substitute for a competent mechanic. And if you have any hopes of rescuing this, think long and hard about a flatbed to the shop... sounds to me like an exercise in dangerous backyard behaviour this. No doubt the block is cooked by now. However its impossible to tell cos this thread is miserable technically there is almost no real info- its all guess work. I was trying not to respond to it.. this is no way to work together. A good description of symptoms - careful observations - is required for anyone to really help..

[Ali]

I want to thank u all for your input, well 2 days ago I checked my oil filler cap and it was full of white sludge (in need of a better word) so yes the engine is pretty much cooked, so instead of taking a chance with a head gasket and not knowing what other damage may / may not have occured inside I've decided it would be safer to change the engine itself, well the car is at the workshop and hopefully in another 12 hours I will have the new engine in along with a new OEM radiator, the replacement engine comes with a 15 day warranty so that should be enough time to check if it's good or not.

Thank you for taking the time to help me with this problem.

Ali

[High Compression II]

Does the radiator 'blow-bubbles' at you when the cap is off, and engine running? even after the air in the system had been bled of air? Does the radiator smell of exhaust, rather than old rubber? Sometimes youll need to rev the engine a little to see the bubbles in the coolant

Sounds suspicously like a blown/leaking gasget--Been there, many times with an old British vehicle FAMOUS for blown gasgets!
Hopefully you havent 'cooked' the cylinder head too much, and it can just have the gasget replaced..............

[biondani]

so instead of taking a chance with a head gasket and not knowing what other damage may / may not have occured inside I've decided it would be safer to change the engine itself

Ouch, think I would have tried getting the head gasket changed first or even a new head rather than a whole new engine.

Ian

[Ali]

Ian,

It's not a "new" engine it's off a 65000 miles E34 525i imported from Japan, here in Dubai we get a lot of used parts and front half-cut (parts) cars (Mostly Mercedes and BMWs) imported from Japan and I can't think why anyone would want to sell 'just' the head of a good engine. The cost of replacing the head gasket on my old engine + "phasing" the head is roughly 3/4th of the cost of the second engine I just bought.

I guess I just don't want try my luck and end up paying for the same job twice, at least this way I have a 15 day replacement warranty which includes labour charges.

Ali