Water Reservoir Clogged, Water Pump Leaking?

[kelhami]

Hi,
1994 BMW 530iT, 130K

So, My car's overheating. I already know the tranny's likely going out. But I wanna address the other issues in the meantime, just for good measure.

PROBLEM: Car is overheating.

SYMPTOMS & STUPID THINGS IVE DONE:
When I drive about 15+ mins it begins to overheat... from 3/4 to all the way into the red. If I stay under 30mph it will stay at 3/4 and maybe cool down just slightly. If I stay under 40mph and run the heater inside the car it will move outta red and remain at about 3/4 on temp gauge.

I can hear the water boiling in the car!

During overheating a few times, I pulled over and (foolishly) opened the water res. cap... scalding hot water shot up 1-3 feet into the air for a while! I just refilled it with cold water, tightened cap and stupidly went on my way.

Ive never added coolant to the car (this is my first car, and noone told me otherwise... I just found out)... always just added water.

Ive added a GRIP of stopleak to the system to attempt to stop a leak in the radiator (on more than one occasion) and I think the waterpump once. I just recently replaced the radiator and water pump btw, they basically blew on the freeway one day (fan blades flew off, water pump cracked)(the water reservoir shows residue of stopleak.. and it could be clogging it, not sure how to check).

There is a leak in what looks to be the front seal of the pump (it was not installed by a professional), its brand new but... theres def. water leaking outta there.

Its hard to get water in there sometimes.. maybe air? I dunno... when the radiator was put in it was just put in and the hoses attached... nothing bled or anything like that. Also, radiator is refurbished.

Maybe unrelated but, Air filter needs changing and encasement of airfilter is cracked and broken here and there from an accident.

Also, front grill is pressed in a bit due to accident and lip is hammered down over top of radiator to hold radiator in place.

EVENTS: One night I was driving and shortly after adding more water (comp. said "COOLANT LEVEL") the top radiator hose blew off and the hot! water shot out. I pulled over, replaced hose, tightened metal ring and added more water.

I noticed yesterday that the belts around the water pump and pulleys were shredding due to misalignment. One had shredding partially and wrapped around the base of the fan. Dont know how long Ive been driving like that. Also, the same belt was so far off/above the pulley that it wasnt touching it and that pulley wasnt even moving when the belts were running (this isnt the belt that wraps directly around water pump, its the other one, though both are shredding)!

QUESTIONS:

What may be the cause of the overheating... besides the tranny slipping?

Is there a way to remove the water reservoir and clean it out, I think its clogged by stopleak?

Why did the hose blow off that night? Was it pressure? What might this indicate?

Do I need to bleed the system, if so why? and how do I do that? Step by Step, Im a novice, but pick up things fast.

I just got this damn waterpump... why is it leaking?

What about those belts? Can I replace those myself, how would I go about that and how do I get the correct tension?

When I replaced the fan I got a metal refurbished one, rather than the plastic style I had before. Does that matter?

Any other advice... I just wanna fix all that I can, even if I end up just using her for parts (due to the tranny being trashed), since I need the experience in order to help me be a better car owner for my next 530i.

Thanks everyone.:p

[Ross]

What part didn't you understand? RED on the temp gauge, the steam, boiling, leaking or shredded belts?
"Damn waterpump" WTF

[Sixdown]

typical car abuse...not ever servicing it properly and probably using chinese-made crap. how ridiculous can you be to just let it continuously overheat. OBVIOUSLY it has a problem after seeing that you don't know your car uses coolant.

sometimes a professional BMW mechanic is a better choice.

[kelhami]

What part didn't you understand? RED on the temp gauge, the steam, boiling, leaking or shredded belts?
"Damn waterpump" WTF


:( Sheesh. Look im new to this car ownership thing. The boiling... no I had no idea what that was all about, I just found out about the leaking and the BMW mechanic was like, just keep adding water until you can replace the pump. They are a certified BMW mechanic place!

Nobody's tellin me what to do here. I am eager to learn, I can admit my mistakes, but man... I am a baby in this... I dont even know the basic mechanics of a car (just picked up auto repair for dummies, so I am trying to learn about the cooling system/engine, etc.)

Honestly, I didnt get any of it. I dont know what any of it means... the car's hot, ok... so (forgive me for my ignorance, I know this may be obvious to some of yall with even the most basic knowledge of cars), but is that what MADE the waterpump leak, or is it running hot BECAUSE the waterpump's leaking? I assumed it was the latter. But I still dont know exactly what caused the leaking in the first place... someone help me out here?

I just discovered the shredded belts yesterday, as the Dummies book instructed me how to check the fluids, belts, etc, step by step. The damn mechanic didnt even notice 'em... of course he keeps talking about he'll buy it from me, so maybe he's trying to frustrate me enough to get rid of it. Im sure youll all agree that it'd be better in his hands, but it shouldnt surprise you that Ive begun to really fall in love with this car, and I dont wanna give up on it. I dont wanna be one of those ppl who just throws a car away like yesterdays trash and moves on to the next prettier model.

I see that belts turn the fan. But the fan was still turning. I dont know what else the belts do... Im trying to get a basic understanding... be easy on me huh guys?

I didnt PURPOSELY ABUSE the car, I just didnt know any better, it's my first car and my jackass husband was supposed to be handling the mechanics of it all... well he pretends to know more than he does and he's let the car fall into disrepair, probably is cheap chinese parts.. i dunno, how do I find that out? What brand should the parts be? C'mon, help me!!!

I am trying to be better, chastising me about my ignorance isnt going to help much. Look, my husband's deployed now and I am taking it upon myself to take care of the old girl, but I have a long ways to go. I just need sum support here. Im serious about handling these repairs and maintenance and all thats plausible on my own, not cuz I wanna save money but because I wanna get to know my car so that I can take car of her. Be merciful here folks. I bought the dummies guide, im following maintenance instructions, step by step, I bought a Chilton's guide thats on the way, im registered in half a dozen forums and searching for answers and guidance. I spend all night (the last two nights I worked on her til 2-3am, and both nights I slept in my car in the drive way, searchin on my laptop for answers to her ailments. I didnt even wanna get out of the car, I felt like I was abandoning her.) I'm ready to get under her and drop the tranny pan to see what I can of the damage Ive done... I am really puttin my heart into this. Have a little mercy.

As Im learning about this car Im realizing how much I deserve to be kicked in the head for how ive treated it. But Im trying to learn, and I am realizing how much I really enjoy understanding the mechanics of it all, and how much Id like to really get into this and learn all that I can.

So be easy on me, and educate me in anyway you have time, any knowledge, no matter how basic will help me be a better bimmer owner. And isnt that what we all want anyways? :)

A happier world of E34's? :(

[Ross]

Not an ******* necessarily, a fool perhaps though.
1. Read your owners manual, there is a weath of information in it.
2. Find a new mechanic

The first thing to be understood about these cars is they don't suffer neglect well. They tolerate shoddy repairs even less.
With a sick trans and probably sick engine too this one is probably a parts car unless you wish to invest more than it's value to repair it.
This one will be very expensive to put right. I say if you aren't put off on the brand find another example, have it inspected and start over.
Sorry you had this trouble but you sort of asked for it.

[kelhami]

Not an ******* necessarily, a fool perhaps though.
1. Read your owners manual, there is a weath of information in it.
2. Find a new mechanic

The first thing to be understood about these cars is they don't suffer neglect well. They tolerate shoddy repairs even less.
With a sick trans and probably sick engine too this one is probably a parts car unless you wish to invest more than it's value to repair it.
This one will be very expensive to put right. I say if you aren't put off on the brand find another example, have it inspected and start over.
Sorry you had this trouble but you sort of asked for it.

Thanks Ross,
Thats what I am leaning toward now... I really love the car, I'd like to start anew with a new one... what should I consider/look for (i.e. what mechanical/aesthetic issues should I not compromise on, how much mileage, etc..), what type of info do I ask of the owner when getting another?

Also, about how much does maintenance run a month or a year for these particular years/models?

[Ross]

if you aren't put off on the brand find another example, HAVE IT INSPECTED and start over.
Seriously, a bad example of one of these cars wil ruin you.
Just because a well aged car costs 10% of it's original price does not mean servicing costs are commensurate. You pay the same labor and parts prices as the guy who just shelled out $60k for a new one.
The only bargain on these cars is well serviced (documented) example combined with do it yourself servicing.
A cared for used BMW is a pleasure, a neglected one is a very expensive nightmare.
Do your homework.
Do your homework
I hope you do better next time.

[healtoeit]

QUESTIONS:
What may be the cause of the overheating...


One cause could be Air in you cooling system, Bleed it, and put a 50% distilled water and 50% BMW Coolant mix.
Another could be a bad install, probly a mixture of the two


Is there a way to remove the water reservoir and clean it out, I think its clogged by stopleak?


I don't know, but wtf is stopleak and why did you put it in your car


Why did the hose blow off that night? Was it pressure? What might this indicate?


A. too much pressure
Your car was running way too hot
Your cooling system is screwed way up



Do I need to bleed the system, if so why? and how do I do that? Step by Step, Im a novice, but pick up things fast.

Yes.
The system will not evacuate heat as well if air is in the system because of gaps and the hot air inside of it.
I use a pressure bleeder.
It is explained IN DETAIL in the book I linked at the end



I just got this damn waterpump... why is it leaking?


Installed incorrectly, take it off and do it right



What about those belts? Can I replace those myself, how would I go about that and how do I get the correct tension?


Yes, you can, however you need to make sure it is done right. They are at the right tension when they do not squeal.



When I replaced the fan I got a metal refurbished one, rather than the plastic style I had before. Does that matter?


The metal one has more weight then the plastic one meaning the engine has to work harder to turn the metal one, in return you loose some power and/or throttle response, this is really minimal i'm talking like maybe .25hp loss.



Any other advice... I just wanna fix all that I can, even if I end up just using her for parts (due to the tranny being trashed), since I need the experience in order to help me be a better car owner for my next 530i.


If you want to keep this car

GET A BENTLEY MANUAL

http://www.bentleypublishers.com/product.htm?code=b595

Worth it's weight in Gold. It tells you how to do everything from take out the engine to bleed the brakes. Lastly, if you are the mechanic that put this on, you have a "comeback" (a car that you repaired that you didn't fix) for future reference do the repair right the first time so you dont have a messed up car. I 2nd what Ross said about fixing these cars, a bad repair can mess them up bad.

[Paul in NZ]

i hope our frustration hasnt put you off kelhami,but we love these cars somuch we may get impatient with noobies....The cooling system is important on any car but the cooling system on these BMW are fragile.The reason your mechanic told you to keep using water was thatit should only be interim until the radiator etc was fixed...its just silly to keep putting expensive(and poisonous) antifreeze in a leaking system.Your hose blew off because the stopleak probably prevented the proper release of pressure in the overheated system.You possibly need to get a price on the most urgent repairs.The belts turn the altenator(electricity),fan(via a clutch system not directly),a/c,and water pump.
Be nice guys.....

[525i winter driver]

If you want to keep this car

GET A BENTLEY MANUAL

http://www.bentleypublishers.com/product.htm?code=b595

+1

hi - i bought a neglected bmw last summer with the misguided idea that i could fix it up myself. even though i love it and it is now in pretty reasonable shape, i still kick myself once in a while for getting this one, as you can pick up a well-maintained e34 for about half what i spent to repair mine.

if you really want one of these, i would suggest instead of spending money on repairing the one you have (which sounds like it's in really rough shape) you should buy a 'new' one (one that comes with garage records) and if you have the space you can use the one you have as a parts car. ross is totally right about this, it sounds like it's not worth fixing, esp with a tranny problem.

and get a bentley, no question. good luck- tim