Am I overheating or is my car?!?!?!

[BMW4LIFE]

Hey guys!

I was driving today and noticed that my water temp is not perfectly aligned in the middle as it always has been. It seems to be a full needle over towards the hot side.

I changed my coolant and added some water wetter (red line) as i always have and nothing changed!!!

is the needle broken? Is the thermostat broken? am i broken?

haha

thanks!

[pgrindstaff]

The needle on my current and previous car were the same. I don't think there is anything to worry about.

[BMW4LIFE]

i forgot to add....when i changed my coolant...i noticed a built up oil in my radiator reservoir...:(

now im worried and overheating! haha

[BigKriss]

how much over from the middle is it?

[Ross]

A needles width isn't overheating but if yours was normally dead center like most it deserves monitoring. Watch your temp, coolant level and condition(oil) and also keep tabs on the crankcase oil for coolant in there. Oil in the coolant will inhibit heat transfer.
Could be a headgasket beginning to fail, could be nothing. You've been around this forum long enough to know not to ignore genuine overheating.
Fingers crossed

[Dave M]

i forgot to add....when i changed my coolant...i noticed a built up oil in my radiator reservoir...:(

now im worried and overheating! haha


Is it confirmed to be oil or you confusing oil for the normal sludgy crud build up that occurs on most resevoirs after years of service?

BIG difference.

For what its worth , my needle now resides one tick to the left (coincidentaly after I removed my AC system and airflow improved). I would have assumed the thermo would compensate, but it is consistently off by one needle width. Conversely, if anything is impeding your cooling systems ability to circulate coolant, it may run hotter. Keep your eye on it.

Dave

[BMW4LIFE]

Is it confirmed to be oil or you confusing oil for the normal sludgy crud build up that occurs on most resevoirs after years of service?

BIG difference.

For what its worth , my needle now resides one tick to the left (coincidentaly after I removed my AC system and airflow improved). I would have assumed the thermo would compensate, but it is consistently off by one needle width. Conversely, if anything is impeding your cooling systems ability to circulate coolant, it may run hotter. Keep your eye on it.

Dave


these best way to describe it is its like slug!

i tried smelling it and it smelt like coolant, i rubbed it into my finger and it felt like oil, i was going to taste it and then i was like....uuummm NO!!! LOL:D


but i will monitor it everyday....

and for some good news.....got a ticket (83) by a freakin airplane!!! WTF there were no signs posting that there is an airplane above!!!

oh well...whats next...my breaks give out! =(

[pgrindstaff]

these best way to describe it is its like slug!

i tried smelling it and it smelt like coolant, i rubbed it into my finger and it felt like oil, i was going to taste it and then i was like....uuummm NO!!! LOL:D


but i will monitor it everyday....

and for some good news.....got a ticket (83) by a freakin airplane!!! WTF there were no signs posting that there is an airplane above!!!

oh well...whats next...my breaks give out! =(

The horizontal white lines on the road aren't there for your own benefit :). I know how you feel though, I got a ticket for supposedly going 93 in a 55 but that is a story for another day.

[BMW4LIFE]

The horizontal white lines on the road aren't there for your own benefit :). I know how you feel though, I got a ticket for supposedly going 93 in a 55 but that is a story for another day.

hahaha...damn those lines!

but i think he lasered me cause the chp said 83 and i was going like 84ish so either it was a laser or that bastard calculated my speed to a tee!

haha

oh well....time to work some overtime to make some money! lol!

[Dave M]

these best way to describe it is its like slug!

i tried smelling it and it smelt like coolant, i rubbed it into my finger and it felt like oil, i was going to taste it and then i was like....uuummm NO!!! LOL:D


but i will monitor it everyday....

and for some good news.....got a ticket (83) by a freakin airplane!!! WTF there were no signs posting that there is an airplane above!!!
oh well...whats next...my breaks give out! =(


I'd say thats a long way from a confirming oil in expansion tank. In every (all well used, high mileage) vehicle I've ever owned, there was crud in the expansion tank. It might have been black, brown, green, yellow, orange, blue or purple, but is wasn't oil.

On the ticket front, do they provide a sign for drivers in CA when they set up a speed trap on the ground? ;)

Dave

[BMW4LIFE]

I'd say thats a long way from a confirming oil in expansion tank. In every (all well used, high mileage) vehicle I've ever owned, there was crud in the expansion tank. It might have been black, brown, green, yellow, orange, blue or purple, but is wasn't oil.

On the ticket front, do they provide a sign for drivers in CA when they set up a speed trap on the ground? ;)

Dave

hahahaha....true that!!! but there have been cities that i have driven through that signs were posted that said something like speed enforced by aircraft...or something like that

now to think of it....i think it was King City in california where i saw that sign


anyways...now i have to find a way to try to talk my ticket price down...but on the up i can go to traffic school!!! yeeppeeee