My 323i was overheated!

[robojoo3231]

Need Help!

My 323i wagon (2000) would have been overheated to death on highway today, which happened just after the radiator was replaced a week ago.



When I brought her to one of the best BMW shop in VA to check "service engine light", the leaking of the radiator was diagnosed and the replacement was strongly recommended immediately since BMW is very susceptible to overheating. The water pump and expansion tank that had been replaced 3 years ago were still OK, so I decided to have the radiator replaced with new coolant.

But, the "service engine light" came back on the next day after the replacement, which was very annoying and made me on alert. On weekend, I checked the fluid level and had to top off the coolant, which went down 1 inch than it was. Then, the disaster came to me on highway.

I got "coolant level low" signal and hurried to take off the highway. While I managed to pull over the car, the engine was overheated. I added the coolant and deleted the warning. The temperature came back to normal. But, the light showed up again in a mile and I had to leave the car in near parking lot. It was a shock that I felt I would have been killed by overheating on the road.

I saw lots of coolant splashed all over backside of the radiator and were dripping here and there on the ground. I cannot find where the coolant are splattering from but everywhere are wet. I can see an amount of leaking coolant sitting even on the bottom engine cover.



The reason I try to detail the failure is I want to get your advice on how to fix coolant leaking and how to claim againt the shop on this worst repair. His mistake may nearly break down my car and put me in dager. I can't imagine if this failure may occur when I drive with my family on highway. I was on my way to pick up my daughter.

Any good comment would be greatly appreciated. I really need your help and good advice immediately. Thanks!

[pseto]

You may have a loose hose or clamp if the problem is intermittant

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

OK.

1) Calm down. It's just a ****ing coolant leak. Your life was not in danger, and the circumstances wouldn't have changed if your daughter had been in the car.
2) Please work on your grammar and spelling. I'm not a grammar nazi, but your post is almost nonsensical.
3) Take it back to the shop and tell them to fix it. Either they screwed up while putting in the radiator, or something else failed. Either way, it's pretty clear that you can't and shouldn't try to diagnose it yourself.
4) Lose the hysteria. (Just reiterating.)

[mcoupemindy]

I've been through the ringer with cooling system problems with my five BMW's, so I understand how frustrated you may feel right now. Judging by the nature of your posts, I assume that you have a limited mechanical (automotive) background - please correct me if I am wrong. My suggestion would be to fill up the car with distilled water and take it to the shop who originally helped you and ask for them to correct the issue. An honest shop will do this for no charge if it was improper installation previously. Note that any time during your trip that the temp needle moves beyond half, pull over and let it cool before proceeding. Because you are obviously leaking coolant, please do not continue to add coolant into the system - simply use distilled water.

Let me know if you need more help or questions answered. Best regards.

[robojoo3231]

Thanks for quick responses, senior members.

mcoupemindy,
I just started learning DIY.
Would you tell me why I should only distilled water?
"let it cool before proceeding" means the needle just go back to "0", all the way to the left.
I would try to drive it again but don't know how.


Nick325xiT 5spd
This is the second time that the cooling system failed on the road. So, I'm very nervous now and actually have been nervous all the time with this car since then.
I need some advices on keeping this car if the cooling system does not seem perfectly OK.
I'm not a native speaker and know my post has many errors although I did it quick late night. I sincerely ask your favor; If you suggest corrections, my next post will be improved.

[mcoupemindy]

mcoupemindy,
I just started learning DIY.
Would you tell me why I should only distilled water?
"let it cool before proceeding" means the needle just go back to "0", all the way to the left.
I would try to drive it again but don't know how.

Learning to DIY is an ongoing process. Every time I try to tackle a project I've never done before, it always results in some sort of learning experience.

The reasons I suggest only using distilled water until the cooling system is sorted is threefold: 1.) BMW Coolant is expensive, 2.) Leaking coolant is bad for both the environment and pets, 3.) Distilled water is already 50% of the coolant mix. Now be mindful that once everything is resolved, it's probably best to put a fresh mix of 50/50 BMW Blue Coolant / Distilled Water in the car.

Let it cool simply means open the hood, wait for the temp needle to return to the middle (normal operating position), and refill car with as much water as possible.

Also, take a look at the splatter pattern of the previous coolant spray and see if you can figure out where it may be coming from. There are not many locations for coolant to leak on our cars. Primarily check the main radiator hoses.

Let me know if you need any more help.

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

As a general matter, the best thing to do when one part of the cooling system fails is to replace, well, pretty much all of it. Unfortunately, when one cheap plastic component starts failing, the rest are likely to follow soon. That's just for future reference. I agree that you shouldn't have replaced the stuff that was only a few years old. Most likely, someone forgot to tighten something all the way and they'll be able to fix it in a couple minutes.

Distilled water is best just because it doesn't have all the crap that tap water has in it. Over time, the minerals in tap water will accumulate in the engine. Realistically, in an emergency, it doesn't matter as long as you aren't doing it for long.

[robojoo3231]

The shop sent a tow truck and brought the car back.
I was not allowed to come with it. He said they will check and report.

I wanted to be there and talk in person. Does it make any difference?
I just feel anxious about their action while I cannot do anything.......

Let me ask again as soon as I hear the report.

[robojoo3231]

Here is their answer......





My car needs expansion tank and retest....

As expected, I don't know what I can't say. It just happened due to the fault of my car.....





Everything has looked OK before then. I did not like them to work on my car.

[prentissra]

I had an expansion tank failure on the 1999 328i at about 110k. It is a poorly made plastic part. If you are going to keep the car, expect to replace it every 50k for safety reasons.