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yes the coolant level low, i filled some water and then it run well for few miles and heater was throwing full hot air.
i came back home, parked up and drove after an hour and it get heat up again, i parked and wait till it get cool down, i check the coolant level, it was low so i filled in 1 more litre of water. and drove back to home, it didn't get heat up but heater was not working.
add coolant light coming on.
i checked the oil level with dipstick, it was little bit low from maximum, so i reckon if head gasket is gone then water go in oil and the oil level will increase right?
i also checked the oil cap, there was no yellow substance on it.
now my lpg is not working as well.
Edited by bmw messed up on 04/11/2012 at 10:44
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You either have a big hole or the head gasget has gone I would put my money on the second,if you bought from a trader then you should ask for your money back if you bought from a private person then I do not hold out much hope.
Also do not forget it is getting colder and if there is no antifreeze in the engine then be very carefull it could cost you a new engine.
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there is no leaking though.
about gasket, the oil level not increased at all so thats mean water is not mixed with oil?
it can't be thermostate because it is losing water.
if i go to bmw, will they tell me exactly what is the problem? wonder how much it is cost to diagnosed thr problem from bmw
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there is no leaking though.
How do you know? Just because you can't see water dripping out of a hole doesn't mean that your cooling system is watertight. It might only leak under pressure which will be when you're driving down the road, not peering under the bonnet whilst it is idling.
Assuming t here's antifreeze in the coolant (not just water) look for telltale crusty residue around hoses, connections and the radiator. if you don't see any then, as Collos says, the head gasket has probably gone.
about gasket, the oil level not increased at all so thats mean water is not mixed with oil?
Yes, but that doesn't mean that the head gasket hasn't failed. If the head gasket cracks between an oil gallery and a coolant passage then you will get coolant and oil mixing. But a lot of head gaskets fail between cylinders and there is no oil and coolant mixing.
Driving even a short distance with an overheated engine makes head gasket failure very probable. My advice is to drive to a very local garage and ask for a compression test.
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Agree with unthrottled, sounds just like a gasket leak coolant path > cylinder. Years ago I had a Pug 104 with very similar symptoms - new gasket put it right (for a bit 'nuther story).
If water is being lost into cylinders you may see excessive vapour in exhaust and/or 'mayonnaise' im the engine breather lines. If cooling system is being pressured by combustion/exhaust stroke then water may be forces out almost anywhere - heater valve in my Pug.
There may also be an external leak to air but not visible accounting for the whistle
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there is no leaking though.
it can't be thermostate because it is losing water.
A bit of a contradiction here - if there's no leak, how can it lose water?
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i will take it to the local garage.
there is only compression test that shows if the headgasket is gone?
is there any other test, i ask him to do?
roguhly how much is the compression test cost??
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Sorry to hear of your problems. Is this an E36 or E46? They have different engines. E36 has a plastic water manifold on rear of head that cracks and leads to slow coolant loss before total failure. BMW heads are aluminium and tend to warp or crack if even only slightly overheated, sometimes both. It is an expensive repair (£250 if you can do it yourself and have the special tools and much much more if a garage does it). The gasket doesn't always go but there is separation between gasket and head when up to temp that can result in oil/water mix. A compression test may be misleading, suggest a leak down test instead. Also sniff the coolant, you may detect combustion gases. Only remove rad cap when cold. Check whether coolant is being pressurised. A garage can check this. BMW engines have weak cooling systems and require very specific bleeding process otherwise airlock and overheating can easily result. Once a BMW Engine has overheated its highly likely the head will have to come off soon after. Make sure new head bolts are used as they are one time use only. Could be cheaper to source a complete 'good' engine from breaker but ask questions. Suspect the seller knew the problem. If he told you that it was in good condition you may have comeback but if it was sold as seen and you didn't ask the right questions you're probably out of luck. Hope it goes well.
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thanks for your mail.
i am a member of RAC recovery. i called them and the mechanic come and checked the car.
few things he checked after i told him about the heating problem
1) he open the radiator cap and filled in some water, it was pretty ful few hours earlied but i think he half litre in ( helf litre is gone missing in engine some where)
2) he looked around in but he didn't find any external leaking, he goes, if any pipe split or radiator problem then it the water leak will be slower but as i told him, it lose water like 5 -6 litre a day. so he goes water is going somewhere inside the engine so he goes its internal leaking.
3) from the exhaust pipe, water is dripping slowly and hence engine is hot but still white smoke coming out.
4) he said, it can't be thermostate or radiator because it wouldnt lose water that quik so he goes either its headgasket or water pump. but he goes, he think its head gasket is gone.
5) i asked him about compression test, he goes there is no need for that. you need to do CO test instead.
he goes, head gasket or pump is still a big job to do, if you will get it fixed, the mechanic will have to look all the bits like pump, pipes etc so it cost you around about 600 - 800 quid.
i am so worried because i only bought a car few days ago. is there anyone can think of anything?
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Go to an MOT garage and get the coolant expansion bottle tested for exhaust gases. If there are some present then your head gasket has gone. If it's fine then it could be overheating for dozens of reasons including, blocked rad, failed water pump, stuck closed thermostat - in that case, take it to a mechanic.
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yeah i will go the garage but what about the coolant which is missing? even if i am not driving, just idle and water dripping from the exhaust and white smoke?
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You have to keep it full of coolant or you will blow the engine completely best to have it towed .
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yeah i will go the garage but what about the coolant which is missing? even if i am not driving, just idle and water dripping from the exhaust and white smoke?
If they are your symptoms then you either have a blown head gasket, or a cracked cylinder head. In either case a top-end stripdown is required. You've bought a pup as my old man would say.
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hi mate, just a small up date.
today i filled water into radiator and drove like 30-40 miles. it worked good, heating came on and lpg was working.
but coolant light keep coming on, so in between driving when car get cold, i checked the coolant, it was less. so i filled it again. but it never heat up.
in the end, when i was coming home, i saw a white smoke which i think was steam coming out of bonnet. i stopped the car and looked around, there were steam water near the radiator and from the radiator cap, little bit steam coming out and little bit water too.
i think, when all car coolant system is sealed then you can't hear gurgle noise if m right? you only hear the gurgle water noise when water is leaking out somewhere in a steam.
i went to a garage and told him everything and i also smell something coming out of heater, he said it might be engine burning the water. i am going to back to him on Friday to get it checked out
do you think, it is head gasket? as it run well for 40 miles but water little bit missing and there was NO water dripping from the exhaust today. it was bit leaking from the radiator cap and steaming from there too.
Edited by bmw messed up on 05/11/2012 at 18:33
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hello all
things getting worse with my car, now there is no white smoke from the back but i can see a proper bad leakage underneath my car, not a dripping but like you open the tap of water. in 5 mins, all radiator water is on the floor.
the leakage is not from the front but where the plastic cover is underneath, its coming from there.
what you all think, what it could be??????/
Edited by bmw messed up on 07/11/2012 at 15:05
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Split hose or cracked block?
Get it to a garage via a tow!! NOW
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You need to get it to a garage, a decent one at that, and get the problem diagnosed properly. I don't know how much you paid for the car, but if it's a blown head gasket it could be serious - not sure about the four cylinder engines but if you let the sixes overheat you're looking at a warped cylinder head and the block could be scrap. If this is the case then you may have to cut your losses and put it down to experience, it won't be worth messing about with.
It could be something as simple as a cracked thermostat housing - these are also known for this, but until you get it properly diagnosed you'll be jumping to all conclusions.
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little update
i went to garage and he checked the car for any leakage, he goes there is a small leakage near the tank but it is a drip after abit of time other then that, he didn't find anything wrong. he said, engine works fine. he flushed all the coolant and took all the air out from the system and filled with fresh coolant.
i drove for half an hour and coolant light was came on, went back to the garage, he goes let it cool down and fill the water in again and see how long will it last over the weekend. if it goes quickly then we will go into depth of it. he goes to change the tank will be 70quid include the expansion tank price.
he goes, he kept the car running for an hour and did rev up as well but it didn't find any fault other then little drip from the tank.
as the coolant light came on, the heater start blowing cold air but i didn't let the car heat up.
other question, i bought a K-seal. shall i put it in the radiator? i asked the garage, he goes it is good but i wouldn't put in yet.
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hey peoples
i found the leakage underneath my car, after it get cool down , there was a bad leakage like someone open a tap of water.
can you give me your email idd. i will send you the picture and if someone know, what it could be then please let me know, i am taking my car to garage so i will tell him that what it could be.
an other update.
i also bought a block test kit to see any gases in the system.
how i used it:
1) the car was cold and not running.
2) the car was cold but engine running
3)car was on normal temperature and engine running
4) when car was got on normal temperature, water start boiling up and it coming out from radiator so fast so i switched the engine off and checked any gases with block test.
the color did not changed at all.
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