hate to bring up something non-Ferrari , but it is car related as opposed to whether Horse or Blackjag are batting for the other side. My 5 series blew the radiator last weekend, and I do mean it exploded Anyway no biggie, just replace the radiator and all components that could have caused it , water pump and thermostat, put all back together and donate some skin to the BMW designers while in the process. Fill the cooling system with this Nulon concentrate and add demin water for the rest of the 15 litres as some mechanic on the internet suggests and I fill it to clear all air pockets via the bleed valve. Start the car, run for 20 mins, no leaks, temp right in the middle where it should be. Then take for drive, 2-3 mins later the temp is off the scale like what happened when the thing blew up only this time I turn it off and then back on and the gauge is back to the middle again so I drive off and all looks ok for a minute and then it start climbing again. This looks like an air pocket again so I put the front on ramps and fill the cooling system with some more Nulon and this time the car goes for longer before overheating but it is still doing it. Right, got the sh!ts now so call BMW people to book in , 2 weeks before they can look at it and they think it might be a head gasket !!! (nice money spinner and they could be right but I've checked the oil and exhaust for signs of a blown head gasket and the oil is black and the exhaust is dark grey so I am saying not head gasket. Is there any other way of checking for blown head gasket other than using a gas analyser or compression test ? The old ways use to be just water in the oil and bubbles in the radiator when you take the cap off and all these indicate the head gasket is fine. Anyone had an overheating problem where the car idles fine but when driven it overheats ? This car has been rock solid for over 150K kms , never missed a beat until this and now it doesn't want to work any more
What's the chemical test - PK, TK something like that. Does sound like head gasket. BTW, I think BackDag does bat for the other side.
I think you mean Ph test ??? Anyway, while I was at the dealers I did what you would do, I ordered a new car and I spent a week with BJ, ....... he does bat well , not that there's anything wrong with that
I think it's TK test - measures the Carbon Dioxide in the coolant. Anyway, why bother? Just trade it in like everyone else!!
Thats the one, you stick it in the overflow tank (at least on my bmw thats what i did) then let it idle for a couple of minutes, if the liquid changes colour then you have a head gasket issue. You should be able to buy it from a repco or the like
got to get it fixed first and then flick it, trouble is I don;t like the look of the new BMWs Thanks Chris, helpful as usual, but you are right, I suck at fixing cars Although how hard is it to swap a dead radiator out ...... VERY it would seem Coming to Adelaide for the big showdown ??
Id like to think so. Have had no "Ferrari" time lately. Car is stuffed into a tight garage so cant get at it to do anything undercover. We intend rebuilding so hopefully that will improve. Alison and I both enjoy the rallys so fingers crossed the timing will be ok. I cant dodge this showdown forever.
Have you got a temperature gauge that measures up to say 150C. You said you turned the ignition of then back on and the gauge returned to the middle, so I am assuming you did that immediately. It is impossible for water to cool that quick. Perhaps you have a faulty sender???? Measure your water temp independantly of the cars system. Just a thought.
99 528i, I really liked it until now, still had a good look about it, the Banglised ones didn't do anything for me but it looks like I have no option as they are just trouble when they get this old ... although saying that I'm sure when it's fixed it'll be great for another 10 years
I like OHOS !! my FiAT was 48 years old when I sold it ... and I still miss it Modern cars are just junk, made of plastic and other rubbish materials
changed the water pump and thermostat, the only thing that makes sense is the head gasket I'm doing a compression test now .... just getting the spark plugs out would be a $250 job at BMW !!! I can change the sparkplugs on the QV in 1/2 hr, this stupid car would be more like 2 hrs, and there are 2 less sparkplugs
Is auxiliary electric fan in front of the radiator functioning properly [not just [barely] running when AC is on]? Check fan clutch? Is new water pump impeller plastic or recommended composite metal?
I reckon you still have air in the system JM! Some cars are just PAINS in the ass to bleed! Sounds like yours is one of them and you may need a vacuum bleeder to get rid of the air in the system mate. I just called a mate of mine. He said your car may have a reverse flow cooling system. They are usually hard to bleed apparently. Without a vacuum bleeder it can take ages to bleed the air out of the system. If your keen, call a good radiator repair shop and ask them if they have a vacuum bleeder. They should also be able to check the headgasket for you using the 'sniffer' test or whichever method they use down there. Or, it could be just a case of a worn fan viscous clutch? Does the fan spin freely? Or it has some level of resistance there? I had a mate here with a 1994 M3 BMW that kept overheating. Had a worn viscous fan coupling. But your car seems like an airlock issue to me seeing as it just started after you fitted the new radiator.
thanks Wax, all well in that department and the new water pump was made in Italy so at least something on this car is good I've checked the compression which showed the cylinders were all over the place but the REAl giveaway was that with all sparkplugs out and just turning the engine over had water spurting out of the chambers, so unless BMW decided to have water injection I'm stuffed I love it when this happens because I get to pull the car apart and put it back together properly, so much of modern cars is crap plastic and badly put together , even on the so-called 'expensive' Eurobarges. Carl888 has many a story to tell re Mercs when he had to end up fixing his dad's S class and even then I'm not sure he fixed it permanently. Looks like when the car overheated last weekend the head gasket went before we turned it off and then the radiator exploded due to the pressure from the engine . I suppose 180K kms before something like this happened isn't bad but I was expecting better
You're ****ed mate. I reccommend using 6 bottles of Chemi weld in the radiator. After you run it up for 10 mins, drive it STRAIGHT to your nearest car yard and trade her in! Good luck with it JM!! Nothing beats a good headjob!
thanks Papster, I was damn sure it was a bleed problem too but to be sure I went and got a compression tester and got the following while testing : #1 = 200 psi #2 = 180 psi #3 = 180 psi #4 = 210 psi #5 = 195 psi #6 = 190 psi then stupid me starts thinking "hey these aren't THAT bad, maybe the head gasket is fine" , then I start wiping some glycol off my hand after unscrewing the comp tester and look down at the head to see water had been pumped out of the engine when I was turning it over during the testing ..... game over
wait until you've been married for 20 years and come and tell me that you remember what that is I haven't done a head gasket replacement in over 25 years, got all the gear but the inclination and enjoyment have left the scene, I'll bet I'm still good at swearing at the thing as I do it though
