(1995) 320i engine problem

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   hi people new to site,, 
i have a problem with my car its a bmw 3 series 320i M reg 1995. driving down the motorway, looked down and seen temp lighting up so pulled over and when i stopped the engine cut out, phoned the aa , they tried the car it started ok he had a look at it and the radiator was boiling out with water  filled it up put cap back on and left it to run, then it cut out 5 min later, he said it looks like the head gasket has gone, but could be thermerstat as this gives same simptons, so got it home took it to a garge he looked at it no oil in water no water in the dip stick, white mayo stuff in oil filler cap but could be condensation, he felt the water pipes each side of the thererstat one side was hot one wasnt, so he said looking at that it looks like the thermerstat has gone not the head, he did a compresion test to check came back cly 1=160, cly 2=130, cly 3=140, cly 4=150, cly 5=150, cly 6=170. he said it wasn't the head its the thermerstat, so hes changed thast to day and told me it s not solved the problem the gasket has gone as well, so ive done a co2 dye test on the water but it came back clear no co2 in the water, 
so compresion ok co2 test ok , what can it be, is there somthing stupid that ive missed like water pump a blocked hose ,that could be creating a lot of presure and the car to over heat other than gasket, as ive had quotes from �800 - �1500 to repair the car. is this a diy job.  thank you for your help .

Edited by f40 cab

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
f40 cab Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15-June-2006 Location: st helens, merseyside Status: Offline Points: 2	Topic: (1995) 320i engine problem Posted: 16-June-2006 at 00:30
	hi people new to site,, i have a problem with my car its a bmw 3 series 320i M reg 1995. driving down the motorway, looked down and seen temp lighting up so pulled over and when i stopped the engine cut out, phoned the aa , they tried the car it started ok he had a look at it and the radiator was boiling out with water filled it up put cap back on and left it to run, then it cut out 5 min later, he said it looks like the head gasket has gone, but could be thermerstat as this gives same simptons, so got it home took it to a garge he looked at it no oil in water no water in the dip stick, white mayo stuff in oil filler cap but could be condensation, he felt the water pipes each side of the thererstat one side was hot one wasnt, so he said looking at that it looks like the thermerstat has gone not the head, he did a compresion test to check came back cly 1=160, cly 2=130, cly 3=140, cly 4=150, cly 5=150, cly 6=170. he said it wasn't the head its the thermerstat, so hes changed thast to day and told me it s not solved the problem the gasket has gone as well, so ive done a co2 dye test on the water but it came back clear no co2 in the water, so compresion ok co2 test ok , what can it be, is there somthing stupid that ive missed like water pump a blocked hose ,that could be creating a lot of presure and the car to over heat other than gasket, as ive had quotes from �800 - �1500 to repair the car. is this a diy job. thank you for your help . Edited by f40 cab

Sponsored Links

Madrab Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member II Joined: 21-November-2003 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 569	Posted: 16-June-2006 at 15:02
	Hi there, wlecome to the site - hope we can help If you are not getting oil into the water or water into the oil then the HG sounds like it is ok. If you run the car temporarily without the themostat just to check whether there is a problem there or not. You may also be getting an airlock, when warm are you getting hot air at the heater with the fan on? Best way to test the coolant system for contaminant is to check for HC's (Hydrocarbons), not CO2, use an emmision tester (Local MOT station may be able to help) to check the air in the expansion tank, any HC's at all then it is contamintaed by exhaust, ergo, head gasket may be leaking. Is the system under high pressure, i.e. are the water pipes going rock solid, cant depress when warmed up? Temperature sensors can cause it to cut out but shouldn't make it overheat. 40psi between the cyliders isn't a small difference IMO, does is blue smoke at high revs at gear change or start up, mileage? Did he check them twice/three times? It can be a DIY job if you are pretty well up on taking cylinder heads off and refitting but if not then no it's not a DIY job. Cheers Rob Edited by Madrab
	1990 E3o 325i Touring and she's definately a she! Pain in the ass sometimes but goes like a bunny :oD

f40 cab Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 15-June-2006 Location: st helens, merseyside Status: Offline Points: 2	Posted: 16-June-2006 at 17:21
	hi thank you rob ive taken it back to the garage to get it bled again and make sure there is no air lock in it, he's done that and has now pointed towards the fan and viscous coupling,he said when you start the engine the fan turns fine but when you rev the engine the fan stays at the same speed, engine gets hotter the fan doesnt cool it fast enough high temp thererstat goes, ive told him to do the job, as i want it sorting out and back on the road, but does this sound like it can cause the over heating problem. what happens when the coupling is faulty what is its job. thank you again for your help its good to talk to other people im sure i'll be back again with a few more small problems ive got but i'll save them for another time. thank you again.

autofix Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member I Joined: 23-August-2003 Location: Kildare Status: Offline Points: 294	Posted: 16-June-2006 at 19:38
	Hi. While he is doing the fan ask him to pull the pump out. I suspect you will find the impellor has come loose on it's shaft. Another way to check this is to watch for circulation in the top of the rad when the engine is revved. FYI, the hc sniffer test with a gas analyser has been proven to not be valid in many cases because some coolants contains some hc's. HTH Alan

Drew540i Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member II Available from all good newsagents! Joined: 15-August-2005 Location: The Mansfield Massive Status: Offline Points: 632	Posted: 19-June-2006 at 17:27
	Those sniffer tests are often a waste of time on BMW's and if it's not a water pump I would imagine it's either a cracked head or a head gasket. It doesn't need to mix oil or water to be a head gasket problem - if fact it's almost never that. The old water/oil mixing was on the older M20 engines and was due to a crack in the head from the central waterway up into the cam area. The head gasket may well have blown across one of the cylinder fire rings. Either way I would not be attempting to repair the engine if it's the alloy block version - overheat them once and they're junk. For a start you'll need the special tool (and the relevant knowledge) to lock up and reset the Vanos and secondly, you may well strip the threads in the alloy block when retightening the head bolts - this is because the overheating will have weakened the threads. Head bolts MUST come from BMW as the aftermarket ones are crap and bottom out in the block which can also pull the block threads out. If it still overheats with the system bled, new pump etc you must suspect the head to have a crack which is becoming quite common on M50/M52's now. The best replacement for a dead alloy block single vanos engine is an older type iron block unit which is a direct swap and vastly cheaper.