help! overheat on a '75 3.0si

i just bought a '75 3.0si and on the way home (30 min) it overheated! went into red, pulled over and all coolant leaked out bottom. had to get 4 gallons of water in it before it stabilized enough under the red to get it home- another 10 min. had to repark it last night and it went into the red after 5 min. when i opened the radiator cap, the water spewed 3 feet in the air, covering the top and back of the car. what could it be? if it's the head gasket, the brooklyn mechanics are saying it would be up to $3,000! i only paid $1,200 for it!!
does anyone know a good brooklyn mechanic?

Originally Posted by archer33

i just bought a '75 3.0si and on the way home (30 min) it overheated! went into red, pulled over and all coolant leaked out bottom. had to get 4 gallons of water in it before it stabilized enough under the red to get it home- another 10 min. had to repark it last night and it went into the red after 5 min. when i opened the radiator cap, the water spewed 3 feet in the air, covering the top and back of the car. what could it be? if it's the head gasket, the brooklyn mechanics are saying it would be up to $3,000! i only paid $1,200 for it!!
does anyone know a good brooklyn mechanic?

1. If your coolant leaked out the bottom, I would start there. Also eliminating the possibility of leaks elsewhere. Including water pump or any other place you have a cooling line.

2. Remove and inspect thermostat. This is the most usual culprit to overheating.

3. Once you do 1 and 2 let us know how things are.

Maybe someone fom Brooklyn can direct you to a mechanic. It would be of great benefit if you bought the manual for your car. A Google search will lead you right to it.

Good luck! And remember any car at that price is bound to have some trouble.

Do you have any pics?

Originally Posted by archer33

i just bought a '75 3.0si and on the way home (30 min) it overheated! went into red, pulled over and all coolant leaked out bottom. had to get 4 gallons of water in it before it stabilized enough under the red to get it home- another 10 min. had to repark it last night and it went into the red after 5 min. when i opened the radiator cap, the water spewed 3 feet in the air, covering the top and back of the car. what could it be? if it's the head gasket, the brooklyn mechanics are saying it would be up to $3,000! i only paid $1,200 for it!!
does anyone know a good brooklyn mechanic?

Without seeing, I have no clue as to what it could be, BUT I bet it's not the head gasket if its leaking like that. I would expect water pump, hose, or something like that.

Not a bad idea to have a leak down test done on it anyway. Also, you may wish to take the valve cover off and re-torque your head bolts. You can get a "cooler" thermostat too

HTH

Hey, Try this link to BMW master mechanics list (IAIBMWSP).

http://www.iaibmwsp.org/

The guy who built my '76 3.0Si is on that list, Marc Norris. He may lead you in the right direction. He had a long battle with my car to get the temp down.

Good luck!