[tandandshawn]

can anyone give me some advice about my cooling system? I just bought a 1994 530 i, and sure enough I blew a radiator hose. very soon after replacing that it started to leak from the water pump area. I have done alittle research and know that the bleed screws and some of the plastic pieces are weak points, and am going to have my mechanic fix this, but I would like to go to him with as much information as possible. here are my concerns and questions.
1. when the hose blew the temp went into the red and engine temp warning lit up, drove a mile about to a safe place and let it cool down. put water in it and started up when it was safe, the temp gauge needle was in the middle of the dial. did i do damage, in your best guess?
2. I have been driving very short distances never getting the needle of the gauge past the middle of the gauge. I'm waiting until payday, if your asking why.
3. would this explain why my heater and air conditioning are not blowing air but sound as if they are on?
4. and finally, being budget conscious how much should I expect to spend on a repair like this? p.s I am going to a friend who is a factory trained lexus toyota mechanic, who works out of his house garage. just added that so no one thinks im a complete idiot and taking it to someone who has very little experience with cars.
any help with some or all of these questions would be greatly appreciated:dunno:

 

[fcpeuro]

Hello There -

From what you described, it sounds like the car was running hot and possibly on the verge of overheating. If the hoses were old and brittle, over heating could cause them to expand and blow as you describe. However, did the hose blow before or after the temperature went into the Red? If after, I would assume your loss of coolant resulted in the temperature jumping into the Red.

If your temperature dial / gauge stayed in the middle or TDC, it sounds like the cooling system was still working fine. However, past experience has taught me to replace the Thermostat anytime over heating occurs.

I have replaced the water pump on my 540 and prior to that, there were no leaks from the bleed screws (on the pump I believe). I am also wondering what plastic pieces you are referring to?

As far as driving short distances... just how short. It takes your car minutes to get to nominal operating temperature - the V8's typically run hot. If you are that concerned, I would recommend you stop driving it till you can fully and comprehensively diagnose any issues the car may have.

I don't see how this all relates to your HVAC system and whether or not it is blowing air. That might just be a badly clogged Cabin Micro Filter - that is what it sounds like to me. When you put the Heater on, does any hot air at all flow into the cabin? Do you smell coolant when the heater comes on?

With regards to cost, it depends on if you are paying your friend for helping you. You an price out parts with FCP or any other Vendor on here. Water pumps start from around $40. Then you may want to look into the Thermostat and housing. Also, you will need the proper gaskets to be replaced. If you are capable of basic DIY type stuff, you should be able to do this yourself.

Good luck,

Michael

 

[luckydog]

If your blowing hoses off .This is a indicator your driving to hard for too long on old worn out parts .. I would start replacing cooling system parts, Hoses ,thermostat,coolant. It may be time for a new radiator and fan clutch. once you have went into the red everything becomes heat fatigued, Plastic warps, parts fail. It can take a week for the air to bleed out of the block .you are going to have to monitor the cooling system very closely during this phase of overhaul. There is a remote chance that damage has already been done to the heads.Don't ever drive in the red Bentleys for gentlemen say turn off the engine and wait hrs for a cool engine.Before adding liquids. I always start over with new coolant,hoses,thermostat.Then fan clutch,then radiator last. If any of those so called mechs charge more than
$200 for the labor find someone else.

 

[ThoreauHD]

Replace the hoses. If you want to fix it permanently, replace the radiator. The lip is malformed on the original radiator. I would use an independent BMW mechanic for this, if you're using a mechanic. But it's your choice. Your fan shroud is likely about to fall apart as well, as an aside.

It's not a big deal to fix this up on the cheap. The plastic parts don't cost anything. And most you can replace yourself.

 

[tandandshawn]

thx for all the info. I have replaced the radiator, the water pump and all hoses and seems to be working fine. I was not sure if this in any way was related to my heat problem.
answer to whether my heater gets hot, yes it does and very very little air is blowing into the cabin. so i will start with checking the cabin air filter.

 

[luckydog]

Great news on the cooling system replacements. The trapped air in the block can play havoc for a wile intill blead out.