Help my TI /:

[Nemesis21994]

So I've had my 1998 318ti for about a month now and the first week the starter went bad and the 2nd week I thought what was to be either a blown headgasket or blown valve cover gasket. I'm not exactly too sure what has happened and I'm in no place to assume things but about two weeks ago the car overheated and it was blowing steam around the battery and behind the block closest to the front windshield. My dad bled the radiator and it worked great for about a week now and today I was drivign it somewhat hard and it started to overheat, it got up about 3/4 up the thermostat and it started to steam, I rebl-ed the radiator and went to work. I just got back off work and as I pulled up the drive way it was in the red zone in the thermostat (4/4) as I opened the hood I saw a little bit of steam. What could this be and how could I possibly fix it?

[Nemesis21994]

Update: So this morning my dad and I woke up and figured we would look at it and see what could possibly be the problem, last night I was driving home I heard a thud or tick or something and thought maybe I hit something. I didn't think anything of it but this morning my coolant was empty and as we poured more into it, it all just poured our towards the back of the engine bay nearest to the windshield.

[wolferj-RIP]

broken coolant fitting is at least one of your problems...

http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16068

whether or not you damaged the motor by letting it get to the red zone is another question...

[Nemesis21994]

Oh boy... Would I have to order these parts or do you think Autozone or Carquest would have them?

[wolferj-RIP]

It's doubtful that a local chain parts store will have them in stock... Best to order the parts from a reputable bmw parts supplier.

[Nemesis21994]

I love the car to say the least but it's been giving me a hell of a time since I've had it lol

[zoner]

If you're in NOVA, Tischer BMW in Silver Spring is probably your best bet for parts- they beat just about anybody in price.

Like James said, if water gushed right back out of the back of the motor, the plastic water fitting on the back of the head is toast and is probably the original source of your problem(s). Not to be a downer, but now that you've heated it up a couple/few more times, it's very possible that you've done further damage. Check the dipstick and radiator for oil/water mixing and if that checks out OK, do a compression check on the engine to check for one or more dead cylinders. If you blew the HG, it's probable that you also warped, or worse- cracked, the head. This is where things start getting expensive fast. :(

Good luck and keep us posted on what you find out- several people on this forum have been down this road before and there's plenty of information/tutorials here on how to solve the problem.

[Jerime]

You may also want to refresh your cooling system as a whole if you haven't already.

[Romak]

You may also want to refresh your cooling system as a whole if you haven't already.

+9000 Do all the plastic parts and hoses, water pump and thermostat too if they haven't been done. Cheap insurance if you haven't already hurt the engine from the overheat. Hopefully all is good and you can do a refresh and be back on the road!

[Nemesis21994]

So I got the car up after work and I was looking under it and couldn't see where the water was coming from or anything, I have a good and reasonable shop in town that can look at it for no charge and tell me what the problem is.

[Nemesis21994]

The radiator isn't holding but maybe an 1/8 of fluid and it drips out while driving, the oil seems to be fine still. Now it's all the matter of getting someone to tow it for me.