Help!!!...My ti Overheated!

[Dusty]

My 96 ti overheated on Wed morning on my way to work, I was stuck in a traffic jam caused by an accident and I did not check my temp gauge until it was too late. By the time I looked up there was steam and antifreeze everywhere and I had to pull off to the side of the freeway and call a flatbed wrecker. I went hom on yesterday to check things out further, and I had added some distilled water to the radiator to check for leaks and see if it would hold any fluid...I heard a dripping noise which later turned into a running water noise from the rear of the engine. Have I blown my head gasket or is there a type of hose the is out of reach back there somewhere? I have an m44 engine, all stock. A few months ago I had replaced my radiator, water pump, thermostat, both upper and lower hoses, belts and a new temp sensor on the side of the radiator. I am not sure why I overheated, what should I or can I do? Oh, I also am just about to reach 176,000 mi. on this motor.

[J!m]

There are a set of hoses on the back of the engine for the heater, It sounds like you blew one of those.

It's possible you will be OK with replacing those and re-filling and burping the system. The heater valve may be bad as well.

I mention these items because you said you replaced the radiator hoses, but did not mention the heater hoses.

[cali-ti]

J!m, are you referring to one of the water hoses shown on this diagram or others?

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG73&mospid=47506&prod=19960500&btnr=11_1567&hg=11&fg=35

EDIT: or possibly some of these?

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG73&mospid=47506&prod=19960500&btnr=64_0202&hg=64&fg=18

[m44ic]

I am very sorry to hear that, sounds like a bad thermostat is the reason it overheated

[J!m]

The second photo shows the heater hoses as well as the heater valve.

he first photo shows the intake heater hoses. These could be leaking as well. I honestly forgot about those, as I don't have them any more...

[Dusty]

How easy/hard is it to get to those for replacement? What do I dissassemble and take out? Hopefully it is a fairly simple job that I can do in a couple of hours or so. I have a Bently Manual, but I am thinking of getting a Haynes also for more detail in most jobs.

[cali-ti]

i don't have the haynes manual, but i believe the general consensus has been that it is more detailed. may not be bad to have both though. i haven't replaced any of the hoses yet ... so let us know how much of a pain it is? :p you should be able to get the hoses from any dealer or possibly another online parts place like pelicanparts.com. just give them the bmw part numbers from the ETK and they should be able to match them up properly.

[Three_eighteenTiGuy]

I had the same thing happen to my TI, a few months ago. It was, in fact, a heater hose that burst on the back of the engine. The pieces BMW used to connect the hoses were plastic, and they can crack rather easily. If it is, in fact, one of the hoses, Im sorry to tell you that the dealer had to lift the engine in order to get to that specific plastic piece and to replace the hose. It was something I couldnt do myself,
:(...I believe the labor charges were around 400.00......, but hopefully you'll have better luck, and a dealer nearby that doesnt like to screw people. Good luck.

[cali-ti]

three_eighteenTiGuy, do you know which part # it was they had to replace? be nice to know which hose it was in the diagrams i linked to. thanks!

[Three_eighteenTiGuy]

cali-ti, I honestly cant remember the part number...I imagine any dealer could look it up, if you have no luck there, let me know, and I will dig through my maintenance records or get in touch with the dealer that performed the work. Just let me know. Thanks.

[cali-ti]

well, there are a bunch back there and i was hoping we could provide some guidance to Dusty for what to look for and where. it would also be nice to know if this is a common failure point such that one could plan to have a particular part replaced before it blows up while you're on the road. i know it might be a pain, but could you find out for sure which part was replaced? of if you could identify it on the diagrams i linked to earlier in the thread, it would be appreciated by all (at least i hope so).

[Three_eighteenTiGuy]

I wouldnt say this was a common failure point. What happens is, when other cooling system components are replaced, sometimes air pockets develop in the hoses, keeping coolant from reaching the sensors that allow the fan to cut on and cool the engine. However, the air blockage creates the illusion that the coolant is, in fact, full. Your best bet, is to check the hoses if you have any of those components replaced. Just feel for cold spots, especially around the lower hose that leads to the fan area. and keep checking the levels. If you notice overheating while idling, this could be the problem. I will look tonight for that part number.

[Three_eighteenTiGuy]

Ok. from the looks of the diagram, Id say "11" which seems to be the only hose connecting to the back of the engine....., However, I believe it is the plastic piece at the end of the hose that tends to crack and fail. Im not sure if that part is seperate or not. If you need anymore info, let me know. More than willing to help "dusty" out. Im going to give the dealer a call tomorrow to have them look up the sepcific part number.