Coolant Leak

[ALock]

My engine is overheating and so I checked the coolant with it coming up to be empty. So I filled it up thinking it was the previous owner's mistake to find out as I was pouring the coolant in, it was gushing out of the rear of the engine. I drove it home on the way to work after doing this and it did fine for about a few miles until overheating for the next few miles with steam coming out and everything.

Does anyone have an idea what happened to it? I plan to take it to a mechanic as I have no tools, let alone skills, to fix it. My current theories atm are heater core blockage, or a radiator pipe leak. All I know is that it leak just about as quick as I poured it in, so the pipe theory is more sound.

Thanks for all the help!

[Xenocide]

If you would have looked at the top of the maintence page before you posted you would have answered your own question.

As to why you drove the car after you knew you had no coolant and it overheated before is beyond me, coolant doesn't just disappear.

It is a very easy fix, you should be able to DIY with minimal tools.

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

[cooljess76]

yep, it's a rookie move to drive these cars with an overheating engine. You may have very well blown your headgasket or at the very minimum decreased the life of it dramatically. Very expensive lesson, I hope I'm wrong.

[tiFreak]

sounds like you blew the plastic fitting on the rear of the engine, would have been a couple dollars for the part plus a couple hours labor at the most, unfortunately you may have damaged your engine by letting it overheat, like Jess said, you might have blown your headgasket or you very well might have damaged your engine beyond repair

these engines are very durable, so if a ti has had a new engine put in it, a large majority of the time it's because it overheated