Damn!!! Car overheated. HELP

[InfernoM3]

I was on my way to a Halloween party in HOLLYWOOD when we we about a block away my car temp starting going up and i see a COOLANT TEMP warning. the temp gauge creeps toward red and i pull over. I opened the hood and removed the coolant expansion tank cap and it starting steaming and coolant came gushing out. Smoked for a couple minutes and then stopped. Liquid was all over the place. This was in the middle of traffic and people going to the club. how embarrassing and sucky. Anyway let it cool for like a half hour and put like a half gallon of coolant and drove it a block over to the gas station. found a spot later last nite a block away my car is sitting in hollywood. Spent $60 on a taxi to get home. Going to tow it to a repair shop later. Anyway have any ideas of what could be broken and how much it costs. This sucks. I swear it was the stupid hollywood exit ramp that killed me. Spent a good 30min waiting to turn and moving 5 ft at a time up the exit ramp. Does this cause a lot of stress on the cooling system.

[Jay 535i]

NEVER open the cap on a hot cooling system. You're lucky you weren't seriously burned.

When my car overheated, it turned out to be a gummed up pisser hose -- that's the one that leads from the radiator to the expansion tank. I loosened that hose, cleared it out, and all was fine. Your mileage may vary. There are lots of things that can cause overheating.

You've probably not done any serious damage to your car. Time will tell.

[Bill R.]

cooling system especially if you were using the A/C...not to mention that the cooling air that your pulling into the radiator is already preheated by the cars in front of you while waiting in a line like that.

I was on my way to a Halloween party in HOLLYWOOD when we we about a block away my car temp starting going up and i see a COOLANT TEMP warning. the things creeps toward red and i pull over. I opened the hood and removed the coolant expansion tank cap and it starting steaming and coolant game gushing out. Smoked for a couple minutes and then stopped. Liquid was all over the place. Thsi was in the middle of traffic and people going to the club. how embarrassing and sucky. Anyway let it cool for like a half hours and put like a half gallon of coolant and drove it a block over to the gas station. found a spot later last nite a block away my car is sitting in hollywood. Spent $60 on a taxi to get home. Going to tow it to a repair shop later. Anyway have any ideas of what could be broken and how much it costs. This sucks. I swear it was the stupid hollywood exit ramp taht killed me. Spent a good 30 waiting to turn and moving 5 ft at a time up the exit ramp. does this cause a lot of stress on the cooling system.

[632 Regal]

also check the clutch fan, if its weak it could have added to the heat buildup.

I would replace the thermostat and waterpump if you dont have a record of when that was all replaced.

[Torque]

Check the fan clutch, replace the thermostat and check for leaks. And don't forget to bleed, bleed, bleed after you add coolant and all.

I just went through the same ordeal; turned out to be a tiny leak under a clamp on the upper return hose.

[Paul in NZ]

turn off a/c turn on the heater slightly...will help,althugh uncomfortable!

[InfernoM3]

Check the fan clutch, replace the thermostat and check for leaks. And don't forget to bleed, bleed, bleed after you add coolant and all.

I just went through the same ordeal; turned out to be a tiny leak under a clamp on the upper return hose.

Ok guys got my car towed to a independent shop the guy changed the T-stat for $50 and did a pressure check. he said the pressure was okay. I let it run for a bit and then drove for a few miles. Car seems to be fine now? He said he didn't see any leak but I was adding coolant every few weeks. I'll have to bring it back or somewhere to find it. The aux fan is turning okay.

[Dan in NZ]

The aux fan is the one in front of the radiator, you can just see it when you look through the grill. It should come on when the a/c is turned on, or when the temperature inside the radiator gets too high (like if you're waiting on an on-ramp on a hot day).

The fan you can see inside the engine compartment is controlled by a viscous clutch, when it gets hot, the fan engages, and when it's cool it disengages... These often fail, but it's hard to tell if it has failed.

I had a problem with my car overheating a little in traffic, because the radiator was blocked. Doesn't cost much to get it flow-tested if you still get overheating.

Which car overheated? your 92 535iM or the 90 525? The 535's have the expansion tank seperate from the radiator, and the hose between them often gets blocked, as has been mentioned...


As jaylebo said, NEVER open the cap of a car when it's hot! The pressure in the cooling system stops it boiling, if you open the cap, the water will suddenly boil and spurt out everywhere, as you found out. It's an old wives tale that your engine will explode if it overheats... The system lets out excess pressure by itself. If it overheats again, just turn it off, and open the hood to help it cool down more.

[InfernoM3]

it was my 535i. Here's a diagram on my cooling. Which hose usually gets blocked or is known to leak? Are you talking about #8?

[Dan in NZ]

That diagram is missing a few hoses, but it's the small hose between the expansion tank and radiator. About the size of a garden hose I think. I've heard that they usually block where it connects to the radiator, top left.

Someone with a 535 would probably be better to comment here... If you do a search under "pisser hose" or "pisser line" you should get some previous posts on this issue.