Italian tune-up coused over heating, Please help..

[Akhil]

Hi All,

I have always learnt low of thing about my BMW and really appreciate all BMW GURUs hear. I don't know how to write, may be I did this stupid thing today on my 92 525i. I read about Italian tune-up. So I though I would try that. I bought Techron and put into tank, then I drove few miles and got the engine on normal operating temp., Then I park my car and gas it up to 5500 RPM for about a min or 2 max, then I got DING sound and Coolant temp message on dash. I looked at temp gauge, It was about to touch RED mark on it. That scared me like hell. I immediatly stopped the engine and check on floor under the engine, I show lot of oil. I did NOT have over heating problem or any oil leak problem before. I drive most of the time in bad Houston traffic and my RPM never goes above 3000 RPm in normal driving conditions. After this, I let the car cool off up to the normal operating temp. and then restarted it, It started fine, idle fine, but temp gauge started going up and up. So now, I ended up with over heating problem. I don't know what to do next. I am planning to flush and refill coolant tomorrow, but now sure that would fix the problem. I would greatly appreciate if some one can help me or guide me to right direction of troubleshooting.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards.
Akhil

[misfortune]

Honestly a flush and refill might fix your problem. Read up on the bleeding procedure from a good car manual (check www.bmwe34.net )
The extra strain you put on the engine probably exposed a preexisiting condition. Nothing wrong with a good italian tuneup!!

Hi All,

I have always learnt low of thing about my BMW and really appreciate all BMW GURUs hear. I don't know how to write, may be I did this stupid thing today on my 92 525i. I read about Italian tune-up. So I though I would try that. I bought Techron and put into tank, then I drove few miles and got the engine on normal operating temp., Then I park my car and gas it up to 5500 RPM for about a min or 2 max, then I got DING sound and Coolant temp message on dash. I looked at temp gauge, It was about to touch RED mark on it. That scared me like hell. I immediatly stopped the engine and check on floor under the engine, I show lot of oil. I did NOT have over heating problem or any oil leak problem before. I drive most of the time in bad Houston traffic and my RPM never goes above 3000 RPm in normal driving conditions. After this, I let the car cool off up to the normal operating temp. and then restarted it, It started fine, idle fine, but temp gauge started going up and up. So now, I ended up with over heating problem. I don't know what to do next. I am planning to flush and refill coolant tomorrow, but now sure that would fix the problem. I would greatly appreciate if some one can help me or guide me to right direction of troubleshooting.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards.
Akhil

[Akhil]

Thanks for quick reply misfortune,

I am hoping that flush and refill, might fix the over heating problem, but what should I conclude about lot of oil spil while engine running on 5500 RPM? Am I going to have some big problem of leak now. I am think about all hte gasket, since it old and has never gone to that high temp. range at least during my 2 and half year of ownership. are they gone? I am worried about it.

Thanks

Best Regards,
Akhil

[winfred]

a italian tune up is usually done by flogging the car down the road with a load on the motor and high rpm not holding it near the rev limmiter while parked, that is just hard on the motor without actually moving that much air through the cylinders and raising the combustion pressure and temp like actual hard use would do. the oil hopefully got burped out of the usually rotted off crankcase vent line that goes from the valve cover to the intake boot, if not you may have a problem. cooling could be several things, you may have a plastic impeller water pump and it gave it up under the stress and cracked and is spinning on the shaft, thermostat could of gave it up i have been getting a **** load of cars in with busted thermostats lately, or your fan clutch could be almost dead and it couldn't keep up with the heat spike produced by the motor without some airflow to get it started (besides the clutch is not normally capable of spinning at those speeds, they usually dissengauge at 2000-2500 rpm) and it just got too hot

[Akhil]

Thanks a lot for your quick reply winfred,

So now what would you recommend me? Can you please list me the things to check starting from easier and going to harder ones.?

Best Regards,
Akhil

[uscharalph]

Hi All,

I have always learnt low of thing about my BMW and really appreciate all BMW GURUs hear. I don't know how to write, may be I did this stupid thing today on my 92 525i. I read about Italian tune-up. So I though I would try that. I bought Techron and put into tank, then I drove few miles and got the engine on normal operating temp., Then I park my car and gas it up to 5500 RPM for about a min or 2 max, then I got DING sound and Coolant temp message on dash. I looked at temp gauge, It was about to touch RED mark on it. That scared me like hell. I immediatly stopped the engine and check on floor under the engine, I show lot of oil. I did NOT have over heating problem or any oil leak problem before. I drive most of the time in bad Houston traffic and my RPM never goes above 3000 RPm in normal driving conditions. After this, I let the car cool off up to the normal operating temp. and then restarted it, It started fine, idle fine, but temp gauge started going up and up. So now, I ended up with over heating problem. I don't know what to do next. I am planning to flush and refill coolant tomorrow, but now sure that would fix the problem. I would greatly appreciate if some one can help me or guide me to right direction of troubleshooting.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards.
Akhil

I hope you didn't do that in Park, not good for the transmission.

[632 Regal]

"park" my ass... this poor dude revved the thing with no load, I dont even want to mention it but thing something went awry something more to the point of pitching a rod. Man.... I wish he would have asked a question before revving this thing in neutral. I feel he has wrote correctly by saying he thinks he did something stupid. I really hope I'm reading it all wrong man.

I hope you didn't do that in Park, not good for the transmission.

[Akhil]

I wish I wouldn't have done it, but unfortunatly I did it and that too in PARK. Do you think I screwed my transmission too?

[winfred]

i don't think the gm tranny minds it, not like the old zf it'd be good and roasted after a couple minutes

[uscharalph]

i don't think the gm tranny minds it, not like the old zf it'd be good and roasted after a couple minutes

Good to know.