323i overheated - need help

nykik

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DC Metro Area
#1
Hi - I'm in search of some insight about the coolant system. I was sitting at a traffic light Friday evening when I heard something pop and smoke started coming out from under the hood. I found a safe place to park it within 5 minutes, left it there to cool down overnight, then had it towed to my mechanic yesterday. He noticed that the coolant reservoir was cracked, so it seems that that was the cause of the 'pop' I heard. Thankfully, there is no white smoke coming from the tail pipe so I believe the head gasket is okay. What kills me is that I had no indications that there was a problem (no warning lights... until after the pop and smoke then the coolant light decided to come on... and the temp was where it always is - straight in the middle).

From what I've been reading the thermostat is known more for getting stuck open rather than closed. I'm just trying to gain some knowledge of my own to make sure the mechanic looks in the right direction. TIA!!
 
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Reading,PA
#2
Welcome!

The plastic components in the cooling system weaken over time. There is no indication that it is going to fail until it just gives out and cracks. This can also happen with the radiator itself. If you have over 90,000 - 100,000 miles on the car, it would be good preventative maintenance to replace the radiator and large hoses. The radiator will typically fail between 100,000 and 150,000 miles. Replace it now and save the stress of an on the road breakdown....
 
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Indianapolis
#4
My 323i experience the same issues. Impeller broke and I believe the reservoir thingy also failed. Radiator itself still going strong and I've got 158k on the clock.
 
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New Jersey
#5
something similair happened to me in february, but the reason my resivoir cracked was because the thermostat and water pump had gone, resulting in an over building of pressure, the new resivior ran me about 150 bucks, but with all the rest it came to about 900 including labor, i.e. H2O pump, Thermostat, Fan Clutch and new resivior...
 
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Los Angeles, CA
#6
hmm... my '99 323i is going in for standard 90k mile service in a few months at my local service shop (non-dealer)... should i ask them to replace both the coolant reservoir and the radiator? i haven't had any issues yet. but how much would both of these cost? thanks
 
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#7
I'm guessing that you'll pay about $500 for parts plus maybe 3 - 4 hours of labor for a radiator and tank replacement for a shop to do it.

You're just at the "beginning" of the window that people have reported failures. It's a tough call as to whether you should do it now. You could easily get another 25K - 50K miles.

If you don't mind taking a small risk of unexpected failure on the road, wait another year or two. If you really want complete peace of mind, do it now.
 
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Los Angeles, CA
#8
thanks for the helpful info kirby. i guess i'll just remind them to double-check the coolant reservoir & check the radiator as a precaution. and, if they dont' find anything blatantly obvious, then i'll wait a while longer.

thanks again for the help. :)
 


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