fizzychicken 1 Report post Posted April 25, 2014 Hi All Please forgive my total lack of understanding regarding my 318ti 98 auto engine. Last night after driving for about an hour I was at the side of the road with the engine running idle while my passenger ran into a house to get something, there had been no issues driving and I had no dash warnings indicating any problems. Air con was not on and no internal heating was being used. I do not remember glancing at the temp gauge during the drive. I was at the side of the road for about 2 minutes when there was a dull pop and a whole load of hissing and steam coming out of the front of the hood on the passenger side. I turn the ignition off and waited, the steam lasted about a minute and filled both my headlights with condensation. I have not started the car since this. Based on the location of the steam/smoke (none at the back of the car) and the fact that only the front left corner of the engine is wet, I would say this is most likely what happened (video content not necessarily the cause listed on the page) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E00J99TyQ-w This occurred last night so it was dark but both the AA call-out guy and myself checked all hoses and couldn't find any indication of hose failures or disconnections so an AA tow truck got me back home over the auckland harbour bridge. Today I had a look and the only broken thing I can find is the plastic radiator clamp and I have no idea if that is a new break or it has been like that for a long time The cap appeared to be in good condition and doesn't look like it has leaked, but looking inside today and it is virtually empty (level indicated by red line) The dipstick oil looks normal with no indication of mixing. I am yet to start the car and I haven't taken any other action. Normally I would be content to simply get a tow to the mechanic to look into but today is Anzac day and then it is the weekend so everything near me is closed for 3 days I was wondering if anybody could advise if there is anything I can do to further diagnose this problem myself in a safe newbie manner? Many thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1258 Report post Posted April 25, 2014 possibly the electric fan is not working , at the low speed , failed resistor on the fan or thermo switch on the raditor so got hot when sitting and blew out a weak old plastic water conection , etc 021433600 brent@bmworld.co.nz in papakura have all the parts needed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yng_750 247 Report post Posted April 25, 2014 Very common issues. Plastic breaks down and breaks. Often small hose at bottom of reservoir. Only proper fix is new radiator, Water pump, thermostat and hoses. You can fix one at a time but they all fail with age so best to do it all. If you shut it down when it popped likely no engine damage so at least thats a positive Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smatchu 0 Report post Posted April 25, 2014 Yeh I agree with them,check your tank I see split ones all the time. All the water housings give up eventually and are normally brittle to touch or break away where the O rings sit. Refill it with water and put the cap on,run it for 5 mins and check around the area you saw the steam. It should be fairly obvious where the water is coming out if it went pop. Don't run it for too long though,you don't want to cause any damage,and there is a couple of bleed screws to let the air out also. If you aren't sure best get someone with some knowledge to sort it for you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
