BMW E36 325 TDS RADIATOR + INJECTORS

detonator1979

Hi
I have a 325 tds and my mechanic reckons head is cracked, as the radiator hoses are pressurized after driving and depending on coolant level will seep out of rad cap if driven hard! ( new rad cap )
I have had car for over a year and has not overheated once.
No oil in radiator, no water in engine.
Could this be a waterpump issue i had a replacemennt fan belt tensioner put on and it's making noise again when turning off engine ( a squeak ).
and water does not gush out just a dribble through small hose connected to rad cap you have to squeeze it to get water to gush out.
( maybe a sign water pump is gone??).
Also when driving @ about 1300 rpm a small flutter can come in and when you stop and before fuel gauge usage indicator goes back engine flutters a bit before idle ( is this injectors??)

The car is a good when opened up and runs smoothly @ all other revs

last service was a diesel leak @ injectors and mechanic said some lines had been replaced and he fixed one that wasn't sealed right but still have flutter.

Any help would be appreciated.

hi5

If the engine is not overheating the the only other place the pressure can come from is the compression from the piston blowing through a gap to a water channel,could be just a blown head gasket and not a cracked head.
Any steam coming from the exhaust?

The flutter could be an intermittent fuel pump or a clogged fuel filter.

detonator1979

would this involve re-skimming or would a replacement gasket do the job?
it has had this fault for over a year and i've driven it on once or twice and defo no overheat, and no steam from exhaust.

detonator1979

oh also it sometimes makes a sound like gulping...only way i can describe it?

Captain Slow IRL

detonator1979 wrote: »

Hi
I have a 325 tds and my mechanic reckons head is cracked, as the radiator hoses are pressurized after driving and depending on coolant level will seep out of rad cap if driven hard! ( new rad cap )
I have had car for over a year and has not overheated once.
No oil in radiator, no water in engine.

You would have to get a compression test done to confirm if the head was cracked or the head gasket was damaged. Depending on if they have the equipment, there may be a garage in your area that can detect combustion gasses in the coolant bottle - this would confirm your mechanics suspicions.

It could also be a partially blocked radiator or some blockage in the coolant system or a failing water pump. The gurgling you are hearing could be a sign of an airlock - not sure about something that particular car but there is a procedure to bleed the coolant system on most modern bmw's. There should be a plastic philips headed bleed screw on/near the expansion tank and also near the engine (follow the coolant pipes) You need to loosen these, turn the ignition on - engine not running - and turn the interior heater on at full temp and lowest fan setting. Top up the coolant at the expansion bottle until coolant is coming out of where you removed the bleed screw(s) Replace the screw(s) and top up coolant system - test drive and recheck the coolant level.

This is a pic of what you should be looking for, it's the black screw just to the lower right of the radiator filler cap: (this ain't a 325, but is a bmw)

detonator1979 wrote: »

Could this be a waterpump issue i had a replacemennt fan belt tensioner put on and it's making noise again when turning off engine ( a squeak ).
and water does not gush out just a dribble through small hose connected to rad cap you have to squeeze it to get water to gush out.
( maybe a sign water pump is gone??).

Get your engine up to operating temperature, leave it idling and turn off the interior heater. Keep an eye on the temp gauge - if it starts rising towards the 3/4 mark, it's likely your waterpump is not doing it's job.

detonator1979

the mechanic pulled out a testing kit and placed it on the expansion cap but did not change colour.
Might get a rad specialist to check it out first was looking for bleed screw but could not find it may look again, is it self bleeding, and water is flowing very weakly through pipe that meets cap

Slidey

Feel as much of the radiator as you can. If it is blocked you will feel cold/cool spots on it.

Captain Slow IRL

That's good news then - no major engine work to deal with!

You're probably looking at a blockage in the coolant system or a waterpump problem.