Grrrrrrhhhhhhhhh!!!!

[buddymaia]

My 318is overheats and need to figure out if it the AC compressor, head Gasket (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1331070#) or something else! I replaced the themostat, water pump and fan . The car will idle for 20 minutes. I then will turn on the AC and can tell the AC strains the engine( more than normal). Once it i starts overheating I turn the AC off and turn the heat on and it goes down a bit, but then the temp goes right back up even with the AC off. Is there a way to bypass the a/c compressor? I cannot find a bypass pulley or bypass belt online. Any suggestions? I just have this sneaky suspicion that its the A/C compressor. Maybe because my mechanic just put a new ( used) engine in and assured me it is not the head gasket. I need HELP!:help

[kiddM3]

Check to see if the car is producing any white smoke out of the exhaust and look to see if you are losing coolant into your oil. Those would be signs of a bad head gasket. If those check out ok, you might have a air bubble in the cooling system. Since you said you have just replaced the therm/waterpump you might have not bled it properly. As far as i know, if the ac causes the car to overheat, it would only be from the ac pulley being seized up and putting extra load on the engine. If it works then its not related to your problem.