I think my head gasket is blown ( I posted earlier about an issue with my 05 BMW 330ci wondering why it was driving weird thinking it might be the alternator or battery.. but it's just so confusing.. my oil dipstick is clear oil with NO COOLANT (not milky), my oil cap has no milky looking oil and it seems like the only thing that is milky is my coolant reservoir! My car isn't smoking at all and it NEVER overheated, I keep an extremely close eye on my temperature gauge ALWAYS and not once has it ever overheated at all. I've replaced the expansion tank, the upper radiator hose, it's always had coolant, it's never run dry and I even use the hidden cluster temp gauge thing to look at temps while driving and idling and it has never even broken 95°C! PLEASE HELL ME GUYS AM I FU*KED? The car evens idles and runs normal (although the RPMS drop here and there 100-200 Rpms)
Do a compression or a leakdown test.
You definitely have oil in the cooling system. This could be from a few different reasons. If your car is auto transmission it could be a bad transmission cooler or a head gasket problem. If auto transmission check the fluid for coolant contamination (also this will destroy your transmission clutches) if it's a manual transmission car that simplifies this problem to a head gasket or a cracked head.
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check transmission oil cooler, its right below the expansion tank. drain down coolant and remove the cooler (there is a quick release tab) above or next to cooler to radiator connection.
with engine cold have some one start the engine and watch the cooler inlet and outlet ports. if there is trans fluid comming out of either the cooler is bad.
if there is no milky in oil, or signs on head do a compression test or leakdown next. remember the oil system operates at 40+ psi and cooling system is around 15 psi. so if there is a leak the oil might be pushing into cooling system not the other way around.
you could take a sample of trans fluid and see if coolant is getting in there also.
good luck man
Level 1 Certified BMW tech.
I'll be sure to do all of those things, regarding the transmission.. is it pooped? What would happen if the oil cooler did fail, coolant gets sent into transmission and destroy it? I drove it for no more than 5 minutes (up the street then back to the house because it was acting weird) if I replace the oil cooler (assuming it is the issue because it does seem like it) would driving it for that long with this failure cause it to completely fail or could I flush the transmission a bunch of times to get all the contaminated fluid out and possibly replace the part and hopefully save the transmission. Even before that drive where I think it happened I hadn't driven the car in like 24 hours before that situation happened
I understand that you hope your BMW hasn't pooped!...Can you explain better with more detail events that lead you up to consider replacement... for cooling system parts, including expansion tank, or whatever? Details of events can be very helpful.
All of it was for preparation of summer. I live in Fresno CA and the temperature out here gets to about 110 F so didn't want to risk any overheating and I had a tiny bit of money saved so I bought all the parts. I replaced upper rad hose (it blew but I pulled over and turned the car off after about 1 minute, also watched the temp gauge and it didn't rise) so I decided to just buy upper hose, expansion tank, and auto trans thermostat and flush cooling system. I ordered the water pump and thermostat but hadn't put those on, then bam this happened. (This was back in April) about a week ago I was getting ready to go to store after car has sat for 24 hours and started car, left drive way, and car started to shift weird, holding revs and jolting a bit.. being paranoid I turned around, drove it back and shut it off. Probably drove for about 1 or 2 minutes total, as I was just down the street.
That would lead me to believe that the trans cooler has died and introduced antifreeze in to the trans. If this is the case, its not all terrible. After sorting the cooling system, Drain the trans, Replace the trans filter, refill, drive around the block, drain again, refill. Trans fluid is pretty good at cleaning out impurities.
Leothelion092 ............I'm hearing your emergancy....I am a German auto mechanic...yet I do not know everything....Many will try and help you here. Just know that.
Please, if you cannot understand to diagnose properly by yourself...understand that there are many-many BMW-MB-AUDI-VW...indi in all states of the US....I can give you several in Connecticut..wherI live. Private email me here....Steve
Last edited by Eaglesail; 06-25-2017 at 05:19 PM.
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