Car Overheating + Shuddering + Oil Leaking...

[mikejungle]

*So why does an engine overheat?
My engine was overheating so I flushed my cooling system 7 times last night before putting in some coolant and it still overheats. Previously, it seemed as if it only overheated when I drove it hard and to the redline, but today it seemed to overheat even with normal driving.

I also notice the funny smell of rusty water and smoke rises up from the center console where the shifter is (I don't have the rubber boot for the shifter).

So first of all, how many freakin times do you have to flush the car to completely remove all rusty residues?
Second of all...why the heck is my car overheating?
I'm scared.

*If oil is leaking...what do i need to replace?

*My car shudders when it's on the highway...at regular intervals, the dashboard, steering wheel, door panels...they all shudder. What i mean by shudder is a shake that crescendos to a somewhat vigorous shake and promptly decrescendos. And it happens at about 3 second intervals with the shudders having a duration of about 3 seconds too.

thanks...
I worry for my car...

[CorvallisBMW]

Wow, I don't know about the shuder, that aounds very bizzare.

As far as the overheating, did you properly bleed the system? With the engine up to full operating temp, loosen the bleed screw on top of your thermostat housing. Watch is closely, make sure the only thing coming out is coolant and not air.

Smoke/steam inside the car could be a leaky heater core. They do have metal fittings, and if it's leaking inside that could explain the rusty water smell and steam from the center console. First things first though, bleed the system thoroughly. Also, how old is your thermostat? If it still overheats after bleeding, that's the next step, they're only about $10-$15.

[mikejungle]

which one's the thermostat?
I probably didn't bleed it, seeing as I don't even know what it is. I just drained it each time by pulling the plug at the bottom of the radiator.

thanks

[CorvallisBMW]

which one's the thermostat?
I probably didn't bleed it, seeing as I don't even know what it is. I just drained it each time by pulling the plug at the bottom of the radiator.

thanks

Where did you put the hose to fill it? If you only flushed the radiator, then it won't remove any of the rust/buildup from any other part of the engine. Do you have a Bentley manual? If not, get one. The t-stat housing is on the front of the engine, where all of your cooling hoses snake to. There's small screw on top with a 7 or 8 mm head. Open the bleeder screw with the engine running at full operating temp to bleed the system. Do it on level ground too, or with the nose pointing slightly uphill.

[Hallen]

Bleeding is probably the first step for you.
However, if you are getting rusty water out of the radiator, chances are your radiator is shot too. The thermostat is the thingy on the front top of the engine that has a bunch of coolant hoses going to it.
The smell in the car could very well be a leaking heater core. Do you have problems with the windshield steaming up easily?

[mikejungle]

nope, the windshield doesn't steam up easily.
and like i said, the smoke or steam rises up from the center console...

-Mike

[jlevie]

Steam from the center console is most likely to be from a leak in the heater core, but it is possible for steam to show up there if the shift boot and seals are bad and stemaing coolant is venting under the car.

My intuition, given the past history, is that your overheating problem may be as a result of a head gasket failure. But before heading off into that fix a new thermostat and proper bleed of the cooling system (procedure below) is indicated.

1) Using ramps or a jack get the front of the car 1' or more higher than
the rear. That will make the radiator and bleed screw the highest point
on the engine and facilitate removal of air.

2) With the bleed screw open, add coolant until no more air comes out of
the bleed.

3) Leave the filler cap off, or at least loose, and set the heat for max
temp and fan speed. Leaving the cap loose will prevent air that's still
in the system from causing a "coolant fountain" once the engine heats
up. Start the engine and allow it to warm up to operating temp. As it
warms up occasionally crack the bleed screw to release any air and top
up the coolant as necessary.

4) Once the engine is at temp bring it up to 2000-2500 for a few seconds
several times. Then crack the bleed until no more air is released. At
this point the heater should be throwing lots of hot air, which
indicates that the heater core is filled with coolant. You may have to
repeat this a few times to get all the air out.

5) Drive the car a bit, allow it to cool back down, and recheck the
bleed for air. Over the next few days you may get very small amounts (a
few bubbles) of air out of the bleed screw.

[emi325i]

take out the center console and find out if it is smoke or steam. Since the car is shuddering check your driveshaft and trans mounts.

[eyagel]

im gonna say headgasket just by reading the first 1/4 of the thread. take it to a local shop and tell them to test for exhaust gas in the cooling system, and then pressure test the system