Here's a dumb story...I recently had a BMW mechanic drain and refill the cooling system on my '92 318i vert. When I picked up the car, I was in a rush and didn't check his work, so drove it home (over an hour at highway speeds), with no apparent overheating or leaks. The next day, I checked the radiator only to find that it was bone dry! I added about 1.5 quarts of coolant to bring the level up to the full mark, and am now road-testing to see where the level ends up.
My biggest concern, is that I could have theoretically overheated the engine during my hour-long drive. If the indication of an overheated engine is merely the coolant temp gauge, it is possible that I may have not noticed it. However, if the Check Engine (or other) light illuminates, that's something I definitely would have noticed and would have stopped the car immediately. Unfortunately, the owner's manual and other maintenance manuals don't address this, so just curious if there is an indication along with the red zone in the temp gauge. Please help me put my mind to rest...and thanks!
My biggest concern, is that I could have theoretically overheated the engine during my hour-long drive. If the indication of an overheated engine is merely the coolant temp gauge, it is possible that I may have not noticed it. However, if the Check Engine (or other) light illuminates, that's something I definitely would have noticed and would have stopped the car immediately. Unfortunately, the owner's manual and other maintenance manuals don't address this, so just curious if there is an indication along with the red zone in the temp gauge. Please help me put my mind to rest...and thanks!
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