I was driving my car the other day (1997 528i) and the temp gauge started heading toward the red. I immediately stopped the car and shut off the engine. I turned the key back on a couple times and the gauge was in the red and the light was on. The car cooled down and I drove it home, it was still in the ok range, but getting hot, when i got home. I again shut it off and it went into the red. The car was never running with the gauge in the red and the gauge wasnt pegged, it was just half way in the red. Im really concerned that the head gasket could have gotten messed up, How likely do you guys think this is? Thanks for any input!
I'm Concerned
- Thread starter 535iracer
- Start date
The temperature rose after shutting down because the water was not flowing, and heat concentrated in the top of the engine. But heat generation stopped when you shut her down.
You are probably OK. But the only way to know is to follow Dan's suggestions above. If there is water in the oil, don't drive it. It's easy to say "ahh, it's just a bit of water, I can drive it for a week until I take it to the shop." But the water saturates and swells the oil filter, effectively choking oil flow and making things worse.
You are probably OK. But the only way to know is to follow Dan's suggestions above. If there is water in the oil, don't drive it. It's easy to say "ahh, it's just a bit of water, I can drive it for a week until I take it to the shop." But the water saturates and swells the oil filter, effectively choking oil flow and making things worse.
I don't see any water in the oil or vice versa, I've checked it several times. the car is overheating because (I believe) the thermostat sticks closed and the water pump is leaking causing air in the system, i am buying the parts and changing them today... The car has 140k, its probably past due for a cooling system revamp. I think I'm probably ok in terms of the head gasket, i hope anyway lol. Thanks for your input!