Sorry to revive this very old thread.
Yesterday evening my 11 year old (?!) E46 overheated, first time this happened to me. So I parked it and thought I'd check the cooling fluid.
Maybe I should 'park' this story here for a second and explain the context. I know 'absolutely' nothing about cars, it was freezing 3 degrees and it was 2:30 AM and I was parked at a dark closed petrol station. If you cannot handle stories of a complete stupid guy then please do not read on, you will be seriously anoyed. Then again, if you fancy a laugh, maybe you should read on :-(
So I left home and I was driving a short distance on the motorway, no crazy speed (around 120 km/h) for approx 14 Km/9miles and was wondering why the indoor heating of the car did not come on. All of a sudden I see the temperature gage on the dashboard is in the red (and the red light underneath comes on). So I panic. 2 Km further by chance there is a closed service station. Now the only thing I know of cars is a) how to drive them and b) in the movies when a car overheats they open a knob, they burn themselves and steam comes out, they put water in and drive on.
So my car is overheating so I check the booklet in my car and see that there is only one knob for cooling flued. Turns out I was looking at the wrong engine for a 316i, not for a 323i. Not that the locations are completely different but I also looked if there were any other knobs I could get confused with and on the 316 there is nothing near, but on the 323 there is (although the booklet does not state what it is).
Now in my panic, nervousnes, darkness, cold, stpidness, I undo the wrong knob and feel in the hole. The booklet stated that there should be some kind of 'fill stick' to show how full it is. I dont see it so figure it is empty. Surprisingly the service station had not closed the water tap (freezing that night) and I fill an empty half litre bottle and fill the hole. After about 200 ml it is full. That is weird, and what is even weirder that it smells like some kind of thin oil what is in there. Back to the booklet and I find out that I was filling the wrong hole.
Back to right opening: I open the cooling fluid hole very carefully with gloves but contrary to the movies, no steam came out and I fill it with approx 1 litre of water, then the 'level stick' shows it is full and I stop filling
I then spend some time panicking what the other whole was that I filled and in addition I had dropped that knob and it was resting somewhere below the engine, where I couldnt see it. So I made a make shift cover for the 'other hole' and started my engine. The temprature had come down. to mid level and I drove my car a couple of times backward and forward in the hope the knob would shift place. At one point (and with the light of my mobile phone, which was now again charged enough to use it's flash light) I saw the knob at the bottom plate under the engine. With a stick from the bushes I was able to get it out.
I now closed the unknown hole and saw the obscure text "ATF oil only". So I think that confirms what I was afraid of that I ruined my (already overheated) engine by putting water amongst the oil.
So I everything closed again. I turn around and drive the 15 KM home. Underway the temperature gage, three times, for a very short time went to red, but then subsided within 10 seconds or so to mid levels, if I hit the clutch and let the car continue 'not in gear' for 15 seconds.
I just reached home (full of adreneline) and though I would share my experience before asking the question I had. I just read the booklet a bit better (it is easier in a heated home with proper light) and found that a 323 hold more than 6 litre of cooling fluid. So I cannot imagine that the 1 liter I put made any difference.
I obviously will not drive my car anymore and make an appointment with the garage so they can figure out what is wrong early next week.
However as I am a curious one (and dumb as you can read above :-( ), some questions:
- The first thing I noticed before the overheating and also afterwards is that the heating in the car does not seem to work at all. Can this have something to do with the engine overheating. Both never happened before so it seems likely.
- Through this thread I now believe I threw 200 ml water in the Power Steering reservoir. If I see that the guidance is already to completely drain it if you put the wrong type of oil in, I can imagine this holds 10 times more for water :-S. I assume however that I can still drive to my garage (8 Kms or so) and this is not THAT pressing that I need it towed?
Thanks for the noob help.