My poor car....a tale of woe

[skiboats]

About 6 months ago I replaced my expansion tank.

2 weeks ago the drivers side vertical plastic part of the radiator cracked.

I work at a Honda dealer and they put in an aftermarket radiator at a very reasonable cost.

2 weeks later the waterpump failed throwing the belt a few blocks from home. I nursed it home.

I had to have it towed to the dealer. Luckily my brother is the GM.

Needed Waterpump, 2 belts, oil cooler, 2 hoses. I get a loaner, a couple days later fixed.

A week later, today, I'm rounding the last corner to home and the transmission starts slipping. I only have a few hundred yards to get home. I made it just barely. Went into "failsafe mode"

Two very distinct trails of fluid about a foot apart going down the road.

Any thoughts? 01 4.4 108K

Thx.


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[TriX5]

Originally Posted by skiboats

Two very distinct trails of fluid about a foot apart going down the road.

Can you identify the liquid? Not heard about an AT failure that sprouted a leak.....sounds more like the generic cooler may not have the required connections for the transmission heat exchanger....

Generally sounds like you crossed that "magic" moment where you have all the known drivetrain issues at the same time.

Transmission/TorqConv, V-pan/waterpump/tank. Chain guides/Vanos. It seems to come around 100k.

Belknap has a nice thread about his 100k service that should give you an idea what is coming.....I am afraid it is a but frustrating but it is a reality that the 4.4's develop a bunch of ailments at this point.

Good luck!

[JCL]

Agree that you need to identify the liquid that leaked.

Three thoughts on your problems subsequent to the original failure:

1) It is possible that subsequent failures had something to do (fully or partly) with the previous repair work. An example would be not tensioning the belt correctly, and the vehicle throwing the belt, causing other damage. If the belt is too loose it could be thrown, if it is too tight it can fail the water pump.

2) BMW engines really don't like to be overheated. Your original problem was with the cooling system. Overheating can cause damage to plastic components, and metal components, which can subsequently fail. It is the reason that many owners promote doing all cooling system components (pump, thermostat, expansion tank, hoses) at a set mileage, prior to failure, to avoid the problems of one component failing and taking out the rest.

3) All the first set of problems had to do with the cooling system. It is possible that your transmission problem has nothing to do with all the cooling problems. If there is a problem with the transmission cooling it may have accelerated any transmission issues, but it might just be bad luck. Identify the fluid first.

[E61Silver]

My thought is more simple, you have a older car with high miles and therefore you will go through periods of mechanical failure. Since you already own it, solder through the problems and you will be good for another 50,000 miles.

In addtion a BMW is more prone to failure that said Motor Dave has had good luck with his 01.

[skiboats]

I thinks its tranny fluid. Was clean, not real red. Not antifreeze. Everything was fine then started slipping and I barley made it in the driveway. Never overheated. Was hoping it is a line or fitting. Seems to be coming from around the radiator.

It will be hauled to the dealer tomorrow. Oh well.


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[TriX5]

Trans fluid tends to be quite dark in appreance, mine looked like engine oil. The 5hp24 does not use the red ATF. Coolant is clear and blue greenish.

Not sure what color OEM power steering fluid is. (Still on my to do list)

[skiboats]

The dealer confirmed that it is a transmission line from the oil cooler, as I half expected.

Check out my awesome/unusual loaner! Need a ride?