Just to make sure....

[SixSquared]

I've got an auto shutoff to prevent overheated engines, right? Ie when the engine gets above a certain temp it will automatically shut off?

[328iJunkie]

On your E36? No.

[SixSquared]

... Great.

[Matt]

I don't think any cars have that.

Story time?

[s14realm3]

yes you do, when your engine MELTS, psiton will lock up, thats your shut down.

[Mr Estoril]

How far into the red did it go?

[JordanMD88]

:facepalm

I know a great shop not too far from Athens

Racersmarket.net

[SixSquared]

Not far. It starts right up, just doesn't stay on I'll fiddle with it in the AM

[328iJunkie]

coolant/oil mixture?

[SixSquared]

I really haven't looked too much since it's dark out. I'll check it out first thing in the AM and report my findings.

[Simon Tibbett]

Eh if it starts right up and shuts right off it's usually an easy fix.

But yeah what car shuts off when it overheats?

[SixSquared]

Originally Posted by Simon Tibbett

Eh if it starts right up and shuts right off it's usually an easy fix.

But yeah what car shuts off when it overheats?

Quite a few mid-high end cars have a shut off when the engine temps climb above a set point. It's a feature found in newer cars, generally 2003ish and up, but I thought that maybe BMW was ahead of the curve on it lol. It's starting to trickle down to be a pretty standard feature as far as I know. My mother's 2010 Nissan Cube shuts off when it gets too hot or if the coolant level gets too low.

[Simon Tibbett]

Oh ok, never heard of it, yeah, BMW's aren't high end cars, they don't have that. lol

[SixSquared]

Originally Posted by Simon Tibbett

Oh ok, never heard of it, yeah, BMW's aren't high end cars, they don't have that. lol

well they're high-er endish lol.

[JeremyDS]

Having a car shut off at any point in time because the temperature is too high is a huge safety risk. Imagine what would happen on the highway if your car just turned off- it would not only rob you of engine power, but also power steering, brakes, etc..

Newer cars will trigger a limp mode when they overheat, an attempt to protect the engine while limiting the danger to the customer.

[SixSquared]

Originally Posted by JeremyDS

Having a car shut off at any point in time because the temperature is too high is a huge safety risk. Imagine what would happen on the highway if your car just turned off- it would not only rob you of engine power, but also power steering, brakes, etc..

Newer cars will trigger a limp mode when they overheat, an attempt to protect the engine while limiting the danger to the customer.

^^That's more or less what I was talking about. According to the guy who sold my mom her Cube, the car will enter limp mode and then will shut off after a warning period.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by JeremyDS

Having a car shut off at any point in time because the temperature is too high is a huge safety risk. Imagine what would happen on the highway if your car just turned off- it would not only rob you of engine power, but also power steering, brakes, etc..

Newer cars will trigger a limp mode when they overheat, an attempt to protect the engine while limiting the danger to the customer.

What he said.

Priority #1 is to protect the catalyst since it has a longer warranty than the motor.

[Doctor Wha]

Originally Posted by JeremyDS

Newer cars will trigger a limp mode when they overheat, an attempt to protect the engine while limiting the danger to the customer.

The Z4s had that function (as many found out the hard way before the ignition coil recall that afeccted the very early model years). I believe BMWs from around that time and since have a similar precaution in their programs.

Similar to what's been mentioned, however, I've never heard of a car (BMW or otherwise) just shutting itself off, though.

Good luck, OP.

[M3forJTB]

They ought to put a water/coolant temp guage in these darn things

[///M3Mike]

Damn near every Volkswagen made after 1999 had this feature. Except it was totally random and had nothing to do with the engine temperature. Or anything else.

[Simon Tibbett]

What, limp mode? EVERY car has limp mode, old Civics from the 80's have limp mode.

[Matt]

Actually, they have dozens of different limp modes for different errors.

For example, if you have a MAF error, there is a backup table used to calculate mass flow from RPM and throttle position. Or if you have a speed signal error, your RPM limit will drop to the RPM that would give you your max allowable speed in top gear. If you have a lambda heater error, your fuel trims will be locked to 0. Etc etc.

[Steve528]

N54 = Limp Mode extravaganza

[mpower5266]

Originally Posted by ///M3Mike

Damn near every Volkswagen made after 1999 had this feature. Except it was totally random and had nothing to do with the engine temperature. Or anything else.

[SixSquared]

Ok findings for the morning...

Upper rad hose popped off rad... Rectified.
Little to no coolant... Rectified.
Oil low, very thick... Being rectified later with an oil change.

No signs of water or cloudiness in oil. I think the spot where the hose connects to the radiator has been broken on the radiator side... It comes out further on too than on bottom. The hose itself is intact and pretty new. Clamped it back on and ensured tight fit. White spray above engine and around bay, looks like coolant. Car turns on and stays on like nothing ever happened.

Just out of curiosity, could the shutoff be something to do with the trans? It was sluggish shifting gears up and down last night and I think maybe the reason it was losing lpower coming up the hill was maybe bc it was in the wrong gear?