Cracked Head at 56K miles Please Advise

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   I was driving 35mph in a neighborhood area when steam started pouring out from under the hood from coolant squirting from a crack in the plastic radiator expansion tank. Of course I stopped immediately. Dealer says oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil. They remove the head and no visable crack but pressure testing reveals a crack and warped. They say the engine coolant got up to 300 degrees!  They say waterpump and thermostat are good not damaged.
Did the crack in the expansion tank cause it to overheat which caused it to crack the head even though I stopped within 5 seconds?
Or something else cause the engine to over heat which caused the expansion tank to crack and leak coolant?
All comments appreciated.

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Ikaika Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 16-August-2003 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1	Topic: Cracked Head at 56K miles Please Advise Posted: 16-August-2003 at 06:31
	I was driving 35mph in a neighborhood area when steam started pouring out from under the hood from coolant squirting from a crack in the plastic radiator expansion tank. Of course I stopped immediately. Dealer says oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil. They remove the head and no visable crack but pressure testing reveals a crack and warped. They say the engine coolant got up to 300 degrees! They say waterpump and thermostat are good not damaged. Did the crack in the expansion tank cause it to overheat which caused it to crack the head even though I stopped within 5 seconds? Or something else cause the engine to over heat which caused the expansion tank to crack and leak coolant? All comments appreciated.

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Nigel Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 09-November-2002 Status: Offline Points: 6941	Posted: 16-August-2003 at 09:52
	Ikaika You havent mentioned what model of car, age etc. In my expeience, mileage has very little to do with the head problems suffered by BMW's, it has much more to do with aliminium (aluminum in the states I think) alloy heads, versus coolant. If the "wrong" type of coolant has been added, it will gradualy eat the alloy away, leading to the problem you now have. I wouldnt worry too much about the warping, alloy heads do warp when removed, by various amounts, and always need skimming before refitting. Over here we can get heads repaired by specialist companys, I would imagine you have those in the states too, we can also get exchanges that come with substantial warranties, and you can also get second hand heads. If you go to the links section at the top of the page, you will find a link to FAB spares, they are just one of the companys over here, and may be able to advise you better on the costs involved, I think they ship to the states, although I'm sure you will have someone over there, its just such a large country you have, locating them may be the hardest part.
	Best Wishes Nigel