Have I broken my wife's shed?

[230TE]

Driving the wife's car today (E36 328i coupe, 1996) when the temp gauge started to climb rapidly. Due to lack of anywhere to pull over I had to do about a mile with the needle buried deep in the red sector. Turned out that the water pump seals had failed, and I managed to limp it to my workshop stopping every three or four miles to let it cool down and top up with water. (I tried ringing the AA but just got an engaged tone...)

Anyway, fitted a new water pump, new radiator (the reason I was driving it to the workshop in the first place), lots of nice fresh antifreeze and now I'm wondering whether I have got away with it. Ran fine all the way home, hasn't covered the oil filler cap in gunk, the coolant level in the expansion bottle has dropped about an inch but that might just be small air pockets finding their way out. So can you lightly toast an E36 motor and get away with it, or is this going to bite me hard in the backside over Christmas?

[john_p]

You'll be lucky to have got away with it, but they are buggers to bleed so that could explain the drop. If it's not overheating, has power and doesn't use any more coolant, you might be ok.

[Defcon5]

Just stop driving it. If it pops after she has driven it 100 miles it cant be your fault!

[curlie467]

Oh dear god, i do hope you have got away with it!
Ours did it and we didn`t get away with it but ours was the 318 model but i do believe that they are all a bh to bleed, you have to jack the front of the car up to do it properly.

[230TE]

Fingers crossed then. I might try and get the reserve shed (Audi Coupe 20V) back on the road this week just in case...