So I was driving on the freeway and I heard a click and all of a sudden my steering got really tight and the engine...

Bro I don't know anything about cars I just drive them I didn't expect shit like this to happen and I'm not trying to go all woe is me but I don't even think I have money to have it towed I don't have any friends to pick me up

Is your thermo fan still spinning? start the car up with the hood up and have a look.

Let's just say that you're fucked m8

If that's the one in front of the bumper then no it is not spinning

DEAD

ditch that car buy something else

So I saw someone at the gas station with a shop a half a mile away and now I've followed them there so they can put a belt on. He says that a belt snapped and that was the clicking noise and this should at least help me for a while. I don't care I'm ready to go home

It doesn't matter if there is coolant in the cooling system. One of the critical aspects of a cooling system is that it is closed loop. In that, as the water heats up, so does its pressure...and so does it's boiling point.

Once the system develops a hole/puncture, then the effectiveness of the cooling system is diminished. The pressure cannot be maintained and the boiling point of the water is reduced.

Additionally, once air is introduced to the system, areas will develop within the system that will hold air pockets and now allow the coolant to properly circulate. This is why when a coolant flush is performed, the entire system needs to be bled of any air, or the coolant system doesn't work.

At this point, the best thing you can do is either tow it or limp it home w/o over heating. Once you have it at a place you can work on it, rent a coolant pressure test kit (will need a BMW specific cap) and test the system for leaks. Just put the special cap on the radiator and pump it full of air and listen for any air escaping. Fix and properly purge all the air out of the system.

Idk man I'm at some dudes garage and he's looking at it right now

>E36
>having money

Ezy fix, lucky you, that is if the stranger isn't a serial rapist.

He seems fine. He's trying to find a belt that fits. with all due respect to you gentlemen I fcking hate cars when are we gonna get jet packs

Jetpacks are easy

The hard bit is not burning your legs off

E36 are ez m8, get that shit home and Google it, call up friends who know more than you and can help you diagnose and fix it.

Most likely it's something belt related, like said, could be your alternator.
Just check over everything with a person you trust and will actually help you.

Here's a good list to start at :
Belts
Cooling fans
Pulleys
Radiator
Hoses and lines
And whatever else Google tells you.

You'll be alright bro, just get her home.

Well worth learning about this shit yourself so you don't get caught out over a simple problem next time. I was the same user, and there's a lot I still don't know, but I know now at least what to check if the car suddenly starts giving me problems.

Okay, I actually have experience with this.

A year ago, during the height of SoCal summer, I took my girlfriend on an anniversary date across town. Overheated the shit out of my E39 528i. Basically the water ran low because my water tank had a crack and I overheated it in the red for about a minute, which is a long ass time.

The expansion tank was fucked and needed replacing, but worse yet there's a tube that ran inside a bunch of engine shit and I had to take the engine apart to replace it, because air kept getting in the system. That car is currently sitting in a driveway because it can't pass smog, I'm now driving a 540i manual. Despite the upgrade, I still want to make her roadworthy and sell her to a friend, because it's a good car. The problem is that overheating your car once will fuck it, and it takes a lot to find out all the little things that went wrong.

it's shaped like a head of a person and it smells like anus. it is located under the radiator

>Have the alternator checked.

If the alternator goes bad, then the battery warning light should come on because the car is now running on the battery instead of the alternator.

Many shops have free OBD2 readers that can be used on the car to get the error codes. Autozone, O'reilly, and others. You might be able to call one and ask if you can borrow it if you leave a deposit. It depends on the manager since they usually only come out to your car with the OBD2 code reading tool if it is in their parking lot.

>not having exact amount of money for a tow, in the car, at all times

Some insurance companies have free tow coverage if you got that clause added. Mine does.

AAA membership gives a limited number of tows per year and is good to have.

My car is new and so GM offers free tows for quite a bit of time since I have Onstar service with it. Press the button, "please help me Mr Spock". "Sure thing, Scotty is coming over to get your car now. Thank you for using OnStarTrek".

Holy fuck I have no hope for you

The tank of "blue shit" is your washer fluid. The coolant reservoir is to the right of the radiator, right at the front of the engine compartment. If there's fluid in there, then you're fucked because your water pump grenaded itself like the plastic piece of shit it is. If there's no fluid, the plastic piece of shit connector on the rear of your engine grenaded and dumped your fluid all over the freeway. God I fucking hate BMWs old cooling systems

t. A '98 318 owner

>overheated it in the red for about a minute
part it and don't look back