I drive a 1993 BMW 525I (E34) with manual transmission. Two days a go my battery light and brake lights both came on at the same time. As I went to turn I also noticed that the power steering was shot. Before long I noticed that the car was starting to overheat but fortunately I was close to home and immediately parked the car for the long weekend. I just moved to an area where I don’t have a trusted mechanic so I would like to have an idea what is wrong before I go see someone. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Have you checked for the presence of a drive belt or the condition or tension on the belt if it is present?
Agree with OldSchool. The only thing that the charging system, power steering, and cooling system have in common is the belt(s) on the front of your engine. Almost certainly a belt or a tensioner has failed. If you didn’t hear a squealing sound or smell burning rubber at the time of the failure (which would indicate a seized device), this should not be a big or an expensive problem.