my car is leaking coolant

[zach]

:( My girlfriend is out getting some more to fill it up. I fear that there is a hole in the radiator. I guess I should bring it to the shop.

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[The HACK]

:( My girlfriend is out getting some more to fill it up. I fear that there is a hole in the radiator. I guess I should bring it to the shop.

:cry: :cry: :cry:

How bad is it? If you see a puddle beneath the car then I'd worry about it.

If you had to top off once every 6 month then it's no big deal. In fact, it's not out of the ordinary for the liquid to expand and contract enough to require a fill up during winter. :dunno:

[JST]

:( My girlfriend is out getting some more to fill it up. I fear that there is a hole in the radiator. I guess I should bring it to the shop.

:cry: :cry: :cry:

Check the radiator neck, where the upper coolant hose comes into the radiator (on the right side of the radiator if you are standing in front of the car). As you may know, E36 M3s are notorious for having this plastic flange fail, which can lead to rapid coolant loss. In other cases, cracks in that area can lead to slower leaks.

If that's where the leak is coming from, I would not drive the car. If it's cracked, that part can fail at any time, leading the car to disgorge its entire coolant load and leaving you stuck by the side of the road.

OTOH, if the car is just down on coolant and there is no visible leak, Hack is correct; I've had to add coolant to lots of cars.

[zach]

Yes, a puddle, but I'm not 100% sure it's mine. The coolant is definitely low, and I've been getting the OBC warnings. My girlfriend is out now getting more coolant for the car. I'm going to try to examine where it might be leaking, but it's 0F out. I may just have it towed tomorrow. :cry:

[JST]

Yes, a puddle, but I'm not 100% sure it's mine. The coolant is definitely low, and I've been getting the OBC warnings. My girlfriend is out now getting more coolant for the car. I'm going to try to examine where it might be leaking, but it's 0F out. I may just have it towed tomorrow. :cry:

If it's leaking that badly, a flashlight should reveal whether the neck is the source of the leak fairly quickly. Look for liquid or white streaks on the plastic surface of the radiator beneath the hose.

[zach]

Yes, a puddle, but I'm not 100% sure it's mine. The coolant is definitely low, and I've been getting the OBC warnings. My girlfriend is out now getting more coolant for the car. I'm going to try to examine where it might be leaking, but it's 0F out. I may just have it towed tomorrow. :cry:

If it's leaking that badly, a flashlight should reveal whether the neck is the source of the leak fairly quickly. Look for liquid or white streaks on the plastic surface of the radiator beneath the hose.

I'll look when she comes over in a few minutes. She wasn't able to locate any coolant. :(

[zach]

Hmm.

I just looked under the hood and under the car with a flashlight. There are no obvious leaks near the radiator. Perhaps Hack is right and it just needs a refill. I'm going to check under the car after dinner and see if there's a puddle.

I'll check the coolant level then too.

[zach]

Well, I got some coolant. There was no puddle after dinner. I will wait until the car cools down and then fill to the fill line. Does it matter if I just add pedestrian coolant to the system -- do I need BMW coolant?

[SARAFIL]

When the car starts to leak coolant, that is it's way of telling you that it is starting to die a miserable death, and that you should replace it with something newer and far more exciting with great urgency...

:twisted:

[zach]

When the car starts to leak coolant, that is it's way of telling you that it is starting to die a miserable death, and that you should replace it with something newer and far more exciting with great urgency...

:twisted:

What's more exciting than an e36 M3? :dunno:

[Doug]

Funny, I'm helping a guy replace his radiator and water pump tomorrow

[zach]

Funny, I'm helping a guy replace his radiator and water pump tomorrow

The temp gauge is still pointing at the sky. The OBC no longer warns me about the coolant level. I am going to add some in a bit.

[SARAFIL]

When the car starts to leak coolant, that is it's way of telling you that it is starting to die a miserable death, and that you should replace it with something newer and far more exciting with great urgency...

:twisted:

What's more exciting than an e36 M3? :dunno:

:? It appears as if you're confused.

They may be less practical, or more high-sprung, but I can think of many cars that are more exciting than the E36 M3! :twisted:

[JST]

Well, I got some coolant. There was no puddle after dinner. I will wait until the car cools down and then fill to the fill line. Does it matter if I just add pedestrian coolant to the system -- do I need BMW coolant?

Use the BMW stuff--some pedestrian coolant has material (the name, after a bottle of wine, is escaping me--I keep thinking sulfites, but that's the wine talking) that is detrimental to the cooling system. Some pedestrian stuff doesn't, but BMW coolant is fairly cheap in the scheme of things, and it's inexpensive insurance.

[zach]

Well, I got some coolant. There was no puddle after dinner. I will wait until the car cools down and then fill to the fill line. Does it matter if I just add pedestrian coolant to the system -- do I need BMW coolant?

Use the BMW stuff--some pedestrian coolant has material (the name, after a bottle of wine, is escaping me--I keep thinking sulfites, but that's the wine talking) that is detrimental to the cooling system. Some pedestrian stuff doesn't, but BMW coolant is fairly cheap in the scheme of things, and it's inexpensive insurance.

Sounds like you're having fun. :smile:

I'll go visit Herb Chambers tomorrow and pick up some BMW coolant. Thanks for the advice. Let's just hope I don't have the only air-cooled bimmer on earth right now. :evil:

[zach]

Well, I went and bought the BMW coolant, mixed it with the distilled water and added it. So far, there are no obvious leaks. We'll see what happens.

Thanks eveyone for all of the help! :thumbup:

[FC]

Well, I went and bought the BMW coolant, mixed it with the distilled water and added it. So far, there are no obvious leaks. We'll see what happens.

Thanks eveyone for all of the help! :thumbup:

Good news!

I have to top off my old benz every several months even though I've never seen a drop of antifreeze on the ground.

[lemming]

Well, I got some coolant. There was no puddle after dinner. I will wait until the car cools down and then fill to the fill line. Does it matter if I just add pedestrian coolant to the system -- do I need BMW coolant?

Use the BMW stuff--some pedestrian coolant has material (the name, after a bottle of wine, is escaping me--I keep thinking sulfites, but that's the wine talking) that is detrimental to the cooling system. Some pedestrian stuff doesn't, but BMW coolant is fairly cheap in the scheme of things, and it's inexpensive insurance.

Sounds like you're having fun. :smile:

I'll go visit Herb Chambers tomorrow and pick up some BMW coolant. Thanks for the advice. Let's just hope I don't have the only air-cooled bimmer on earth right now. :evil:

what about that new zerex formulation (it's one of those) that can be used in ANY car?

they advertise it now for use in GM (dexcool), MB, and BMW, even i think.

[zach]

Well, I got some coolant. There was no puddle after dinner. I will wait until the car cools down and then fill to the fill line. Does it matter if I just add pedestrian coolant to the system -- do I need BMW coolant?

Use the BMW stuff--some pedestrian coolant has material (the name, after a bottle of wine, is escaping me--I keep thinking sulfites, but that's the wine talking) that is detrimental to the cooling system. Some pedestrian stuff doesn't, but BMW coolant is fairly cheap in the scheme of things, and it's inexpensive insurance.

Sounds like you're having fun. :smile:

I'll go visit Herb Chambers tomorrow and pick up some BMW coolant. Thanks for the advice. Let's just hope I don't have the only air-cooled bimmer on earth right now. :evil:

what about that new zerex formulation (it's one of those) that can be used in ANY car?

they advertise it now for use in GM (dexcool), MB, and BMW, even i think.

I caved and bought the BMW stuff. I hardly had to add any (maybe 1.5 cups). Hopefully, I won't have anymore issues.

[lemming]

'have no idea where teh coolant goes, never given it hard thought.

but on the m3, the m coupe and the xiT, i've always had to add coolant until some mysterious "break-in" point and even then, it seems like german build tolerances are a little bit loosey goosey.

[Rob]

I had a slow leak on the e36. No visible signs of coolant anywhere, but it turned out to be the water pump. The leaking coolant destroyed the belt, too. The water pump was covered by the warranty, but the belt, of course, was not. Wasn't cheap.

[zach]

I had a slow leak on the e36. No visible signs of coolant anywhere, but it turned out to be the water pump. The leaking coolant destroyed the belt, too. The water pump was covered by the warranty, but the belt, of course, was not. Wasn't cheap.

Hmm. I guess I should check it out. If it wasn't so damn cold out, I'd go look now. I haven't noticed ANY leaks over the past few days. I'll check the coolant level tomorrow morning and see if it has dropped at all.

Thanks for the info.

[Rob]

I had a slow leak on the e36. No visible signs of coolant anywhere, but it turned out to be the water pump. The leaking coolant destroyed the belt, too. The water pump was covered by the warranty, but the belt, of course, was not. Wasn't cheap.

Hmm. I guess I should check it out. If it wasn't so damn cold out, I'd go look now. I haven't noticed ANY leaks over the past few days. I'll check the coolant level tomorrow morning and see if it has dropped at all.

Thanks for the info.

It ocurred to me last night that I actually had the car tested twice. Once when the light came on - and they found nothing even with a pressure test. I topped it off a time or two after that. Then I had the car on stands to install the UUC engine mounts and I saw dried up coolant on the belt. I took it to the dealer again and they found the problem.

Don't know if that makes a difference, but it was odd that it was leaking enough to put the light on and they didn't find the problem. Brecht has always been great, too. I suppose it might have taken a long time for it to get that low the first time.

[zach]

I had a slow leak on the e36. No visible signs of coolant anywhere, but it turned out to be the water pump. The leaking coolant destroyed the belt, too. The water pump was covered by the warranty, but the belt, of course, was not. Wasn't cheap.

Hmm. I guess I should check it out. If it wasn't so damn cold out, I'd go look now. I haven't noticed ANY leaks over the past few days. I'll check the coolant level tomorrow morning and see if it has dropped at all.

Thanks for the info.

It ocurred to me last night that I actually had the car tested twice. Once when the light came on - and they found nothing even with a pressure test. I topped it off a time or two after that. Then I had the car on stands to install the UUC engine mounts and I saw dried up coolant on the belt. I took it to the dealer again and they found the problem.

Don't know if that makes a difference, but it was odd that it was leaking enough to put the light on and they didn't find the problem. Brecht has always been great, too. I suppose it might have taken a long time for it to get that low the first time.

I've noticed some reports on the 'fest of people with "regular" bmws having low coolant. I think it may be entirely related to the climate, and not a leak. I will, however, be vigilant in keeping an eye on the situation.

[lemming]

http://www.peakantifreeze.com/peak_global_5050.html

this is the stuff i was talking about.

it keeps running on commercials during playoff football.

seems like it's okay to use during times when the dealership (oh so convenient) is not open for business.