leak from anti-freeze resevoir

[milkshakes]

I just noticed a leak this morning from the bottom of the resevoir "the white one" looks like its a slow leak but still not good, whats the fix for this?

thinking of storing it for the winter now, too many things are going wrong. I also have to change both gas lines and the bushing of the one of the control arms. Not to mention the winter tires!

thanks

[milkshakes]

quick question for the bmw mechanics out there..

to replace the expansion tank for anti-freeze do you have to remove the radiator?


its a 525i 94

[HW]

are you referring to the windshield washer fluid reservoir? mine leaked at the windshield washer pumps. the pump housing had cracked. i replaced it with a newly designed one.

[milkshakes]

no its the coolant resevoir

[bimmer dot info]

Is it cracked? Might just be leaking from the level sensor. I have not tried to remove the expansion tank from a radiator. It really is not that hard to take the rad out. You dont really need to take the fan off. Just remove the shroud and hang it over the fan, drain the coolant and remove the hoses, pop the two clips off the top and remove the rad (disconnect the wires too).

[milkshakes]

I cant see if its cracked or not, it needs to be taken off to get a better look. I just got the expansion tank from the dealer in case that its craked, along with a seal that looks like a black rubber band. If it is the level sensor how do I fix it?

Its leaking right where the expansion tank connects to the bottom, in the corner.
im taking it to the garage tomorrow to get this fixed, I have been topping it up since the leaking started.

Im also changing the gas lines as they are leaking too, it stinks up the whole car... so annoying, not to mention expensive in gas. When I bought the car recently I thought it was just hard on gas. Now I know why..

What octane rating of gas should be used on this car I read the manual and it said to use octane 95?? the highest at the gas station is 94!

Oh yeah one more thing, when I start sometimes there is a chatter for about a few seconds, and its not from the engine. any idea what this could be?

thanks man :)

[bimmer dot info]

If it is the level sensor you probably just need a new seal. Remove the sensor from the bottom it is held on with one large plastic nut.

91 is fine (if Canada uses the same rating system as the US). There is a difference between us and euro ratings.

Is it a chatter or a rapid tick? Is it comming from the left side of the engine compartment near the firewall? If so it might be the evap emission valve.

[milkshakes]

To change the seal does the rad have to be removed or could this be done from under the car when on a hoist? I think the question should be.. is the level sensor immediately under the expansion tank?

The sound from the start sounds more like a chatter almost like a flapping sound. on the drivers side, I will double check this sound tomorrow with the mechanic.

When I started the other day, it took more than a few times to get started.... was worried about flooding. I think this is due to the low pressure of gas because of the gas leak.
when finally started, the starter screeched like when you over turned it.. grinding sound, this never happend before. Now it does it almost every time I start the car so am careful now as to how I start the car. Usually never starts on the first turn of the day.

I am so glad I found this forum!

my ex is a mech, and he hated it when I would ask him a million questions about my car... a nissan sentra 1990. I still love that car, im keeping it in case I need it as a second vehicle.

A few yrs ago I knew absolutely nothing about cars now am facinated with how they work, and really admire taking care of them.

cheers!

[bimmer dot info]

It is directly below the expansion tank. I'm not 100% sure if it attaches to threads on the tank or if it attaches to the radiator housing.

The hvac system has lots of parts that make all sorts of noises.

The starter screech indicates that it is not disengaging. If it continues for long the starter will burn out.