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Antifreeze....

2K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  Tebpac 
#1 ·
Newbie owner here. 2005 325xi. Been reading threads on coolant. When checking my car this morning the service engine soon light was on. Took the gas cap off and put it back on. Turn the car back on and along with the service engine soon light, the coolant light came on as well. Check the reservoir and it is either empty or very very low. No puddles in the driveway. Car is not overheating. In checking with the auto parts stores around town, they stated that ethylene glycol was the main ingredient used for the coolant. Of course it's Sunday and Bimmer shop is not open. Need to use the car Monday. How detrimental would it be using Peak to top off the reservoir?
 
#2 ·
Yeah, it`s OK to use for emergency purposes....just be sure to mix it 50/50 with distilled water (don`t waste your money on the pre-mixed stuff, it`s a ripoff....)
 
#3 ·
You probably have a small leak somewhere.

SES light - get your error codes read and we can advise on that issue.
 
#4 ·
Thanks...

I don't have my own code reader as of yet. We have an Autozone close by and once I've gotten the OEM coolant in, I was planning on stopping by there to see if they could do the "free read". (Unless that's a waste of time, then it's off to the dealer) Planning on buying the Haynes manual as well. Will let you know more hopefully soon....
 
#5 · (Edited)
I don't have my own code reader as of yet. We have an Autozone close by and once I've gotten the OEM coolant in, I was planning on stopping by there to see if they could do the "free read". (Unless that's a waste of time, then it's off to the dealer) Planning on buying the Haynes manual as well. Will let you know more hopefully soon....
Not a waste of time. Would be first thing dealer would do....... before suggesting a lot of stuff you don't need along the way to actually fixing the car (sorry for the anti-dealer rant).

Bentley is the manual to get. Not sure haynes does one, but I'm sure it's pale to the Bentley.

If you have any inclination to DIY the maintenance and smaller repairs, the Bentley and this forum will take you far indeed. The e46 actually isn't that hard to work on. And, check out the e46 wiki link near the top of this page and in the sticky links at the top of the forum. Easily a small gold mine of info and DIYs. :thumbup:
 
#11 · (Edited)
Coolant added.....codes read.

Ok, so I added the OEM coolant tonight 50/50. The "low coolant" light went out and has stayed out. Drove the car to Autozone where the kid plugged in the code reader and came up P0171/P0174. Running lean. Cleared the code and the light has not come on again for the short ride home. Rechecked the coolant after it cooled down and it has not dropped. Does not appear to be leaking anywhere that I can see. Will recheck daily to make sure it's not dropping down.

So what up with the codes? Would running bad gas cause this? Actually, my daughter has been running low octane (87) fuel every third tank or so (which is what the previous owner had done) Been putting in 93 octane for the last 2 refuels. I just read the thread by Tacobuster. (Dammit code thread) and I gotta tell ya....

"Lean codes - air leak or fuel restriction. Intake boots and ccv hoses. Fuel filter, pump, or vac hoses to the pressure regulator. Check pressure at the rail is most conclusive. The wiki has a good troubleshooting link" (Ahull)
"You sure the DISA seal is good?" (TommyD)

No idea what all this means (except the air leak/fuel restriction) and not afraid to say so :rolleyes:

Gonna read thru Wiki for starters...
 
#23 ·
Ok, so I added the OEM coolant tonight 50/50. The "low coolant" light went out and has stayed out. Drove the car to Autozone where the kid plugged in the code reader and came up P0171/P0174. Running lean. Cleared the code and the light has not come on again for the short ride home. Rechecked the coolant after it cooled down and it has not dropped. Does not appear to be leaking anywhere that I can see. Will recheck daily to make sure it's not dropping down.

So what up with the codes? Would running bad gas cause this? Actually, my daughter has been running low octane (87) fuel every third tank or so (which is what the previous owner had done) Been putting in 93 octane for the last 2 refuels. I just read the thread by Tacobuster. (Dammit code thread) and I gotta tell ya....

"Lean codes - air leak or fuel restriction. Intake boots and ccv hoses. Fuel filter, pump, or vac hoses to the pressure regulator. Check pressure at the rail is most conclusive. The wiki has a good troubleshooting link" (Ahull)
"You sure the DISA seal is good?" (TommyD)

No idea what all this means (except the air leak/fuel restriction) and not afraid to say so :rolleyes:

Gonna read thru Wiki for starters...
I have a lean code theory. It's revenge for WWII. The Nazis are still angry. Just like the radioactive Mazdas from the Hiroshima factory. Think about it.....
 
#14 ·
My car was doing the low coolant light every morning since it has been cold. I added a little distilled water and no issue. I don't have a leak either, they just evaporate or something over the summer heat maybe. Nothing to make a fuss over.

What I WOULD make a fuss over is the 87 octane. Several folks many years ago did the calculations, it actually costs MORE to run 87 octane due to the lost performance and gas mileage than 93. The cars DME sees the low octane and pulls out timing and a few other things to make it "safe" to run the cheap stuff.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Hmmm....

So I rechecked the coolant level in the expansion tank. -3 degrees with the windchill. Brrrrrrrrrr! Coolant level was down. The red stick that was just above the threads after refill was just at the threads or below. No obvious leaks that I can see. Coolant light still off and not overheating. Possibly a slow leak somewhere. Gonna have to find time to pull some plastic off this weekend. Oh crap, better check the oil too which hasn't been done in a few weeks. Hate to think of finding coolant in the engine block. If that's the case, that $3000 didn't go far!
 
#19 ·
So I rechecked the coolant level in the expansion tank. -3 degrees with the windchill. Brrrrrrrrrr! Coolant level was down. The red stick that was just above the threads after refill was just at the threads or below. No obvious leaks that I can see. Coolant light still off and not overheating. Possibly a slow leak somewhere. Gonna have to find time to pull some plastic off this weekend. Oh crap, better check the oil too which hasn't been done in a few weeks. Hate to think of finding coolant in the engine block. If that's the case, that $3000 didn't go far!
Mine did this for about a month, was leaking out so slow could never find the leak, ended up being hairline cracks in the expansion tank. Replaced and have been good for months.

Good luck, just don't overfill, will do more harm.
Another possibility that rarely gets mentioned is leakage around the freezeout plugs.....while not all that common, there is a great deal of expansion/contraction with aluminum-block engines, especially in cold weather.
 
#21 ·
#22 · (Edited)
Thanks...

I spoke to the Indy garage where the car was serviced last. They did a tune up more or less on it plus some other things. One thing the gal said was that they did not do anything with the cooling system. She of course recommended getting to an Indy garage or dealer for "proper" computer read since the Autozone read is basic. So, I'm going to pull in the car this weekend and start taking off plastic parts to see if I can find anything. Actually found some ramps in my shed which I forgot I had. Bonus! Begrudgingly, I made an appt next week to have a code read just in case I can't find anything....

BTW, checked the coolant level while warm and it's still fine. Had a dementia moment and remembered the hot / cold rule. So far, normal.
 
#26 ·
Oh my, don't say that. We have had heated debates in the past about this. Some pretty smart folks who know BMW will say it is in fact very special.

I used to not worry about it, but I must admit, since moving to BMW blue only, I have seen less failures of cooling system parts.

Green in a pinch, blue for everything else.

I dare say distilled water and a can of redline water wetter is better than the green stuff.
 
#29 ·
I too use BMW coolant, so I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth here. However, as a chemist, I am simply skeptical that BMW invests the R&D that would be required to re-invent something as ubiquitous as coolant.

Also, if using a certain coolant results in fewer cooling system failures, is that not an indictment of BMW coolant? What coolant were we all using the first time we had a cooling system failure?
 
#30 ·
I too use BMW coolant, so I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth here. However, as a chemist, I am simply skeptical that BMW invests the R&D that would be required to re-invent something as ubiquitous as coolant.

Also, if using a certain coolant results in fewer cooling system failures, is that not an indictment of BMW coolant? What coolant were we all using the first time we had a cooling system failure?
I used to have a lot of Tstat issues with the green stuff (prestone IIRC). Since running my ZHP I have always used the BMW stuff. My OE radiator is still going at 203k miles. :thumbup: I do flush the system annually because it is so frigging hot down here.

You finally came around huh? Lol I too am now a believer in using only manufacturer specific fluids.
I finally came around as it relates to coolant. I still could give a rip what BMW says about oil. Partly because they list it for NEW BMW engines. I would argue that the oil requirements of my 203k mile motor are different than a 60k mile motor.
 
#33 ·
Update....

Had the local dealer read the codes this AM. Oil Separator leak! Had it fixed today. After reading some of the supposed daunting but doable task to DIY this problem, I decided to wait for a psuedo easier DIY project to start with. I know, I'm a wuss. Antifreeze level is still ok. Thanks for all the input (and future input).
 
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