[boxman]

I'm new to the BMW community and I love this forum. I have owned a 2011 550i GT for about a month. I love the car! I have learned a lot from browsing through the posts.

Is it common to see a coolant leak at the small hoses going into the turbos? This has been repaired, but would it have caused any potential damage?

I appreciate the group wisdom.



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[daders]

Antifreeze is mainly alcohol and water with some added corrosion inhibitors. I am guessing they use silicates for the fancy expensive coolant that is now recommended by Audi/BMW/MB. Based on the fact that this mixture is meant to go through the radiator and various hoses I wouldn't be concerned.

Here's a helpful wiki link about antifreeze in general:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifreeze

 

[boxman]

Thanks. I guess I was more concerned about damaging the turbo or inter cooler if the coolant level had dropped at some point. My OCD is showing.


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[daders]

Ah, sorry I misunderstood. As per the N63 engine technical documentation there is system protection in the event of coolant or engine oil reaching excessive temperatures. Additionally there is an electrically operated cooling system to dissipate the hate after the engine is turned off. Unless there was catastrophic failure of the coolant system I wouldn't worry. By the way, what was the cause of the leak? Cracked hose?

 

[boxman]

That's good to know.

I'm not sure about the cause. BMW replaced both hoses. It looked to me as though it was getting by the hose clamp.


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[Rogue2258]

Buy a ten pack of BMW screw clamps.....they are extremely well made and easy to use. The repair actually calls for replacing three entire lines that have metal and rubber hose. The leaks form where the rubber meets the metal pipe. The clamps on the original equipment cannot be tightened. Just cut the old clamps off with snips, and install the new screw clamps. The plastic engine cover fits tightly over that area so you will need to adjust the screw clamps so they do not stick up too far preventing you from putting the plastic cover on. There will be more leaks..you will smell them.

 

[boxman]

More leaks? What other areas are common. Is this a factory clamp issue as well.


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[Rogue2258]

Just keep an eye on your hoses where they meet metal pipe or junctions. The BMW coolant will make a white crust that allows you to clearly see the leaks. Lots of heat in a small area produced when creating lots of horsepower. Just part of the joys of ownership.

 

[boxman]

Yep. I'll keep an eye out. Thanks!


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[jadnashuanh]

The spring clip clamps tend to last longer than the worm screw clamps because the spring provides more even pressure. The screw clamps will have a ridge on the inside that will compress the hose and fitting more, and on some plastic parts, cause it to break after repeated heating/cooling cycles. Hopefully, an OEM clamp takes that into consideration, but the common SS screw hose clamps are not as 'nice' as some people think. IOW, they are not necessarily an upgrade to the spring or crimp clamps installed at the factory.

 

[meangreen94z]

Buy a ten pack of BMW screw clamps.....they are extremely well made and easy to use. The repair actually calls for replacing three entire lines that have metal and rubber hose. The leaks form where the rubber meets the metal pipe. The clamps on the original equipment cannot be tightened. Just cut the old clamps off with snips, and install the new screw clamps. The plastic engine cover fits tightly over that area so you will need to adjust the screw clamps so they do not stick up too far preventing you from putting the plastic cover on. There will be more leaks..you will smell them.

The rubber detoriates from the heat, using new clamps won't help. If your turbo coolant pump fails the coolant in the lines will superheat and cook the rubber and eventually the turbocharger seals. On the F01/02/07/10 etc you will not get a warning that the pump has failed, just a fault code and eventually blown turbos. The E70/71 X5/X6 do give a warning. Why BMW didnt do it on the F cars I don't know.

Degrading coolant lines doesn't necessarily mean your pump has failed, but it is something to have checked. They are cheap($40) and have a high failure rate.

 

[daders]

The rubber detoriates from the heat, using new clamps won't help. If your turbo coolant pump fails the coolant in the lines will superheat and cook the rubber and eventually the turbocharger seals. On the F01/02/07/10 etc you will not get a warning that the pump has failed, just a fault code and eventually blown turbos. The E70/71 X5/X6 do give a warning. Why BMW didnt do it on the F cars I don't know.

Degrading coolant lines doesn't necessarily mean your pump has failed, but it is something to have checked. They are cheap($40) and have a high failure rate.

This is disconcerting, I would have thought there is a failsafe in the electronics to not activate the turbos under a condition where failure as you describe could occur...like the limp home mode.

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[boxman]

I think Rogue was right. I just had to replace 3 more hoses and an auxiliary coolant pump. Covered, thank goodness. The saga continues ...


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[Bigpreesh]

I just brought my 2011 550i into a local shop for a slow antifreeze leak. The engine was not overheating and there was no visible leaking underneath the vehicle or in the engine itself. I had to add antifreeze regularly and steam would rise from the engine on occasion. Turns out both turbo cooling lines were cracked and antifreeze was pooling on top of the engine. $624 plus labor to repair. It sounds similar to boxman's issue.

 

[Silver Shadow]

We're bringing in our 2011 535i GT on Nov. 11th for a slow coolant leak with no visible drips. I've had to refill the overflow twice in the last month when the low coolant warning came on.
Luckily it's still under the extended warranty.