[bwickett4]

Hi guys. I've got a question based on a 2003 525 with 145,000 miles on it. Around 10,000 miles ago, I did the full cooling system overhaul as recommended based on CN90's and Bluebee's posts/recommendations. (Great information as always!) Occasionally when I park the car after a drive of greater than 15 minutes, I get a strong smell of coolant, the sound of a few drops of fluid dripping onto a hot engine component (I'm assuming coolant), and a small pool of coolant on top of the coolant reservoir bleeder screw. I never see any coolant or fluid of any sort on the ground afterward (Except for A/C condensation which it has always done). Everything else appears to be functioning correctly, car is not overheating, engine compartment is dry, and like I said these symptoms appear only occasionally (Once every couple of days). My questions are, what is the purpose of the bleeder screw at the reservoir, is this a common issue, do I need to bite the bulllet and buy a new reservoir or is there a simple fix to the leaky screw, and does it sound right that a small leak from the bleeder screw could somehow blow coolant onto hot engine components but not have any drip onto the ground? Am I overlooking a bigger issue/leak somewhere?

 

[bwickett4]

dvsgene - During my cooling overhaul I did completely replace the reservoir and bleed screw as well as the fan clutch, blades, water pump, thermostat and housing, hoses, belts, tensioners, etc... I think the replacement reservoir I bought is the Behr version (it's been a while). I know the reservoir is fragile, but 10,000 miles to failure seems exceptionally weak. As lame as this sounds, I jumped right past it being a failing screw and assumed that the tank itself was the problem (based on their reputations) so I think I'll start with the screws and go from there. Thanks.