radiator water always reduced (e46 318i)

[kamaldnora]

hi to all bimmer club.need some advise from all. what should i do with my problem. i always topup some water in my radiator every 2-3 days (about 1/2-1.5 litre).is it my radiator leaking? coz i dont see any water leak under my car.please help me.

 

[c-square]

There are many other ways the water can evaporate from your radiator, eg a crack on the radiator cap, hairline crack (which is difficult to see) on the radiator or its plastic housing, expansion tank, etc. It could also evaporate into the combustion chamber through a warped cylinder head gasket or cracked cooling system. Having to top up water once every 2 days is not a good sign, bro. For a start, send your car to a workshop for a compression test and hope the cracked/problem area(s) can be identified.

 

[kamaldnora]

thanks c-square.

 

[c-square]

No problems, bro. Hope everything turns out fine and not too expensive a fix. Don't procrastinate the fixture and allow the engine to overheat, else sure kepala pusing wan

 

[af383]

hi,
i had the same problem previously.
my hose got hairline crack which can be identify by the coolant stain (mine is white color)
i changed the hose for rm 110.
maybe u can check your expansion tank as well as per c-square.

 

[jarance]

Loosing 1.5 litres of water in 2 to 3 days is quite serious.

Check for white water stain.. or do a compression test.

I have done a compression test but it pass the test but I still find water stain.

I am loosing a 0.5 litres per week.. Planning to change radiator at my next service schedule.

 

[QD250]

check the hoses too. had a problem once.... can't find it.... turns out it was the back hose behind the engine under the air-cond filter...

 

[kamaldnora]

send my car to auto bavaria kuantan to fix that problem.
they change:
- expansion tank
- thermostat
- anti freeze
- 0-ring
- cover plate
total - rm1086.63

who knows where the workshop other than Auto Bavaria in Kuantan?

 

[jarance]

OK Change my radiator for RM1100. Found that the bottom of the radiator choked with white sludge. Could be coolant react with aluminum block??

Leak here and there..

Thermostat for ATF also broken. Maybe sometime Gearbox sluggish during hot weather??

Change new thermostat.

Assemble back the radiator.

Another leak at the bottom of the hose (top hose).. it was located at the bottom so cannot detect the leak until it was removed.

 

[jarance]

Off topic..

Saw another members' car there..
Black E46 325i M-Sport.

 

[QD250]

jarance,

which shop you go?

 

[jarance]

QD250.. M1 at Segambut.

 

[Seas]

QD250.. M1 at Segambut.

No wonder da background pictures look familiar. I went there last Saturday, but it was closed. Anyway, M1 did a great job in maintaining my car. :top:

 

[jarance]

No wonder da background pictures look familiar. I went there last Saturday, but it was closed. Anyway, M1 did a great job in maintaining my car. :top:

Saturday.. public holiday lah.. festival of light.. :listen:
Normally Sat they open till 3pm or until all works is completed and owners collect their cars.


btw, I did mine last friday..

 

[c-square]

QD250.. M1 at Segambut.

Eh, unker Jarance.... you got go to workshop wan meh? I thought you DIY everything? Hehehe :top:

 

[jarance]

Eh, unker Jarance.... you got go to workshop wan meh? I thought you DIY everything? Hehehe :top:

chech... must give some business to people mah or else how they survive..:listen:

anyway.. to remove the radiator, you need a special tool to remove the mechanical cooling fan lah..

and I dont mess or take risk with cooling system. :stupid:

 

[viewfinder]

...

Thermostat for ATF also broken. Maybe sometime Gearbox sluggish during hot weather??

Hi Jarance, excellent sharing, thank you! Does the ATF thermostat generate any error prior to the radiator fix? Or is it broken in the process of fixing the thermostat. It would be scaring if it's broken and does not report any error to the ECU.

 

[jarance]

Hi Jarance, excellent sharing, thank you! Does the ATF thermostat generate any error prior to the radiator fix? Or is it broken in the process of fixing the thermostat. It would be scaring if it's broken and does not report any error to the ECU.

Actually, the ATF thermostat is purely mechanical device. It the same working principle as the thermostat for the engine.

problem is because of it size, it get easily choked due to the white sludge whereas the bigger water thermostat do not get choked easily due to its bigger size and location. It is located higher than the bottom of the radiator. The heat exchange for the ATF is located at the bottom of the radiator and the thermostat is also located at the bottom. The mechanic told me that the coolant react with the aluminum block and cause the white sediment/sludge. When the water pump is not running, the sludge will settle and clogged up the ATF thermostat.

Anyway, I am using just water and flush the radiator of until the water turn clear. it was still whitish when I drove the car back. I drain the radiator and refill until the water is clear.

The workshop also checked the ATF temperature via GT1 and found the ATF oil temperature to be normal. There is only a warning that the GB auto tranny is in trouble via a Gear teeth and "!" mark. It does not tell you the cause without the GT1 tool.

IMHO, I recommend that the coolant be replace every year to prevent the white sludge.

 

[astroboy]

The whitish crystalised substance is Almumina or commonly known as Aluminum Oxide. It's coming from oxidation of aluminum. What coolant are u using? I know there's 2 types of coolant available in the market, one is to protect copper radiator and the other is to protect aluminum radiator. BMW coolant should belong to the latter category.

Your 0.5L/week is actually coming from this:

When did you last change your water hose?

U sure your radiator has leakages? I am suspecting you replace radiator just because of a leaky hose. Check the above hose, you will see the slight rust color water stain which is not seen anywhere near your radiator. If your radiator has leaks, it should carry similar stain because its the same source of water. Your radiator looks fine to me.

 

[jarance]

The whitish crystalised substance is Almumina or commonly known as Aluminum Oxide. It's coming from oxidation of aluminum. What coolant are u using? I know there's 2 types of coolant available in the market, one is to protect copper radiator and the other is to protect aluminum radiator. BMW coolant should belong to the latter category.

Your 0.5L/week is actually coming from this:

When did you last change your water hose?

U sure your radiator has leakages? I am suspecting you replace radiator just because of a leaky hose. Check the above hose, you will see the slight rust color water stain which is not seen anywhere near your radiator. If your radiator has leaks, it should carry similar stain because its the same source of water. Your radiator looks fine to me.

Actually, the radiator does have a hairline crack based on the earlier picture posted. I have try to seal it with epoxy glue to stop the leak but still loosing water. I did not realize that was another leak from the top hose. Anyway to cut the story short, I decide to change the radiator. In the course of changing the radiator, I found the leak on the top hose. The leak was at the bottom section of the hose. it was discover after the hose was removed. Maybe the repair was good but I am not sure. I think it is better not to take any risk incase of overheating problem due to rapid loss of coolant.

pertaining to the coolant, I think the previous owner still use the original coolant from day one from AB based on the accumulation of the aluminum oxide as pointed out by you.

I have use pure water now without any coolant. Temperature still mid way mark same as with coolant.

Maybe I will consider to add the correct coolant if the water level do NOT drop.

So AB, what the correct type of coolant for M54 engine?