Water, Radiator or ??

[Faiz]

Originally posted by tongsatriani@Feb 19 2006, 12:20 PM
Try bleeding Faiz! May save u $$. Try that 1st b4 goin to the mech.

Thanks. Did that during last service couple of months ago. Anyway no harm doing it again before asking the mech. I guess.

 

[chinlai]

Faiz,

My problem was that the radiator (aux?) fan was not turning fast enough so it was not doing its job to cool the system thus steam (water) was leaking out... So similar to your situation, there were no visible signs of where the water was leaking.

The radiator used to need regular weekly top ups, but once I changed the rad fan motor its been quite stable since. It cost me around RM400 (can't remember the exact price) for the part + labour.

You might want to check that too apart from the water pump.

 

[Faiz]

Thanks for the tip, chinlai. Going by the responses above, looks like like there might be several things to check to solve the prob. regards.

 

[colebruno]

Originally posted by tongsatriani+Feb 20 2006, 01:20 AM-->QUOTE (tongsatriani @ Feb 20 2006, 01:20 AM)

 

[conan]

let the air out of radiator...

 

[Faiz]

Ok, tried bleeding the rad yesterday morning. First time,so not very sure whether did it right. The car had overheated to almost red mark on two occasions in prolonged heavy traffic (turned off aircon & lowered windows to temp. solve problem), so decided to drive it to the mech. He pressure tested the system and bottom of rad wet and leak at pipe to heater. Finally:
Heater bypassed, radiator serviced and cap and right hose changed. After a 10 min test drive, the fan clutch was changed (fan could be stopped with hand with engine running!?) as was the resistor at the aux fan.

Must be an unlucky day...after all that, the $%#@ 'check coolant level' came on and the sensor was changed! Just drove home, read some Da Vinci Code and went to bed. Everything seemed fine today but will check again tomorrow... :unsure:

Rgds all, Faiz

 

[tongsatriani]

Originally posted by Faiz@Feb 23 2006, 10:29 PM
Ok, tried bleeding the rad yesterday morning. First time,so not very sure whether did it right. The car had overheated to almost red mark on two occasions in prolonged heavy traffic (turned off aircon & lowered windows to temp. solve problem), so decided to drive it to the mech. He pressure tested the system and bottom of rad wet and leak at pipe to heater. Finally:
Heater bypassed, radiator serviced and cap and right hose changed. After a 10 min test drive, the fan clutch was changed (fan could be stopped with hand with engine running!?) as was the resistor at the aux fan.

Must be an unlucky day...after all that, the $%#@ 'check coolant level' came on and the sensor was changed! Just drove home, read some Da Vinci Code and went to bed. Everything seemed fine today but will check again tomorrow... :unsure:

Rgds all, Faiz

Geez...juz like mine Check the coolant level before u start off. See the level drop or not.

Very unlikely ur sensor fail. But u'll never know! Maybe it's new & adopting to it. Hope it's juz a sensor error.

I hope it work well as u had changed so many parts. Share with us in here on the outcome.

So far, my cooling system is kinda normal (no drop in coolant level, temp gauge normal & fan clutch is working with tachometer.

 

[tongsatriani]

Originally posted by colebruno+Feb 21 2006, 06:03 PM-->QUOTE (colebruno @ Feb 21 2006, 06:03 PM)

Originally posted by tongsatriani@Feb 20 2006, 01:20 AM

 

[tongsatriani]

Faiz,

If u r still losing water:

1. Check rad for cracks
2. All hoses & water pump
3. Check engine oil too...why? Just in case of the worst case :cry: if it's oil colour, ok! if sumthing like nescafe susu or teh tarik....touch wood! touch wood! :unsure:

 

[conan]

Originally posted by Faiz@Feb 23 2006, 10:29 PM
Ok, tried bleeding the rad yesterday morning. First time,so not very sure whether did it right. The car had overheated to almost red mark on two occasions in prolonged heavy traffic (turned off aircon & lowered windows to temp. solve problem), so decided to drive it to the mech. He pressure tested the system and bottom of rad wet and leak at pipe to heater. Finally:
Heater bypassed, radiator serviced and cap and right hose changed. After a 10 min test drive, the fan clutch was changed (fan could be stopped with hand with engine running!?) as was the resistor at the aux fan.

Must be an unlucky day...after all that, the $%#@ 'check coolant level' came on and the sensor was changed! Just drove home, read some Da Vinci Code and went to bed. Everything seemed fine today but will check again tomorrow... :unsure:

Rgds all, Faiz

faiz,

i had the same experience. tried to bleed 'diy'. in the end temp almost went up to red and had to stop by road side. sent to AB. they checked and concluded there was nothing wrong. changed the coolant and did the bleeding. it's held up since.

conclusion: diy bleeding is risky... :blink:

 

[Faiz]

Originally posted by conan@Feb 23 2006, 08:15 PM
i had the same experience. tried to bleed 'diy'. in the end temp almost went up to red and had to stop by road side. sent to AB. they checked and concluded there was nothing wrong. changed the coolant and did the bleeding. it's held up since.

conclusion: diy bleeding is risky... :blink:

conan, I think I did the diy bleeding ok onli that I added water and not coolant mix. There were other things not going right - the leaks, the fan clutch and the aux fan. Actually the overheating happened couple of weeeks ago in Pudu rush hour - now I understand why the temp went down after aircon was switched off & windows lowered (Captain America's advice in another thread). So problems building up for some time I s'pose. But you're right - diy bleeding is risky unless done properly, and repeatedly, as reccommended in most service websites

 

[Faiz]

Originally posted by tongsatriani@Feb 23 2006, 10:07 AM
Faiz,

If u r still losing water:

1. Check rad for cracks
2. All hoses & water pump
3. Check engine oil too...why? Just in case of the worst case :cry: if it's oil colour, ok! if sumthing like nescafe susu or teh tarik....touch wood! touch wood! :unsure:

Yes, touch wood... checked coolant level this evening and its same as yesterday (warm engine)as all else. Real test I think when driving in stop-start traffic jam. We'll all keep each other informed about this. Cheers, guys. Faiz

 

[paksu]

tong, I am sure you have all your hoses changed, I mean ALL? What about the hoses that go into your heater system? Perhaps the heater matrix is leaking? I had the heater in my SLOTH disabled because it was leaking. That is one less worry for me now. If you have your heater disabled, hmmmm, better do a pressure test. Hope you do not have to end up like me.... I had to skim the head and did a top-end overhaul at the same time. Now no problems.

Oh forgot, did you change your radiator cap too? When I was using my old cap, I was loosing water like 5 marks a week. After changing, minimal loss, around 1 mark a month.

flash,
just to know before you change yr radiator cap, is it you can see the faulty/damage at the rubber inside? like mine i saw it all ok with the rubber ect... but i still facing water drop problem, i hv to top up about every month...

 

[flash]

flash,
just to know before you change yr radiator cap, is it you can see the faulty/damage at the rubber inside? like mine i saw it all ok with the rubber ect... but i still facing water drop problem, i hv to top up about every month...

Nope, could not see any fault with it other than being "old" looking. Anyway, it is a small price to pay for some peace of mind.

 

[funfer_fahrer]

Two weeks ago I had "check coolant level" advisory message. Later I found my radiator broke (plastic side reservoir) when I was in Mersing en route to J.B. Changed the radiator in Taman Johor Jaya for RM800. After that I never bother to check my coolant because I think it was still recent. I thought the drama was over but today the message "check coolant level" came back on again. So I thought here goes the sensor. Opened the cap and I had to top up approximately one glass of water. Was this normal? For your info, I seldom use my car. My average use is approximately one every two days. I am still trying to find the source of leaks. This Saturday I am going to AB.

Special thanks to fabianyee, vanguish and chan. How do I live without you guys?

 

[3er]

Two weeks ago I had "check coolant level" advisory message. Later I found my radiator broke (plastic side reservoir) when I was in Mersing en route to J.B. Changed the radiator in Taman Johor Jaya for RM800. After that I never bother to check my coolant because I think it was still recent. I thought the drama was over but today the message "check coolant level" came back on again. So I thought here goes the sensor. Opened the cap and I had to top up approximately one glass of water. Was this normal? For your info, I seldom use my car. My average use is approximately one every two days. I am still trying to find the source of leaks. This Saturday I am going to AB.

Special thanks to fabianyee, vanguish and chan. How do I live without you guys?

Might be a sensor problem. Or it could be as simple as trapped air (bubbles) in the cooling system. A BMW specialist would know how to help you out.

 

[paksu]

Two weeks ago I had "check coolant level" advisory message. Later I found my radiator broke (plastic side reservoir) when I was in Mersing en route to J.B. Changed the radiator in Taman Johor Jaya for RM800. After that I never bother to check my coolant because I think it was still recent. I thought the drama was over but today the message "check coolant level" came back on again. So I thought here goes the sensor. Opened the cap and I had to top up approximately one glass of water. Was this normal? For your info, I seldom use my car. My average use is approximately one every two days. I am still trying to find the source of leaks. This Saturday I am going to AB.

Special thanks to fabianyee, vanguish and chan. How do I live without you guys?

Actually in good condition the water shouldn't drop much, but u topping up a glass of water after mechanic just replaced new yr radiator is normal as it could be a bubble inside the tank, but if the problem come back after this there might be a leak somewhere lar! unlike japanese car, e46 has a lot of O ring for it's radiator assembly so the tendency of leaking is high... all O ring is 6 pcs excluding end to end water hose... if these counted it'll will be 10 O rings all together... I opened mine and DIY last time but didnot change a new one, just siliconed it...may be it could be the problem that i m facing now...

 

[funfer_fahrer]

Here's the latest update, after 24 hours this morning before the first engine start I had to top up 1 glass of water (Starbucks equivalent of "grande" cup). Maybe, it was not really accurate because during my last top up the engine was not completely cold. If tomorrow morning I still need to do the same chore, something is not right. This radiator problem can be a bit tricky even for the pros.

 

[funfer_fahrer]

I am at the AB now. Pressure test so far so good. No evidence of leaks. Found thermostat housing cracked. Kevster, you're damn right last night. Also changed power steering hose.

 

[funfer_fahrer]

Anyone here tried the Zionsville Autosport All Alloy Radiator? It comes with lifetime warranty. I am not sure how good this thing is, but it really looks good.