M42 Euro model water leak

[AndrewBird]

If you pull the radiator so you have access from the front, you can use an impact gun on it.

[bmwman91]

Getting it off is easy. Putting it back on is the real pain.

You can remove it by putting a breaker bar on there pointing to 12 o'clock. Block of wood on the chassis where the air box was. Run the starter and after a few smacks it should be free. Don't hold the starter on for more than a second or two. Replace the bolt when you reassemble.

Putting it back...I machined a big steel locking bar for the crank. Not sure how people without a machine shop do it.

[hachirokuae]

So i've decided to change my profile gaskets.The part number is 1141247849 and 1141247837. As I was taking everything off I've noticed the water pump has no gasket. realoem.com says there is no gasket but an O-ring 11511714519. So i've taken off upper engine case with thermostat, water pump belt and crank pulley. Now i need to remove the crank bolt
Does anyone have any ideas how to?

ps: this is not a pic from my car, mine isn't leaking

[bmwman91]

What's the diagnosis, if you do?

Not 100% sure, but I think it means that the heater core is on its way out. I lose coolant slowly, and get a whiff of it when I first turn the heater on. Shit sucks lol.

[word is bond]

Do you ever get a coolant smell when you first turn the heater on?

What's the diagnosis, if you do?

[AndrewBird]

Seems like I read somewhere that some blocks don't actually have a drain. The plug is there, but the orifice doesn't go all the way through.

[roguetoaster]

I think the pump and that gasket are the only two places where it could leak, because everything else is new or in good condition. But I'm still a little uneasy on that clogged block thing. Anywhays, if i were to change that profile gasket i 'd need to take off the lower and upper lids of the timing case and that pulley from the crank, butt will it disrupt the timing or something that I wouldnt be able to put it back

tnx man for support. btw i have that bentley manual for e36 but its always better to hear from the first hand

What was said above was right about potential coolant leaks. I should add that you may just have a leaky radiator overflow tank seal, and in some cases it can leak in such a way as to be almost invisible. It's also worth looking in to a leak from the heater core.

As to the clogged block drain. Just jam a screwdriver or whatever in there and clear out the accumulated deposits, it may take a few stabs, but it generally clears it out.

[hachirokuae]

I think the pump and that gasket are the only two places where it could leak, because everything else is new or in good condition. But I'm still a little uneasy on that clogged block thing. Anywhays, if i were to change that profile gasket i 'd need to take off the lower and upper lids of the timing case and that pulley from the crank, butt will it disrupt the timing or something that I wouldnt be able to put it back

tnx man for support. btw i have that bentley manual for e36 but its always better to hear from the first hand

[bmwman91]

You can replace the profile gasket without removing the head, but you do need to remove the timing case. I have done it, and it is no fun. Honestly, pulling the head is easier.

It migth be the profile gasket, and maybe not. It could be the pump too. There is a "weep hole" that will start to leak coolant when the internal seals go bad, so it could also be that.

Do you ever get a coolant smell when you first turn the heater on? Is there any coolant/water in the area near where the hoses go into the firewall for the heater core?

[hachirokuae]

Is this clogged block situation potentially disastreous for the engine, cause i've driven it for like 2 years like that and who knows about the past owner. I've changed the head gasket like 4 months ago and the car wasnt driven much after that, only in the neighbourhood. It was losing water before so i havent been adding antifrezze, I was using just water so the gasket had failed. I didnt change the profile gasket cause it seemed fine, I ve just used some silicone sealant on both sides of it, but now i dont remember if it can be changed withouth removing head( if thats the prob)? I know there is some small piece of it under head and the rest is covered by that lid

[bmwman91]

The big bolt/screw on the block under cylinder 4 is a drain. If nothing comes out, then it must be blocked. To bleed the coolant, you use the big plastic phillips screw on the radiator next to the filler cap. Again, if nothing comes out when it is open and you rev the engine to 2500RPM then it is clogged up. Maybe the previous owner used some of that leak-stopper additive that makes a big mess inside the engine?

If coolant is running down the side of the engine, maybe the profile gasket is going bad (the rubber one between the head and the timing case). The original gasket was a known bad design and many failed. The majority of then have been replaced since then, but every now and then someone has an original. How many kilometers are on the engine, and do you know any information about the maintenance history?

If it is the profile gasket causing this, here's an idea of how it is happening.


A lot of times, when it failed it would blow out the front side instead and get into the oil, and ruin the engine. Anyway, it may not even be that. Have you tried starting the car and having someone hold it at 4000RPM while you look around with a light for leaking coolant?

[hachirokuae]

I have a problem with my '90 e30 318is. It's Euro model. The car starts fine, revs through the roof, it drives fine but every day I look under the hood there's less water in the radiator. I have changed the radiator, that hose from thermostat to radiator, the plastic flange on the block, but its the same. And I cant bleed the block because no liquid comes out when i remove that screw under cyl. 4. The oilpan is always greaesy even though i clean it( I need to change the oilpan gasket, i know) but I know its not all from oil beacuse its dripping transparent fluid. Also i've put a cardboard under the pan to see what liguid it is dripping and it is antifreeze 100% (I dont have problems with oil consumption). Today i removed the water pump pulley to see if there are signs of leakage and it seemed fine. So my quetion is: Can the water pump be failing even there is no clear sign, and why the engine block won't bleed?