E36 328IS coolant leak

[iPee]

Hi guys,

I know the forum is e30 focused, but it is the main one I frequent and don't have an account to the other bimmer ones. I thought I'd give it a shot and post it here for my brother.

Recently the car appeared to start losing coolant. Every 100km or so the coolant level would drop low enough that it would trigger the coolant sensor, causing the low coolant level message to pop up.

Parts replaced
t-stat
t-stat housing
radiator cap

The headgasket appears to be fine. There's no coolant in the oil and there no oil in the coolant.

I also did a pressure check test and it held at 1.4 BAR for 2 hours.

I'm at a loss on what else to check for.


Thanks
Ivan

[MrBurgundy]

Check the cap. u If you're doing a pressure test and you don't see any leaks and the head gasket is okay, it's most l likely the cap.

[iPee]

Unfortunately I don't have the piece to test the cap. Also he just bought a new cap from BMW. I was thinking that there may be air in the system, but it's not overheating either.

[TobyB]

Heater stuff- there are a ton of heater hoses, and the core has 2 sections, with all those
connections both inside and out. They tend to only leak hot, if the core itself is leaking.
That's what mine does- loses about a cup a month in the winter, nothing all summer.

Smells sweet in the cabin sometimes.

Just a guess,

t