coolant leak...uhoh

[Court M3]

Ok just got the blower motor repaired and now when I turn on the heat I smell coolant. Right as I got home yesterday the coolant ligth on the check panel came on. Checked and all the expansion tank was empty. Refilled it and bled it, (in the ball numbing cold outside) but it again and ran it with no problems. Today coolant light comes on again. Got home coolant is still at the previous level as yesterday. Only thing different was that I did not run the heater but opened the vents and slid the lever to keep the windshield clear, but still getting the low coolant light on the OV Check panel.

[rcko]

sensor could be shoot. $15 to replace with new one.

mine did the same till I replace the sensor. assuming you have filled the reservoir to the correct level.

[banndit]

yeah, the sensor on mine has a mind of its own.

B

[Court M3]

sensor could be shoot. $15 to replace with new one.

mine did the same till I replace the sensor. assuming you have filled the reservoir to the correct level.

could the temp sensor affect coolant level, or make the car loose coolant?

[CorvallisBMW]

could the temp sensor affect coolant level, or make the car loose coolant?

Only if there's a leak around it.

[red]

feel under your floormats it's probably soaked with coolant.

[Court M3]

yeah heater core and valve had to get replaced

[DaveSmed]

You know, heater cores only seem to leak when its "ball numbing cold" outside. They have coolant through them at all times, but only when bypassing it would be a bad option and its the most miserable to work on it do they ever seem to break.


That Murphy fellow is a bastard ain't he? (mine is acting like its partially clogged)

[Schnitzer318is]

I smell coolant for awhile when using my heater... is that normal? Goes away after about 5mins. Doesn't leak anything... just concerned about the smell.:(

[craig4ie]

I smell coolant for awhile when using my heater... is that normal? Goes away after about 5mins. Doesn't leak anything... just concerned about the smell.:(

Mine does that too, but every time I check my coolant level there seems to be no change.

So I just sit back and enjoy the sweet aroma of antifreeze...

[bimmer8604]

for you guys that just smell it for a few minutes or so, you probably are leaking. it only takes a drop or two to make a big smell. Its probably just seeping around your water valves, or a bit of a leak around the o-rings where the tubes enter/exit the heater core. You can pull out your center console and look around there for traces of coolant. mine was doing the same thing, and then when I looked I saw that 3 of the 4 rivets holding the water valve together had broken(coulda been a huge mess unless i caught it). It would definately be worth it to spend the 10 minutes or so looking at those areas as it could potentially turn into a big mess/injury.

Kyle

[-J-]

He's right, it's definitely worth the 10 minutes to take a look. I had the water valve explode on me when I was driving, blowing coolant all over the driver-side footwell (and my brand new shoes for that matter...).
I had the same issue with the water valve; 3 of the 4 rivets were corroded out. Coolant level got a little low, probably as a result of the leaking valve, the car got hot and it finally blew. The diaphragm on the valve was also rotted and broken. Not cool, considering the replacement is 150 bucks.

[bimmer8604]

and for those who are wondering and not wanting to spend 100+ bucks on a water valve, it can be bypassed. The E30 heater box is a split box, meaning that if you have it on full cold, no air will pass over the heater core. I bypassed mine, using about 20 bucks in supplies. I was also able to run a hose to the back of the engine which is my new high spot in the system allowing easy bleeding and can back-fill the system.

Kyle

[kenika65]

and for those who are wondering and not wanting to spend 100+ bucks on a water valve, it can be bypassed. The E30 heater box is a split box, meaning that if you have it on full cold, no air will pass over the heater core. I bypassed mine, using about 20 bucks in supplies. I was also able to run a hose to the back of the engine which is my new high spot in the system allowing easy bleeding and can back-fill the system.

Kyle

Dont listen to Kyle he is mentally challenged and is a lier. Punk

[bimmer8604]

Dont listen to Kyle he is mentally challenged and is a lier. Punk

go eat a dick.

I bet if you took that old water valve and painted it black it would be good as new and last forever!

I bet you cant lick your elbow fagot.