Coolant light, cold hose, not overheating...

[SlapDash]

Hi,

Couple of days ago, my coolant light came on, added some, light went off. This morning, on the way to work, light came on again. When I get to work, I check under the hood to find a low reservoir, but no other discernable leaks. The lower radiator hose, however, was quite chilly all the way to the t-stat housing. The gauge reads okay, slightly less than half. It's a 6-cyl. in an April '88 325is.

Only a few months ago, I replaced the t-belt, water pump, etc., but did not change the t-stat because it looked new (I do have a new one on hand). I bled the system (with the front end jacked) until the coolant burbled out of the bleed valve.

Any ideas?

Thanks...

[jlevie]

Having to top off the reservoir twice in that short of a time pretty much suggests that you are leaking coolant. If you can't visually locate the leak, have the cooling system pressure tested.

In cold winter weather, it isn't unusual for the lower hose to be quite cold as the radiator works exceptionally well in very low ambient temperatures. As long as the engine reaches normal operating temperature in short order, you don't have a thermostat problem.

[SlapDash]

Thank you for the advice. Off to the shop I go!