Car needs to be burped more than a newborn

[GSXRliterbikz]

So it seems like every morning when I go to drive my car I get a check coolant message. I go out and pop the bleeder and an air bubble comes out and the coolant level thing rises. If I dont do that and drive anyway next time I start the car (if its still warm) I dont get the message. Any ideas on where air could be coming from? Could it be coming from the heater core? I replaced a bunch of hoses a couple of months ago and bled the system with the heater on high, but maybe I didnt do it right.

[sikride250]

I had to put mine on a hill facing up and rev the bag out of it. Problem solved. Good luck.

[Murda1591]

Be careful. Ive been having the same problems, check coolant lights, loosing coolant, for the past few weeks. Weds night on the drive home from a night out with some friends, all hell broke loose (literally). Heard a pop, followed by screeching. Pulled over to check it out and didnt see any fluid leaking but could hear and smell burning coolant. Managed to limp it home but now ive gotta take it in monday. My guess is its the water pump and possibly the serpentine belt. Another member literally had this same problem too.

Try to get rid of the warning light but if it doesnt go away, bring it in to get a check up to catch this problem before it potentially happens.

[GSXRliterbikz]

Well I'm not actually losing coolant. No puddles in the garage, no coolant smell. Just air in the system. I hate to pay for a flush when I know that other stuff in the system is going to crap out soon enough. I have 125k on all original parts.

[Thrills]

Having the same problem and i've replaced the radiator, themostat, hoses and water pump. But after it warms up, the light goes off. So i'm very interested in what you find out. Even though it drives you crazy sometimes, I still love mine! 215,700+ and still ripping up pavement!

[Skinny Puppy]

No dried white spots on the back of the block or transmission? Sometimes the coolant hoses weep on the back of the block. If not valley pan shenanigans could be soon to follow.

[Edwin NL]

If no leaks why do you meed to add coolant each day??

[GSXRliterbikz]

I'm not adding coolant. Its never low. If its cold and I open the tank the dipstick is low but if I crack open the bleeder than you hear air escaping and the stick rises up to the right level. I will have to look at the underside of the car tomorow.

[DylanRich]

Could be your coolant level sensor is just malfunctioning.

If your car isnt getting hotter then normal or over heating then it should be fine. The system is pressurized. Even when its cools down and you unscrew the bleeder screw you will get a small amount of air out when you drive it every day.

If your worried the best way to bleed a system is jack the front end up in the air, unscrew the bleeder a bit so you can start to get air outta it, turn the car on, turn the heater on full blast on hot and out the main vents and then keep the car at about 2K for 5 mins. It will be fully bled for sure.

I just did my Lincoln and BMW in the past month and this is the method to use, and it works great!
:alright

[Moughrawn]

This first link is interesting for your situation:

http://www.meeknet.co.uk/E38/E38_Coolant_Level_Warnings.pdf

and this one is a super-thorough description on bleeding:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=20056108&postcount=5

[bmwbob89]

If you think there is air in the system do this. Cold engine, take off the rad cap. Remove the bleeder screw, fill till it comes out the bleeder and then put the bleeder screw back. Be gentle with the screw as it is plastic. Run the engine with the heat on full temp. Have someone rev it a bit, maybe 2000 rpm and make sure the coolant is circulating. You have to do this quickly before it starts to heat up. Don't overfill the system. Make sure the coolant stick is all the way up,indicating a full system. Put the cap on and road test with the heater on. Let it sit overnight to cool and take the cap off. If the red stick is not at full attention add some coolant. Only fill till the stick is up. If overfilled suck some out with a turkey baster. Let me know how it goes.
Thanks,
Dale

[GSXRliterbikz]

Well I tried bleeding it again. Tried the hand squeez method from the link above. Didnt have a message for the next 2 times starting it cold. Than today...back on. Also change the oil yesterday and looked around for any sign of coolant and couldnt find any. Looked over the back of the block and didnt notice anything. I did however see tons of oil. I have a couple of PS line pissing and my timing covers and VC's. I think its gonna need a front main seal too.

UGH.:(

[Xephius]

Hey guys,

I had the same problem on my 7 a few months ago after I did the VPG. I was sure I had a leak someplace. But as it turns out, the radiator cap wasn't holding pressure allowing the water to boil and cause bubbles to form in the line. The radiator cap must make a seal to keep the system under pressure as the operating temperature is above boiling for the coolant. You can pickup a cap for around $10, they should be replaced every 10 years or so anyway. ;)

[GSXRliterbikz]

Wow. I think I might try that. I was thinking of sending it to an indy to have it flushed. But I plan on doing alot of work this winter that will require me pulling some hoses, so that seemed like a waste. I'll try this first, if it doesnt work than I'll keep burping it till I start the work.