Coolant leak from bottom left side of radiator?

[013137]

Where exactly can this coolant be leaking from. It's a fast dripping.

[ninety4e36]

possibly the coolant tank hose that runs from the bottom of the tank under the fan shroud back towards the block.

[flyfishvt]

bottom left of radiator? is that the passenger side? if so you should look at the bottom hose on the expansion tank. If its the drivers side then look at the drain plug. There is an oring on both of those items that could be worn out.

Just be aware that fluid rarely drips from exactly where it came from. It usually travels along the frame or other components until it finds a place to drip off. If you really have a steady drip it should only take a decent flashlight and some paper towels to find the source. Pay particular attention to the tubes the upper and lower hoses attach to. they are very well known for getting weak over time ahd then they crack.

[013137]

possibly the coolant tank hose that runs from the bottom of the tank under the fan shroud back towards the block.
It's really hard to see


bottom left of radiator? is that the passenger side? if so you should look at the bottom hose on the expansion tank. If its the drivers side then look at the drain plug. There is an oring on both of those items that could be worn out.

Just be aware that fluid rarely drips from exactly where it came from. It usually travels along the frame or other components until it finds a place to drip off. If you really have a steady drip it should only take a decent flashlight and some paper towels to find the source. Pay particular attention to the tubes the upper and lower hoses attach to. they are very well known for getting weak over time ahd then they crack.

Yeah it's coming from the driver side bottom corner of the radiator, and even when I jack the driver side of the car up, it still leaks from that driver side corner :shifty.

[rtd328]

Once you've parked the car for a while and let it cool off, check and see if you have any coolant residue on your radiator. If your upper neck is cracked, you could have coolant running all the way down the side of your radiator that drips onto the ground.

Ask me how I know....

[013137]

Once you've parked the car for a while and let it cool off, check and see if you have any coolant residue on your radiator. If your upper neck is cracked, you could have coolant running all the way down the side of your radiator that drips onto the ground.

Ask me how I know....
Yeah I had that happen to me about a week after I got the car, but in my case the neck completely snapped off and coolant was everywhere :mad, so the dealer that I bought the car from installed a new radiator for me under warranty.

I checked all of the hoses and they seem fine (including the one that goes under the fan shroud), and the leak isn't coming from the drain plug (but the coolant is leaking about an inch away from it). I may have to have the radiator replaced AGAIN :mad.

[rtd328]

^Ah, so you've had that lovely e36 experience already.

Best bet is to get a pressure test done on the system, that should tell you more. Leaks show up in weird places, and aren't always indicative of the source. Hopefully your radiator is not the problem and you won't have to replace it again.

[flyfishvt]

Somewhere quick that you can look is the bottom of the expansion tank. Look at the large black plastic nut that holds the level sensor in the tank. If its leaking you will see coolant collect around the edges of the threads. I know thats on the passenger side but its a good place to look and its easy to see. The temp switch is on the drivers side and could be leaking.

A pressure test will show you what you need. coolant leaks are nothing to take lightly. If its dripping that bad get it fixed asap. $200 now saves $$$$$$$$ later

[013137]

^Ah, so you've had that lovely e36 experience already.

Best bet is to get a pressure test done on the system, that should tell you more. Leaks show up in weird places, and aren't always indicative of the source. Hopefully your radiator is not the problem and you won't have to replace it again.

Yea the only reason that I tried finding the leak is because I thought it was going to be an easy simple fix like a hose, o-ring etc... But it seems as though the leak is coming out of the radiator itself, so I am just going to see if I can have to have it replaced again under warranty. I don't understand why the Germans thought it would be a good idea to make plastic coolant system parts, like come on. :rolleyes


Somewhere quick that you can look is the bottom of the expansion tank. Look at the large black plastic nut that holds the level sensor in the tank. If its leaking you will see coolant collect around the edges of the threads. I know thats on the passenger side but its a good place to look and its easy to see. The temp switch is on the drivers side and could be leaking.

A pressure test will show you what you need. coolant leaks are nothing to take lightly. If its dripping that bad get it fixed asap. $200 now saves $$$$$$$$ later

I just checked the level sensor on the tank and it is clean and dry, and idk where the temp switch is or exactly what it looks like :shifty. I am going to call the dealer tomorrow and ask them if there is any type of warranty on the radiator itself from whatever company that they bought it from the last time they replaced it. I'll let you know how it goes :).

[rtd328]

When you look into this, try to make sure they are using a reputable brand of radiator, such as Behr. Of course, I'm working under the assumption that you bought this car from a generic used car dealer and not a BMW dealer.

No, plastic cooling system components are not my idea of a good design, but I suppose they had a reason (probably to sell replacement plastic parts!). In any case, most of the plastic junk lasts 80k-100k, so you might end up wanting to completely overhaul your cooling system, and put it out of your mind for 80k miles.

[IanPaul]

headgasket

[mynameisBMW]

I think that someone recently posted a cheap all aluminum radiator. Try searching for that. It could save you a lot of time down the road.

[copcarguyp71]

http://www.bimmerzone.com/category/BMW_Performance_Cooling_VSL_Rad.html

That is what I used. Everything installed very smoothly and no problems.:D

[013137]

Alright guys I called the dealer which I purchased the car from, and the owner told me that there is nothing they can do about it after this amount of time, and insurance wouldn't be worth it due to the $500 deductible.

Well anyway, I removed the radiator and took it to a radiator repair business that I know of, and the guy hooked hoses up to the radiator, and dipped the entire radiator into a large tub of coolant. Air bubbles started to come from the bottom left side of the radiator from where the leak was, by the ?overflow tank?. He removed the radiator from the tub of coolant and use pliers to carefully pried down on the little metal tabs which held the ?over flow tank? onto the side of the radiator, and then tested the radiator out again and it no longer leaked :buttrock. He told me that there is a large rubber gasket in there that probably wasn't sealing correctly due to those metal tabs not applying enough pressure, and that this may or may not be a permanent fix

He also gave me a tan powder to pour into the upper radiator hose, and he said that it would make sure that the radiator was sealed.

I just got through re-installing the radiator and everything seems fine so far :redspot.

Oh and he only charged me $20