help! this thing leaking coolant - PICS

[AMDdude]

Hi,

Is my car going to die soon? This thing, I dont' know what it is, it is right by the coolant tank but attached to the radiator it seems, is leaking coolant from the cap. I was driving today for only maybe 30min and when I came home and parked I noticed wet spots under my car and when I popped the hood I saw this:

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/4550/coolant0md.jpg

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/1755/coolant27hy.jpg

The engine never overhated either, the needle is dead in the middle. My aux fan doesn't work but I did not use the A/C. Any ideas what might be causing this?

Thanks

[rustamd]

you need either new cap or whole expansion tank(thats whats it called, that thing), and neew bleed screw(bottom pic, SE from cap)

[nbirru]

that would be your coolant resevoir cap and it's not really leaking, they are intended to allow overflow. When your car heats up coolant rises in that resevior, so if you have to much coolant then it simply overflows out of the tank...the cap is designed to let water flow out but nothing, not even air flow in.

Now it's most likely that you didn't over fill the tank recently. Were you driving really hard? Somtimes under hard driving conditions, keeping the revs at 6k, a little coolant can flow out. The other, more likely thing that is happening is that you had some air in you lines that shot that coolant out. Or something was causing high pressure in your coolant lines

Most likely your fine...don't worry about it and drive another day. Just keep an eye on that temp lvl and wipe that stuff off and check it every few days.

[makenzie71]

uh oh...anyone notice the "green" tint in his windshield wiper fluid resavoir?

Dude that's not right next to your coolant resavoir...it IS your coolant resavoir. You need a new cap likely.

[nbirru]

uh oh...anyone notice the "green" tint in his windshield wiper fluid resavoir?

Dude that's not right next to your coolant resavoir...it IS your coolant resavoir. You need a new cap likely.


it is right by the coolant tank but attached to the radiator it seems

lol omfg i just read what he wrote over again....let's hope that isn't what is in there.

[old skool]

either the entire expansion tank needs to be refilled or just the cap. Buy the cap first and see if that fixes it.

Check out the pelican parts DIY website for info about how to fix the coolant system.

[Goon]

Yeah thats the first thing I saw. Why is your windscreen resevoir green?!

[lovesm3s]

because they have green washer fluid...duh!

[blue1966coupe]

because they have green washer fluid...duh!

there is washer fluid that is green, prestone makes it...lets hope thats whats in there.:eek:

funny side note, the exact oposite happend to me the other day, i went over to check out my dads new M3 and we were looking around and i opened the radiator cap. there was blue fluid in there.....the same color as the washer fluid blue...:shifty i thought to my self now there is no way someone is that dumb ...plus there would be alot of bubbles... well then i found out that the new antifreeze BMW uses IS blue.

[ll zoom zoom ll]

be careful that you bleed the cooling system before you drive the car around. you can go to pelicanparts.com to find info on how to bleed the system...

[Landerholm]

It sounds like you dont know alot about BMW cooling systems yet but its pretty simple and nows a good time to get up to speed. The car wont overheat until you loose -alot- of coolant. But I would still fill the car back up to the "fill line" every night with distilled water (when the car is cold) so you dont end up stranded due to eventually having lost all your coolant out that cap.

Then I would run to the dealer, buy a new cap, and see if that fixes it. Otherwise, youll need to replace the resivour.

[sendittoryan]

You need to bleed and flush your windshield washer fluid.

[AMDdude]

lol omfg i just read what he wrote over again....let's hope that isn't what is in there.

Oh oh, shiezer. Is there a quick way to check that it is not coolant thats in the windscreen tank? The previous owner got it serviced so I have no idea what he put in it:( Would I be able to just tell from the smell?

[leedawg]

Taste it, just dip your finger then touch it to the tip of your tounge. If its sweet its antifreez if its somethin else then its probably your washer fluid. Spit when your done dont swallow the ethelyne glycol cause its toxic. '

You might want to put BMW coolant in too, looks like your runnin standard antifreez there.

[AMDdude]

I dont think i want to taste it. I smelled it and it smells like rubbing alcohol in the windscreen tank so I think it's the right fluid there. I've also searched and found out that a fualty themrostat can cause the expansion tank to overflow.

[leedawg]

Well then your all set. :D

[smonkbmw]

any way to verify his water pump impeller did not come apart and hes having blockage issues??

[lovesm3s]

coolant is more viscous than washer fluid so that's another way u can tell

[qidm67]

time to clean that engine bay as well after your problem.
Oh yea its looks like you need a new cap.