loss of coolant, but nothing on ground and not overheating

[jethrotull]

I have an 02 325xi that has been losing coolant. but it hasn't overheated and there is nothing on the ground. I am suspecting head gasket? has anyone else experienced this? i added half a gallon this morning. and that was after topping it off 3 weeks ago. Also, i heard that many times the threads get stripped on the head when you take it off and then you have a giant paper weight. is this true?

[dworthy]

Half a gallon how often? Now do not take this the wrong way, are you filling it up to the tippy top? Are you paying attention to the stick that floats up? The stick should be level with the top of the expansion tank, just make sure you pour in a little at a time as it will keep the stick down, and you can overfill it.

What I would also do is look for leakage and seal failures, for those are more common if you have never overheated the car.

[jethrotull]

i was filling it so it was level with expansion tank. and like i said. i lost a half gallon in 3 weeks since i last topped it off. i am going to check again after a day or 2 of driving. i just hope it's not the head gasket. all the hoses look good

[dworthy]

Okay, during the winter it can be hard to trace fluid leaks with all the salt and crap on the road. I would clean the motor and drive for a couple of days, then have a look to see where it is dirty/wet.

[MIKYZZ4]

I would perform a cooling system pressure test. The cause of a head being lifted off the engine block, and causing an unwanted paperweight,
is commonly due to overheating issues.

[sleepyfox]

hi. my '04 330ci is loosing coolant without overheating also.

i don't know very much about automechanics but i'm trying to learn. i want to be able to take care of my car myself as much as possible. how can i test much much coolant is leaking?

[jethrotull]

So I finally "resolved" the problem. I am not really sure where it was leaking. Against my better judgement i tried using the barrs leak head gasket stuff. after 3 days my heat stopped working and was overheating and still losing coolant! i figured either the radiator or heater core was clogged from the barrs leak so i flushed the cooling system and the clog was gone and had my heat back, but STILL losing coolant. how can they even sell that crap? i was researching other sealers because i didn't have the money to get this fixed right now. i found this product that i never heard of called bear's head gasket sealer. i was hesitant, but desperate. i only found it because i was searching for barrs leak reviews. this site/company was trashing barrs leak. anyway, i wound up buying a bottle and followed the instructions exactly. knock on wood, i haven't lost any coolant since. thanks for everyone's input....hopefully this "fix" lasts for awhile...

[jethrotull]

I would perform a cooling system pressure test. The cause of a head being lifted off the engine block, and causing an unwanted paperweight,
is commonly due to overheating issues.

Thanks for the reply. Would the block lifting be caused by the loosening of the head bolts? i heard they strip pretty easily. Also, i remedied the problem for the time being by using something call "bearsleak". but i don't know how long it will last (hopefully for awhile). so i might be looking at the possibility you mentioned down the road.

[MIKYZZ4]

You don't understand, this is describing the damage caused by heat and pressure, due to overheating, usually resulting in a destroyed, non-usable engine.
Since it has become a useless piece of metal, it is now referred to as a "paperweight". How long that leak junk works, that's a roll of the dice, similar to treating a hemophiliacs cut with a Band-Aid.

[mtnbimmer]

I would perform a cooling system pressure test.

This is the place to start.

[jethrotull]

You don't understand, this is describing the damage caused by heat and pressure, due to overheating, usually resulting in a destroyed, non-usable engine.
Since it has become a useless piece of metal, it is now referred to as a "paperweight". How long that leak junk works, that's a roll of the dice, similar to treating a hemophiliacs cut with a Band-Aid.

I really hope that is not the case. But if so, it is what it is and i am on borrowed time. I will update this thread after some time to let people know if the bears leak stuff is holding up. Thanks!