Coolant leaking onto exhaust from engine

[goinstrong]

Help! I have a '98 528i that runs well, but has a coolant leak onto the exhaust near the cylinder closest to the firewall. It starts to drip once the engine is warm. Can't tell if there is oil dripping as well, or if it is due to the valve cover gasket leaking and needing to be replaced. I just picked this up and is my first E39. Any suggestions or anyone experienced this before? Thanks in advance!
Tim

[StRaNgEdAyS]

Can you do a pressure test on the cooling system and check for drips while it's pressurised?
It's much easier to do while the engine is cold and not running because you won't burn your hands feeling for the source of the leaks.
It could be the heater hoses, or it could be the head gasket, though you'd likely see other symptoms if it was the gasket.
I'm not familiar enough with the plumbing of the 6 cylinder ones to guess much more, but a quick check at RealOEM would let you see just what's back there.

Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder.

[goinstrong]

Can you do a pressure test on the cooling system and check for drips while it's pressurised?
It's much easier to do while the engine is cold and not running because you won't burn your hands feeling for the source of the leaks.
It could be the heater hoses, or it could be the head gasket, though you'd likely see other symptoms if it was the gasket.
I'm not familiar enough with the plumbing of the 6 cylinder ones to guess much more, but a quick check at RealOEM would let you see just what's back there.

Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder.

Willdo!

[goinstrong]

Update: There was both oil and coolant leaking. The coolant was from the rear hose where it connects at the engine before going through the firewall to the heater core. I was able to tighten down the hose clamp with 7 (yes, SEVEN) full turns of the screw! The oil was leaking from what was probably the original VCG. (221,000 miles) When we dropped it to the ground, it shattered into pieces like it was glass. After putting it all back together and bleeding the cooling system, there are no leaks, and both fluid levels are unchanged after about 250 miles of driving in all kinds of conditions.
However, there is now a noticeable miss or stutter at constant speed. No check engine light, no codes. Acceleration is smooth and steady, and the miss doesn't happen all the time. I replaced the spark plugs, and put some injector cleaner into the fuel.
Will be replacing the fuel filter, but other than that, any ideas? Thank you!
Tim

[goinstrong]

It was a simple fix...the MAF cleaner took care of the problem.