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Thread: E36 Coolant Leak Inside '95 Coupe

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    1996 E36 Coupe 2.0i

    Wink E36 Coolant Leak Inside '95 Coupe

    Greetings fellow e36 fanatics.

    Winter season is coming, so its a "must" for something important to fail(battery, heating, blower fan, stuff like that), and this year I won the prize of heating failure.

    I have an e36 Coupe 2.0i M52B20 S3, and i started noticing a weird smell in the car, kind of sweet and sour. Didn't mind it at first, i thought it's coming from outside(i hoped...).

    Yesterday i noticed that there is no heat in the car, while the gauge is a middle, so I thought to myself, probably an air bubble so I revved it a bit, and then something magical happened, my shoe got wet. So i'm wondering if you guys have any idea if it's the piping or the core from this little details, also i'm curious which type of heating system might the car have.


    TL;DR E36 Coupe with digital climatronics Leaking coolant on driver foot well on brake and gas pedals. There is no heat also.

    Edit: I also think the water got into somewhere nasty because the blower started on its own, while the Climate control was turned off.


    Edit2: I have this type of heater core -->https://c1552172.ssl.cf0.rackcdn.com/488974_x800.jpg
    And i see coolant coming from the piping at the entrance to the cabin, and also from the air vent in the footwell
    Last edited by stresss; 11-21-2017 at 06:34 AM.

  2. #2
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    Quick update in case some1 is looking for this.

    I Changed the heater core, not the hardest job, bit annoying to remove the core cover.

    But it wasn't the problem, the water seems to leak from where there metal pipes enter the cabin.

    Would be nice if some1 hadd a guide or atleast information how to change the seal there. Should i remove the dash? or can it be changed from the outside?

  3. #3
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    Could be the electronic solenoid nipples which control how much hot fluid is allowed into the heater core vs refrigerant. Those solenoids have plastic nipples that become brittle and crack either at the inlet (firewall near fuse box, impossible to miss) or the inside of the car which it sounds like its coming from for you. The nipples bolt onto the solenoid housing so its an easy fix. 1 10mm bolt if I remember correctly. Just don't over torque because it cracks very easily. I got mine new for like 10 bucks on ebay.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by MazerRackham View Post
    Could be the electronic solenoid nipples which control how much hot fluid is allowed into the heater core vs refrigerant. Those solenoids have plastic nipples that become brittle and crack either at the inlet (firewall near fuse box, impossible to miss) or the inside of the car which it sounds like its coming from for you. The nipples bolt onto the solenoid housing so its an easy fix. 1 10mm bolt if I remember correctly. Just don't over torque because it cracks very easily. I got mine new for like 10 bucks on ebay.
    Oring.png

    I purchased OEM orings and the plastic flange(green) to replace since the car is torn apart.

    I would love to know how i can get to the upper orings(RED) and flange(green) part to change them. Is it accessible from the outside?

  5. #5
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    No. The part circled in green is right at the firewall. You'll have to pull the dash to get access to the rest.

  6. #6
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    Well, I'll have a look at it from the outside point of view and pray that the Orings are fine. Will be uploading pictures tomorrow.

    ps. there is no visible leak or coolant trail in the engine bay near the valves nor the nipples. Didn't remove the firewall cover yet

  7. #7
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    Found the culprit.
    IMG_20171216_120808.jpgIMG_20171216_120808.jpg

    It doesn't need the dash removed.
    1. You can undo the 3 connecting plastic pipes from the outside which has a nut on a headless screw.
    2. Undo the screw and the plastic flange will come off. After that undo the 3 screws inside that holds the flange which connects the pipes to the core.
    3. With a bit of twisting and pulling you can remove all 3 pipes from the inside.


    Of course i realized this after i removed and reinstalled the dashboard.
    Last edited by stresss; 12-16-2017 at 08:27 AM.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by stresss View Post
    Found the culprit.
    IMG_20171216_120808.jpgIMG_20171216_120808.jpg

    It doesn't need the dash removed.
    1. You can undo the 3 connecting plastic pipes from the outside which has a nut on a headless screw.
    2. Undo the screw and the plastic flange will come off. After that undo the 3 screws inside that holds the flange which connects the pipes to the core.
    3. With a bit of twisting and pulling you can remove all 3 pipes from the inside.


    Of course i realized this after i removed and reinstalled the dashboard.
    Well you're not an gentleman and a scholar and some poor 20 year old will stumble upon this years from now and be saved... if that dumb cunt Ajit Pai hasn't fully raped the internet.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by MazerRackham View Post
    Well you're not an gentleman and a scholar and some poor 20 year old will stumble upon this years from now and be saved... if that dumb cunt Ajit Pai hasn't fully raped the internet.

    Trying my best to give back to the community, i did get a lot of help from here.

    I hope that cunt will fail.

  10. #10
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    yay
    Quote Originally Posted by stresss View Post
    Oring.png

    I purchased OEM orings and the plastic flange(green) to replace since the car is torn apart.

    I would love to know how i can get to the upper orings(RED) and flange(green) part to change them. Is it accessible from the outside?

    Since the Q was never answered.

    Is removing the part circled in green through the engine bay possible?
    .
    .
    .
    .

    Last edited by xxxxxxx; 10-30-2020 at 01:35 PM.
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  11. #11
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    1997 M3
    Bump for post #10

    Chasing coolant leaks and would like to change the final remaining plastic components. Would prefer to do it without disturbing the A/C system which means leaving the heater box undisturbed.

    Know the heater core can be changed in-situ. Is it possible to change the green/red circled manifold and O-rings w/o disturbing the heater box? The green manifold is fastened to the heater box somehow.

  12. #12
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    Bringing this back around.

    I ended up goin full-retard dash out and changed all the heater box parts on the work bench.

    The green circled (white plastic) O-ring junction is intended to remain with the heater box to secure the 3x water pipes as an assembly.

    The 'proper' method would be to remove the black plastic hose-nipples from the engine side, then remove the heater box with the white coupler and pipes as an assembly from the inside.

    That said the white coupler can be removed from the engine side. It will be unpleasant, and the three pipes will wander and be difficult to align for re-assembly.

    My '97 didn't have any signs of coolant leaking from the 3-way hose nipples all the way through the heater box and core. O-rings were fatigued, but everything was water tight.


    Tip: If you're pulling the heater box. Order the gasket that seals the heater box to the firewall from BMW, and allow time to ship from Germany.

    I got lazy and figured I'd just pick up some whatever foam insulation locally. Unfortunately the box is somewhat delicate. Using foam that is too thick, or too stiff, will cause the box to deform and various doors will fail to operate.

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