My low coolant light came on today

[kayger12]

Common enough that I'm debating doing it at 50K.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...18324577&pp=25

[3ZHPGUY]

kinda looks that way

[danewilson77]

I thought I clicked the wrong post with the Sam Adams. Thanks, I'll take a better look at it in the next few days. I haven't had that problem on either one of my other cars. 99 323I 100K, 30 325CIc 105K, How common is it?

Problem here is...I would have never seen this without pulling the tank.

[az3579]

I've got my cooling system overhaul in the next 5k or so miles.
Will replace:

* Radiator
* Upgraded expansion tank (better quality part) and cap
* Stewart water pump (I track the car - need this!)
* Hoses
* Thermostat
* Coolant level sensor



Of course, that's all assuming I'm going to have money for it. Darn Christmas time; I have to make a choice: pay off all bills and reach 0 credit card debt, or buy presents. Or do cooling system refresh. Bah.

[danewilson77]

Please provide link to upgraded tank. I would like to read up on it.

[az3579]

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html...ID=17117573781

Problem is, it doesn't say what makes it better, only that it replaces the previous inferior part.

[kayger12]

Interesting. Definitely worth looking into. I'll shoot Turner an email and ask.
Email sent.

[zhp43867]

That is the updated BMW part IIRC- if you get the right one off of Real OEM that is the same part you should get at the stealer/your parts guy/tischer.

3ZHPGUY, I had the same thing last winter. No visible leak- but an occasional coolant level low. It was a crack in the expansion tank that held and held, and at a certain pressure would just start gushing out; almost like a blow off valve. I'd suggest taking your car for a fairly hard drive, then quickly looking under the front bumper area while you have someone rev the car. That is how I've been able to find multiple coolant leaks in E46s in the past. You have to cross the pressure threshold.

It is just luck of the draw with the 330 vs your 323, however I don't know what a 30 325ic is- sorry. Do you mean E30? E30s have a bunch of annoying things with the M20 (or M42) but the cooling system is not a particularly well known weak point.

[3ZHPGUY]

That is the updated BMW part IIRC- if you get the right one off of Real OEM that is the same part you should get at the stealer/your parts guy/tischer.

3ZHPGUY, I had the same thing last winter. No visible leak- but an occasional coolant level low. It was a crack in the expansion tank that held and held, and at a certain pressure would just start gushing out; almost like a blow off valve. I'd suggest taking your car for a fairly hard drive, then quickly looking under the front bumper area while you have someone rev the car. That is how I've been able to find multiple coolant leaks in E46s in the past. You have to cross the pressure threshold.

It is just luck of the draw with the 330 vs your 323, however I don't know what a 30 325ic is- sorry. Do you mean E30? E30s have a bunch of annoying things with the M20 (or M42) but the cooling system is not a particularly well known weak point.

Thanks, It was ironic that it happened yesterday at the end of the work day. Currently I only drive a few miles to work and the least in over 20 years. But today I needed to go to a rough section of Cleveland. From some of the comments posted I sure had something to think about. Then I remembered when I did the wives water pump, I had trouble bleeding the system. From that experience I know it doesn't take much to get her hot if things aren't right. And when the pump died, she was on the highway and got off at the first exit. Trailer-ed it home swapped out the bad pump and belt and it's been fine ever since.

[kayger12]

Here's a cut n paste of the email I received from Turner in response to my question about the tank:

Keith,


Same manufacturer, BEHR, they just updated the version to a better quality one. I think they simply thickened the plastic walls to help prevent cracking. Not sure exactly but whatever they did it worked, these last much longer.



-Doug