Radiator coolant leak(where did my thread go?)

[FLJayson318]

LOL i had a post going earlier about this and it looks like it was deleted?

well i remember someone talkin to me about finding a "calcium build up" somewere on my radiator and that might be the spot for my leak. im not sure if this is it but today when i was looking under the hood i noticed this



that i think is the DOUBLE TEMPERATURE SWITCH(realoem.com).... i looked this up on the radiator tab and this is the closest thing to where its located

Would this be causing the leak of my coolant or just the hot weather in FL?

Any help would be great thanks..

[cooljess76]

The threads/posts were accidentally deleted when doing a system backup today.

But yeah, that's exactly what that looks like. You definitely have a small leak and you should probably replace your radiator eventually. You can keep adding coolant for the time being, but make sure you bleed the cooling system each time as to not trap air. There's a bleed screw right next to the fill cap. Make sure the car is parked on an incline such as a hill or driveway, with the engine idling, turn the heater on full blast, remove the bleed screw and add coolant/water untill you see a steady stream of coolant flowing from the bleed hole with no bubbles.

[FLJayson318]

well i fixed the one in the picture and now today i found the real leak i think... when ever i start venting my coolant... it starts leaking out of the bottom of the expansion tank... i used bars leak stopper. I regret it now my coolant is black. wtf

[cooljess76]

That's why I suggested replacing your radiator. Now you have crap in your engine. You can get a radiator on ebay for about 125 bucks. I bought a Behr radiator and it was exactly the same as the OEM radiator I was replacing. Make sure you get one for the 318ti/1.9L Z3 that comes with an expansion tank. Only use BMW coolant or coolant recommended for BMW's. I use orange Prestone.

[zoner]

Originally Posted by FLJayson318

i used bars leak stopper. I regret it now my coolant is black. wtf

Not only is your coolant now black, but they don't call it 'stopper' for nothing. It will stop most leaks, but it also stops up your radiator, water jackets, and other small passages. Once you change out that switch, I would pressure flush the radiator as well as the whole cooling system to get as much of that stuff out as you can.

[FLJayson318]

should i flush it out imediately??? dumb parents telling me to use that ****. i just bought a new water pump last year and i only needed a new expansion tank. they said use that and i will be golden... so now when i replace the radiator i have to replace the whole thing?

[zoner]

Originally Posted by FLJayson318

should i flush it out imediately??? dumb parents telling me to use that ****. i just bought a new water pump last year and i only needed a new expansion tank. they said use that and i will be golden... so now when i replace the radiator i have to replace the whole thing?

Yeah, that sounds like something my dad would have told me too. Back in the day, radiator cores had much wider passages and that stuff wouldn't clog up your radiator like it can with today's cars. Alumaseal is the worst of them all. Those types of products are really for emergencies only, not to use as a substitute for necessary repairs.

If your car has significant mileage, you're probably due for a radiator anyway, but for the time being you can probably eke out some additional life of the one you have, but I would definitely flush the system. Although, at the end of the day, it's easier and cheaper to replace a radiator than to replace a head gasket, cylinder head, or worse...

[mohaughn]

In my experience plastic e36 radiators are an item that have to be replaced every 3-4 years. If you get 5 years out of one, you are doing good.

Was it a BMW specialty shop that told you just to replace the expansion tank? Most BMW mechanics are going to know that this is an item prone to breaking, and given that it is very possible to overheat a motor when it completely fails, they should have suggested replacing the entire radiator.

[FLJayson318]

no i suggested replacing the expansion tank because, #1 i dont have $350 bucks to get a whole new radiator #2 when i looked to see where the coolant was leaking out it was deffinately coming from the expansion tank so i figured if i replaced that i figured it would be okay... but i think im just going to save some money up this month to replace the radiator...

[cooljess76]

No need to spend $350, I got mine from these guys for $127 shipped:
http://myworld.ebay.com/radiator-ac-imports/

They currently don't have one listed for the 318ti or 1.9L Z3, but I'm sure they have them in stock if you shoot them an email. They have really fast shipping, mine arrived less than a day after I placed my order! Tell them you're interested in a Behr unit and MAKE SURE it fits the 318ti/1.9L Z3.

[mohaughn]

Agreed. Don't pay mechanic retail for a radiator. I had to pay $350 for my last radiator as I caught the leak two days before a track event and I didn't have time to order one online.


The behr units are what my mechanic gets as OEM through worldpac.. Autohausaz has them slightly above ebay prices if nobody on ebay has them. THey should always be able to get them as I'm certain that those ebay OEM sellers just have a worldpac account that has a ton of volume, and that is how they get parts at a low price.