Coolant Problems

O

optimistique1

Member
 Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire
Hi All

I have only had the Z4 a couple of months and I topped the coolant up the other week as it seemed very low.

Also, I don't know if this is associated with this but I notice when I put the heating on in the car it starts off very very warm and then goes really cool unless I turn the heat dial right up.

I now had a warning light today to say the coolant is low, however, after 5minutes the warning went off.

Anyway, I checked again and it was very low again.

Has anyone any ideas what the problem could be?

Many thanks

Garry
 
Cracked expansion tank is a common problem. May only be seen to leak when the water is hot and therefore the system is under pressure. Can be really hard to spot as well.
 
Almost always the problem is a cracked header tank. Check it really carefully when hot and you may see it weep or there may be evidence of water marks on it.

Oddities in heating may just be related to lower water level.
 
I am by no means a mechanic and have no idea what I'm looking at or looking for. How much are these things to fix roughly?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This won't cause any damage to the car will it until I get to the bottom of it ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
optimistique1 said:
This won't cause any damage to the car will it until I get to the bottom of it ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

If you top it up as soon as the warning light comes on then no problem. If you drive it on low, then possibly depending on how far, how hard, how hot the engine gets, etc. However as you say you are no mechanic get it to a garage and checked as soon as possible as loss of water is a really quick way to wreck an engine.
 
Recently changed mine but I can't find the receipt. I think the tank was < £100. I assume you will be fitting it yourself. It can be hard to get off. What I do know is that you don't have to attack it from beneath the car. I didn't !! If you are changing it PM me and I can pass a few tips on.
 
Thanks for the advise I think I will get it to the garage on Monday and try and get it sorted. I wouldn't dream of doing it myself


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
A new expansion tank from bmw cost me £80 or so. Just need to buy some coolant to top up which is expensive from them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom