Gasket Replacement = Coolant Light?

[Sit]

So today I tackled replacing the gaskets on the oil cooler and oil filter housing. Mine had signs of weeping and when I removed them they were crispy and solid so well past their sell by date.

Followed a couple of guides which were really useful and got everything off and stripped. Cleaned off filter housing in a parts washer and got it looking shiny and new again, new gaskets in and all back together and a little too up of coolant, oil check showed ‘Oil Ok’.

On the drive home an amber coolant light came on, when I arrived on the drive it was steaming under the bonnet which I thought was odd?!? I had cleaned the engine bay once all back together so did wonder if it was just the water evaporating off the exhaust manifold etc.

Anyway I have parked it on the level and left it to cool down and will check the level later on.

Should I have done anything additional after putting it all back together? I topped the coolant up but perhaps not enough by the time it had done a cycle of the engine?

Si

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Should I have done anything additional after putting it all back together? I topped the coolant up but perhaps not enough by the time it had done a cycle of the engine?

So you didn't do the full bleed procedure?

When I had the gasket weeping/leaking I fully flushed the coolant with cleaner, then plain water, then refilled and bled it. Just to be sure there was no oil in there.
N52 bleed is easy with the electric pump.

 

[Sit]

Um no I didn’t….the video guide I used just talked about topping up oil and topping up coolant both of which I did.

So perhaps a full bleed is required then will have a look at how to do it - is it really straight forward then?

Si

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Um no I didn’t….the video guide I used just talked about topping up oil and topping up coolant both of which I did.

So perhaps a full bleed is required then will have a look at how to do it - is it really straight forward then?

Si

Sounds like a half assed guide then. Was it N52 specific?
I'll PM you the TIS procedure for the change and bleed.

 

[Sit]

Thanks bud it was indeed specific to N52 (albeit on a 130i) and the guy has loads of useful (or so I thought!) guides on his channel.

Will get it bled through tomorrow.

Si

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Thanks bud it was indeed specific to N52 (albeit on a 130i) and the guy has loads of useful (or so I thought!) guides on his channel.

Will get it bled through tomorrow.

Si

Good luck. Just goes to show, even apparently good guides can be gash.

 

[Sit]

So thanks to Scooba_Steve who shared the TIS for the correct procedure I have this afternoon attempted to bleed the system.

Following the step by step instructions went well, bleed screw off, topping up coolant until the coolant runs out of bleed screw. Close it all back off, vent procedure (ignition on, accelerator to floor for 10 seconds) wait 12mins listening to gurgling etc and hey presto……

The coolant tank is empty :thumbsdown: so I am not sure what has happened, there is also a patch on the drive and can see the fresh coolant say on under tray. I am not sure why but it now seems I have a leak having not disturbed much in the coolant system?!?

Will have to get it recovered to the garage, get it on a ramp and undertrays off.

Gutted.

 

[kis]

When I did my N53 (yes different platform) the coolant hose 'mickey mouse' fitting got damaged when removing... those things get super brittle. So could be that? Assuming you double checked all bolts, connectors, etc were refitted and nice & tight.

I'd top up again and run the bleed procedure just to be sure, could just have had a lot of air in the system :idunno:

 

[Sit]

Thanks Kis, yes had a good check over - the visible pets of the engine and the oil cooler etc. are all bike dry so no obvious signs of a leak from the top end rush I can see.

If there was a lot of air in the system how would that result in a loss of coolant (on drive and under tray) is there a vent/overflow that it could be pushed out?

I am sure whipping the covers off from underneath will allow me to quickly identify where it is coming from.

What is the total capacity of coolant system if filling from empty?

Si

 

[Scooba_Steve]

What is the total capacity of coolant system if filling from empty?

N52:
Manual 7.6 l
Auto 8.4 l

So easiest (for vac fill) is to have a 5 litre concentrated bottle of G48 and dilute it down. A bit cheaper than BMW for which you’d need 3 bottles.

 

[Sit]

So I finally had an opportunity to look at this today, ended up being so simple (thankfully!).

I pressurised the system so I could pinpoint where the loss was, if indeed there was one. The coolant pipe beneath the oil cooler which bolts into the engine block with 2 x 10mm bolts was the culprit.

Having undone it and removed it, the plastic end the you push into the block has an O ring on it, this on closer inspection was split and missing a small chunk. I assume as a result of degradation over time - it probably hasn’t been taken out in 20yrs!

So I popped a new O ring on and put it back together and all is well, bled the system topped up the levels and so far so good.

Thanks for all your help and the TIS for the various aspects of it.

Si

 

[Scooba_Steve]

So I popped a new O ring on and put it back together and all is well, bled the system topped up the levels and so far so good.

They can be a pain to get off, I smear a little silicone grease whenever I release so they hopefully come off easy next time. Obviously no use if damaged, but a new one should be ok as it’s a rare job. The lowest hose is worth doing as that’s the one for draining when doing a coolant change.