I have a 2007 3.0si, with the N52. The car is pretty much new to me, I bought it in January and then immediately went to work with stuff, among others I did OFHG and coolant flush.
When doing that, I was never fully satisfied with the coolant bleeding results - I would often hear bubbles of air going through the heater after engine shutdown, and doing multiple bleeding procedures in the row I would still hear some air around the engine with the second or third cycle. Also occasionally I get a 2E83 (Electric coolant pump, power-reduced operation) at startup, which apparently could indicate air in the cooling system - the pump was replaced last year.
Anyway, since then I drove about 2000 miles, and yesterday the low coolant light came on, but then disappeared and appeared again a few times on my way home (temperature was good). I bought some antifreeze and wanted to refill today in the morning, but the coolant level is still at maximum - about 10-15cm below filler neck, just touching the float bracket. It was however even higher after initial refill and bleed, so I guess I have a minor leak, but with almost 200k miles on the clock I am not too worried, at least the engine oil is clear with no sludge at all.
One more thing I've noticed - even after not driving it for a few days, the cooling system stays pressurized - when I try to open the expansion tank cap, some air and coolant escapes, which surprises me, because I would expect air only - after all, the liquid is at the bottom, right?
Now I'm not sure if I should do anything about the situation? Why would I get low coolant light if the level is right? Could there still be some air trapped after 5 or more bleeding procedures?
Is it safe to add coolant above the max level to silence the low level warning light?
Is it normal for the system to remain pressurized for multiple days and spew some coolant instead of just air when opened?
When doing that, I was never fully satisfied with the coolant bleeding results - I would often hear bubbles of air going through the heater after engine shutdown, and doing multiple bleeding procedures in the row I would still hear some air around the engine with the second or third cycle. Also occasionally I get a 2E83 (Electric coolant pump, power-reduced operation) at startup, which apparently could indicate air in the cooling system - the pump was replaced last year.
Anyway, since then I drove about 2000 miles, and yesterday the low coolant light came on, but then disappeared and appeared again a few times on my way home (temperature was good). I bought some antifreeze and wanted to refill today in the morning, but the coolant level is still at maximum - about 10-15cm below filler neck, just touching the float bracket. It was however even higher after initial refill and bleed, so I guess I have a minor leak, but with almost 200k miles on the clock I am not too worried, at least the engine oil is clear with no sludge at all.
One more thing I've noticed - even after not driving it for a few days, the cooling system stays pressurized - when I try to open the expansion tank cap, some air and coolant escapes, which surprises me, because I would expect air only - after all, the liquid is at the bottom, right?
Now I'm not sure if I should do anything about the situation? Why would I get low coolant light if the level is right? Could there still be some air trapped after 5 or more bleeding procedures?
Is it safe to add coolant above the max level to silence the low level warning light?
Is it normal for the system to remain pressurized for multiple days and spew some coolant instead of just air when opened?
