Coolant Question.

davidelectricred · 08-09-2012, 02:50 AM

So I got the coolant low light this morning. Stopped at a dealership after work and bought a gallon of coolant. I asked the parts guy if I could just go pour it in my car and he yea.

After doing more research after getting home. I saw people saying that you should vent the system so you don't get any air leaks.

So is it to late to vent my system? Should I be worried?
Oh and the parts guy didn't say anything about adding water so I just pour straight from the gallon jug. Is that a problem?

fenixxishot · 08-09-2012, 08:12 AM

I'm not familiar with this venting process but depending on how much you are adding you should really spit it 50/50 with distiller water. If you are only adding a cup or two you don't have to worry about adding the water.

ryan stewart · 08-09-2012, 08:46 AM

Depending on environment 50/50 with water is what you should do (it can vary a bit based on where you live and what you want but 50/50 works for most. See if you can get de-ionized water, its the best possible for your cooling system in the long haul.

As for venting (which I assume is the same as bleeding) if youre just low then you shouldnt need to but you could play it safe and, after you top it off, let the car heat up and run the heat on full blast to make sure coolant is circulating everywhere, eliminating as much air as possible.

The biggest question you should be asking is why you got the low coolant light. Modern systems are all sealed so evap isnt an issue and the engine shouldnt consume under normal circumstances. You might have a leak somewhere that you would want to address (especially if its around a hose fitting or the like) before it turned into a major failure that would leave you on the side of the road. Any good mech should be able to test if the system is holding pressure and, if not, track down the leak.

JuppiOne · 08-09-2012, 09:42 AM

dont just mix the coolant with water, read the instruction first, they may be premixed already.

theres no need to vent, since you are just adding coolant, and for that matter, unlike brake fluid, coolant will vent itself once the water pump is running

monza2t · 08-09-2012, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JuppiOne

dont just mix the coolant with water, read the instruction first, they may be premixed already.

theres no need to vent, since you are just adding coolant, and for that matter, unlike brake fluid, coolant will vent itself once the water pump is running

+1

Purging air is only required if you empty the system completely

DASHOCKER · 08-09-2012, 10:13 AM

distilled water costs a buck. keep it handy to top off coolant. no issues will arise.

davidelectricred · 08-09-2012, 11:25 AM

Thanks for the replies everyone. To start ill say I have an 06 330i build date:08/05 and I don't think the cooking system has been serviced which should explain why I need coolant. I'm glad that I didn't need to vent the system. The not so good thing is that like I said in the original post. I was in a rush to add coolant to prevent over heating so I didn't add water. So what should I do?

davidelectricred · 08-09-2012, 11:36 AM

Sorry for the picture being so large. iPhones....

MooseCaboose · 08-09-2012, 11:38 AM

no thread hijack, just thought id keep this in a relevant post..

i got a low cooling warning also,

only because of what seems like a leak a few days ago. went on a 2 hour drive with my girl and all of a sudden i get the warning. pull over to open the hood and see coolant splash marks all over the coolant bin....i also got a car overheating warning. so i let it sit for about 15 mins in the shade and made my way. overheating warning disappeared but low coolant is still here(obviously). tried to look for a leak but cant find it anywhere...

anyone know what caused this? its not leaking right now. i got an appt with the dealer in a few days for a coolant flush. also it was around 35 degrees c if that matters. never had this issue in hotter weather before either..
maybe it was an emergency valve discharging incase of too much pressure??

Whit · 08-09-2012, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MooseCaboose

no thread hijack, just thought id keep this in a relevant post..

i got a low cooling warning also,

only because of what seems like a leak a few days ago. went on a 2 hour drive with my girl and all of a sudden i get the warning. pull over to open the hood and see coolant splash marks all over the coolant bin....i also got a car overheating warning. so i let it sit for about 15 mins in the shade and made my way. overheating warning disappeared but low coolant is still here(obviously). tried to look for a leak but cant find it anywhere...

anyone know what caused this? its not leaking right now. i got an appt with the dealer in a few days for a coolant flush. also it was around 35 degrees c if that matters. never had this issue in hotter weather before either..
maybe it was an emergency valve discharging incase of too much pressure??

Quite a few of us have just gone through this. Your water pump is out...or going out. Plan on replacing your water pump and thermostat at the same time. Mileage?
See thread....
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=715329

ryan stewart · 08-10-2012, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidelectricred

Thanks for the replies everyone. To start ill say I have an 06 330i build date:08/05 and I don't think the cooking system has been serviced which should explain why I need coolant. I'm glad that I didn't need to vent the system. The not so good thing is that like I said in the original post. I was in a rush to add coolant to prevent over heating so I didn't add water. So what should I do?

If you just dropped a half liter in there its not a big thing. It just wont cool quite as well as the proper mix (a trivial amount where we are) but its not at risk of boiling or anything. Just keep a bottle of deionized water on hand for the next top off.

monza2t · 08-10-2012, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan stewart

Just keep a bottle of deionized water on hand for the next top off.

where can I buy that

I think you meant distilled water. DI water is an industrial cleaning agent. you dont want DI in your car, it will attack the aluminum, iron, and stainless.

F32Fleet · 08-10-2012, 10:23 AM

OP....don't sweat it. You'll be fine.

davidelectricred · 08-10-2012, 02:05 PM

Thank you all so much, I was nervous.

GoRomeo · 08-10-2012, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidelectricred

Thank you all so much, I was nervous.

HI there,

I have the same car as you 330i built in 05

Last year I had the same issue where my low coolant light came on. I was worried but all I did was add coolant (make sure is the blue kind from BMW) and no more warning light ever since. Running strong today 93k miles.

Ive heard that coolant can evaporate and eventually would go under the level mark. Hope this helps. Cheers!

08-09-2012, 02:50 AM	#1
davidelectricred Private First Class 15 Rep 173 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330I sedan Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (1)	Coolant Question. So I got the coolant low light this morning. Stopped at a dealership after work and bought a gallon of coolant. I asked the parts guy if I could just go pour it in my car and he yea. After doing more research after getting home. I saw people saying that you should vent the system so you don't get any air leaks. So is it to late to vent my system? Should I be worried? Oh and the parts guy didn't say anything about adding water so I just pour straight from the gallon jug. Is that a problem?
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08-09-2012, 08:12 AM	#2
fenixxishot Lieutenant 20 Rep 512 Posts Drives: 08 335i e92 AW MT Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Austin iTrader: (8)	I'm not familiar with this venting process but depending on how much you are adding you should really spit it 50/50 with distiller water. If you are only adding a cup or two you don't have to worry about adding the water.
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08-09-2012, 08:46 AM	#3
ryan stewart Major 2249 Rep 1,351 Posts Drives: 2008 328it Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (0)	Depending on environment 50/50 with water is what you should do (it can vary a bit based on where you live and what you want but 50/50 works for most. See if you can get de-ionized water, its the best possible for your cooling system in the long haul. As for venting (which I assume is the same as bleeding) if youre just low then you shouldnt need to but you could play it safe and, after you top it off, let the car heat up and run the heat on full blast to make sure coolant is circulating everywhere, eliminating as much air as possible. The biggest question you should be asking is why you got the low coolant light. Modern systems are all sealed so evap isnt an issue and the engine shouldnt consume under normal circumstances. You might have a leak somewhere that you would want to address (especially if its around a hose fitting or the like) before it turned into a major failure that would leave you on the side of the road. Any good mech should be able to test if the system is holding pressure and, if not, track down the leak.
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08-09-2012, 09:42 AM	#4
JuppiOne Captain 25 Rep 687 Posts Drives: everyone crazy Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: MO iTrader: (4)	dont just mix the coolant with water, read the instruction first, they may be premixed already. theres no need to vent, since you are just adding coolant, and for that matter, unlike brake fluid, coolant will vent itself once the water pump is running
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08-09-2012, 10:13 AM	#6
DASHOCKER The power of V! 103 Rep 1,971 Posts Drives: 2007 335i coupe steptronic Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: NYC iTrader: (0) Garage List 1998 Lexus Gs400 [0.00] 2010 ebony & ivory [0.00] 2006 BMW X3 [0.00] 2009 pics [0.00] 2009 e92 335 xdrive [0.00]	distilled water costs a buck. keep it handy to top off coolant. no issues will arise. __________________ 2007 335 coupe Alpine white, steptronic, sportpack, etc. (gone) 2006 X3 3.0 steptronic Titanium Silver, 2009 E92 335xdrive, next.... Caddy CTS_V! 13 Lincoln MKZ? hmmm.
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08-09-2012, 11:25 AM	#7
davidelectricred Private First Class 15 Rep 173 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330I sedan Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (1)	Thanks for the replies everyone. To start ill say I have an 06 330i build date:08/05 and I don't think the cooking system has been serviced which should explain why I need coolant. I'm glad that I didn't need to vent the system. The not so good thing is that like I said in the original post. I was in a rush to add coolant to prevent over heating so I didn't add water. So what should I do?
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08-09-2012, 11:36 AM	#8
davidelectricred Private First Class 15 Rep 173 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330I sedan Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (1)	Sorry for the picture being so large. iPhones.... Attached Images
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08-09-2012, 11:38 AM	#9
MooseCaboose First Lieutenant 30 Rep 367 Posts Drives: with a doge Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (1)	no thread hijack, just thought id keep this in a relevant post.. i got a low cooling warning also, only because of what seems like a leak a few days ago. went on a 2 hour drive with my girl and all of a sudden i get the warning. pull over to open the hood and see coolant splash marks all over the coolant bin....i also got a car overheating warning. so i let it sit for about 15 mins in the shade and made my way. overheating warning disappeared but low coolant is still here(obviously). tried to look for a leak but cant find it anywhere... anyone know what caused this? its not leaking right now. i got an appt with the dealer in a few days for a coolant flush. also it was around 35 degrees c if that matters. never had this issue in hotter weather before either.. maybe it was an emergency valve discharging incase of too much pressure?? __________________
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08-10-2012, 10:23 AM	#13
F32Fleet Lieutenant General 3908 Rep 10,606 Posts Drives: 2015 435i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Southeastern US iTrader: (0)	OP....don't sweat it. You'll be fine.
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08-10-2012, 02:05 PM	#14
davidelectricred Private First Class 15 Rep 173 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330I sedan Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Atlanta, GA iTrader: (1)	Thank you all so much, I was nervous.
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