Coolant indicator light

[snowman]

hi to all
recently when i crank my engine during the morning, the 'coolant indicator light' appear. may i know if i can just top up the coolant with those tap water or must i top it up with those BMW coolant?
what is recommended??
any side effect if i just top up with tap water?? even in the future???

thanks for ur help
cheers!

 

[ersalle71]

Re: Coolant indicator light

Tap water is fine, better still u can add a mixture of 50% tap water + 50% BMW coolant and top up. How fast is your coolant going down?if u are topping up frequently better check for leakage. I see ur driving e46, radiator plastic cracks are a common for them.

 

[snowman]

Re: Coolant indicator light

Tap water is fine, better still u can add a mixture of 50% tap water + 50% BMW coolant and top up. How fast is your coolant going down?if u are topping up frequently better check for leakage. I see ur driving e46, radiator plastic cracks are a common for them.

alright, will top it up with water. guess its becos its been a long time since i last top up, hee...

thanks

 

[Huton Benz]

Re: Coolant indicator light

Hi Snowman,

I am encountering the same scenario as you - coolant indicator light appearing despite me topping up the water till the float stick out by 2 cm the night before. It is kind of a strange why that idiotic light is lit. Can anyone out there shed some light on this strange occurence?

Thanks!
Huton

 

[snowman]

Re: Coolant indicator light

oki, top up abt 800ml of tap water today early morning b4 i start my car.so far, everything is fine and normal now. gues its really due to my lack of check for the coolant, hee... thanks

 

[satinGHOST|r!der]

Re: Coolant indicator light

i had the same problem and i found out the coolant sensor has failed. if u have topped up and it still shows the same, its probably ur sensor from what i have experienced.

Cheers.

 

[Huton Benz]

Re: Coolant indicator light

Hi Snowman,

I faced the same problem 2 weeks ago. I had to top up water every alternate day and I finally sent it to the w/shop. The small plastic tank had hairline crack (after 3 yrs) and I replaced them for less than $200. Since then, that idiotic orange colored light dare not light up again. The jitters is gone and I drive without fear anymore. So, go get a small radiator tank replacement soon and it will rid you of that phobia whenever the radiator light lit up.

Huton

 

[martmode8850]

Re: Coolant indicator light

Tap water is fine, better still u can add a mixture of 50% tap water + 50% BMW coolant and top up.

not sure if you will be concentrating the coolent fluid with more coolent than water...

 

[Mustard]

Re: Coolant indicator light

Got the same problem and advise you check for leakages. The expansion tank indicator (the pop up float indicator) may mislead you into thinking there is sufficient coolant. There could be air pockets in the cooling system if you have been losing coolant through leakage and/or evaporation via a crack (as it was in my case).

 

[ykh1]

Re: Coolant indicator light

I having the same problem 2.....everyday need to top up water. Can I know where to send in for checking up the leakage??????

 

[oneHeadlight]

Re: Coolant indicator light

BVO should do fine. Check the workshops list in this forum.