How much water does it take?

[danielO]

last week, my expansion tank developed a crack which left me broken down on the road side.

last weekend, made a trip to KL from Penang.
today checked the water level. dry, took half a litre to top it back up.

whats going on????

 

[Racebred]

Re: How much water does it take?

by right you dont have to top up any water even if you make some long distance trips. not by half a litre anyways. i make dozens of such trips before i even remember i need to top up any water. so there's still something wrong with the radiator system i presume.

 

[Raffles]

Re: How much water does it take?

I presume u've replaced with a new radiator. Try releasing air trapped in the radiator system via the hex nut. Top up the radiator only in the morning when car is cold.

 

[danielO]

Re: How much water does it take?

nope, same radiator. just the new expansion tank, top hose and temp valve.

yes, i only check it in the morning b4 i go out

 

[ED520]

Re: How much water does it take?

i think its best to bring it in to check. its not normal that u have to put in half a litre of water.

 

[Racebred]

Re: How much water does it take?

anyways, it's a common fault for BMW E46's to have the expansion tank crack and leak.

amongst: faulty window cables
leaking wiper tank pump
fuel pump motor stuck

these are a few design flaws that cause many bmws to suffer the same faults. CSAs and emergency assist guys are very familiar with these stuff.

 

[piggyboyz]

Re: How much water does it take?

last week, my expansion tank developed a crack which left me broken down on the road side.

last weekend, made a trip to KL from Penang.
today checked the water level. dry, took half a litre to top it back up.

whats going on????

If u have a crack expansion tank, the cooling system itself might already got shortage of water which is why u see that the temperature gauge goes up.

By replacing the expansion tank, the mechanic can only fill up water in the expansion tank but since the engine is not running at operating temperature, u cannot fill up the water in the radiator, so it's very common to have to fill up water after a day or two after the replacement.

Also, it's normal for BMW to lose a little bit of water over long journey.

As long as u don have to keep filling up after your this fill, i don see anything wrong with it.

 

[stevenwu]

Re: How much water does it take?

Hi Daniel,

Please opened your engine oil cap and see if there is oil-over-water in them. Hope this is not the case.

The water pump seal may be the cause of the leaking and usually is a 'slow-leak'.

Hope this help.

Thanks

 

[danielO]

Re: How much water does it take?

thanks all.
will go check.