JHZR2
Staff member
Hi,
yesterday, my fiancee and I went out to HD/lowes to check out refrigerators, as the one at my house was dying. After going to the first store, I noticed a large water puddle under the car. I verified just in case (I thought it was likely just AC condensate), but it was blue! BLAST! it was coolant.
The problem is - the radiator is A-OK, dry as can be. The three hoses (the two big ones and than a third that connects somehow to the throttle body) all looked fine, and were dry. The point where the two hoses go into the engine block (they connect right next to each other) was dry. The water was coming out from low down, near the AC compressor. At lowes the cheapest water thay had was poland spring (the supermarket was completely out), so we added about a half a gallon to the overflow bottle (attached to the radiator, and has the pressure cap), and when the water got to be about 8" from the top, likely linline with where the leak was, it started spilling out from underneath again.
I put bar's leaks in it, and apparently the leak slowed. I got it to the point where I filled it to the top of the overflow, and had to squeeze some out so I could put the cap on. It does always keep leaking with use, though, as I noted later.
With a few stops to check and cool down, we nursed it to the local BMW specialist. It leaked the whole way there, so we kept filling it, and the temperature never crept over a hair past the centerline with is the proper operating temperature. We had the heat set to high, but it took a LONG while before heat came out - Im sure it helped somewhat.
So, I cant for the life of me see where the leak is coming from... I can tell the general are, but nothing more than that. I do know that in the winter, when I put the heat on, I gewt a slight antifreeze evaporating smell, but the level never drops, and I never need to add water between total flushes. The car has ran A-OK, always sterady at halfway or below if its a cold startup, as expected. It still ran A-OK with the water leak, I just nursed it anyway. I did notice that when the engine RPMs were higher, the engine stayed cooler - when it crept a hair past the midline was when the engine rpms were too low... even when stopped at a red light, revving the engine kept the temperature right in the middle.
So, any ideas what this could be? Why I would have a slow water leak on an fine running engine, and nothing apparently busted or broken? Can water pumps leak where they mate to the engine block?
Thanks for any insight!
JMH
yesterday, my fiancee and I went out to HD/lowes to check out refrigerators, as the one at my house was dying. After going to the first store, I noticed a large water puddle under the car. I verified just in case (I thought it was likely just AC condensate), but it was blue! BLAST! it was coolant.
The problem is - the radiator is A-OK, dry as can be. The three hoses (the two big ones and than a third that connects somehow to the throttle body) all looked fine, and were dry. The point where the two hoses go into the engine block (they connect right next to each other) was dry. The water was coming out from low down, near the AC compressor. At lowes the cheapest water thay had was poland spring (the supermarket was completely out), so we added about a half a gallon to the overflow bottle (attached to the radiator, and has the pressure cap), and when the water got to be about 8" from the top, likely linline with where the leak was, it started spilling out from underneath again.
I put bar's leaks in it, and apparently the leak slowed. I got it to the point where I filled it to the top of the overflow, and had to squeeze some out so I could put the cap on. It does always keep leaking with use, though, as I noted later.
With a few stops to check and cool down, we nursed it to the local BMW specialist. It leaked the whole way there, so we kept filling it, and the temperature never crept over a hair past the centerline with is the proper operating temperature. We had the heat set to high, but it took a LONG while before heat came out - Im sure it helped somewhat.
So, I cant for the life of me see where the leak is coming from... I can tell the general are, but nothing more than that. I do know that in the winter, when I put the heat on, I gewt a slight antifreeze evaporating smell, but the level never drops, and I never need to add water between total flushes. The car has ran A-OK, always sterady at halfway or below if its a cold startup, as expected. It still ran A-OK with the water leak, I just nursed it anyway. I did notice that when the engine RPMs were higher, the engine stayed cooler - when it crept a hair past the midline was when the engine rpms were too low... even when stopped at a red light, revving the engine kept the temperature right in the middle.
So, any ideas what this could be? Why I would have a slow water leak on an fine running engine, and nothing apparently busted or broken? Can water pumps leak where they mate to the engine block?
Thanks for any insight!
JMH