My Bargain Barge - Quick question
Discussion
Hi All,
I picked up a 1991 H reg 525i SE about a month ago with 184k on the clock. I've put about 1000 miles on it since then and on a couple of occassions i've had the coolant warning light come on:
1) Once after leaving it an the airport for 10 days
2) After a couple of hot days & sitting on the M25 for a couple of hours on Tuesday
It came on again last night when I started the car in the office car park but when I went out to top it up after dinner the warning had gone off.
Did a couple of checks while I was there:
1) Topped up the coolant
2) Checked the oil - It was on the minimum (For my sins this was the first time i'd checked it since I got it). I've topped it up with some 10w40 that I had in the garage.
Going forward what oil should I be using? I've still got 2 green lights on the dash but if this coolant consumption is a problem i'll book it in at the local specialist for him to have a look.
Also should the fan be on constantly? I started the car up last night and the fan came on straight away. When I was stuck on the M25 the temp gauge didn't go over half way.
My thinking is that it's an engine with a lot of miles on it so I should expect it to use some fluids but I just want to make sure.
Cheers,
Phill
I picked up a 1991 H reg 525i SE about a month ago with 184k on the clock. I've put about 1000 miles on it since then and on a couple of occassions i've had the coolant warning light come on:
1) Once after leaving it an the airport for 10 days
2) After a couple of hot days & sitting on the M25 for a couple of hours on Tuesday
It came on again last night when I started the car in the office car park but when I went out to top it up after dinner the warning had gone off.
Did a couple of checks while I was there:
1) Topped up the coolant
2) Checked the oil - It was on the minimum (For my sins this was the first time i'd checked it since I got it). I've topped it up with some 10w40 that I had in the garage.
Going forward what oil should I be using? I've still got 2 green lights on the dash but if this coolant consumption is a problem i'll book it in at the local specialist for him to have a look.
Also should the fan be on constantly? I started the car up last night and the fan came on straight away. When I was stuck on the M25 the temp gauge didn't go over half way.
My thinking is that it's an engine with a lot of miles on it so I should expect it to use some fluids but I just want to make sure.
Cheers,
Phill
Some BMW cooling systems are prone to airlocking and need filling following a certain procedure.
My 97 E39 528 had similar symptoms to yours but after careful refilling and bleeding it was fine.
Try www.bmwland.co.uk for tips
My 97 E39 528 had similar symptoms to yours but after careful refilling and bleeding it was fine.
Try www.bmwland.co.uk for tips
Edited by Egbert Nobacon on Thursday 9th August 10:23
Egbert Nobacon said:
Some BMW cooling systems are prone to airlocking and need filling following a certain procedure.
My 97 E39 528 had similar symptoms to yours but after careful refilling and bleeding it was fine.
Try www.bmwland.co.uk for tips
Had to top it up again this morning, so i'm going to take it over to the local BMW specialists at lunchtime to see what they think - hopefully just an airlock like you say.My 97 E39 528 had similar symptoms to yours but after careful refilling and bleeding it was fine.
Try www.bmwland.co.uk for tips
Got a nice rattle from the exhaust as well which appeared over the weekend so might get them to have a quick look at that as well
sharkfan said:
Might be your water pump. Mine went on my M635 and it started drinking coolant like it was going out of fashion. The fan came on all the time but it didn't affect the engine temp though which I always thought was odd.
Richard
Just been done to the local specialist that the previous owner used. They knew the car and had a quick look at it for me - they've topped up the system and got rid of the airlock.Richard
Car's now booked in with them on the 10th Sept for an MOT and if the coolant loss problem continue's they'll have a look at it up on the ramps. Still no visible coolant loss.
The only other problem i have is that the exhaust backbox is blowing and the cat seems to be making funny noises! (shame I have to keep it as it's a late 1991 car). Bascially they're going to put it in for an MOT and fix any problems that arise so it all be ok.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I know the two previous owners of the car (which had a FSH from BMW, then has been serviced at the same independent since) so i'm trusting the service lights for the time being. No creamy emulsion on either the dipstick or the oil cap. Like I said in a previous post it's booked in for an MOT at said garage for an MOT and a once over on the 10th Sept so fingers crossed until then. Hopefully I was just filling it up wrong. They recognised the car (the owner of the garage asked how the previous owner was and how long i'd had it), had about 20ish e39's in there (ranging from 520's to M5's), along with a couple of M3's so i'm going to trust their judgement on it when the time comes.
How can I check the head bolt? Or is it something I should ask them to check if the coolant loss continues?
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