Hello everyone. I have a coolant issue which sounds similar to Vadas. I've itimised every mile the M5 has done since Monday. Hopefully it's nothing major. Thanks in advance Gary
MONDAY
Drop the beast off to local independent BMW garage which comes highly recommended as they are supposedly ex-Bavarian trained tech's who have gone out on their own (I also used them for my '89 325i Sports and was happy enough with their job). Oil service ensues, replace fuel filter, oil filter and air filter. Does the oil and tops up PAS fluid. 2 miles there and back. 4 miles to football in quite heavy traffic and 4 miles cruising back in light traffic thinking about how wrecked my ankles are at the tender age of 24! Car gets a through wash and doesn't go out again as owner scratches himself on couch waiting for Heroes to come on Sky......
TUESDAY
Up bright and early for work. Drive the 3.5 miles there thinking the car does seem to be breathing a bit better than before. Makes mental note to take the car out for proper a spin later to see how its performing over 4k rpm. 11 hrs later I return home 3.5 miles. Make plans to go out for some food with GF, great I'll get a chance to redline it on my fav road meets motorway section. Redlines it upto 110.... big smile as car does seem less ragged than before mini service. Cruise control on @ 100mph for 8 miles. Do the needful with GF and on getting back to her house 'BONG - Coolant Low' Sh1t no coolant, water will have to do. I put in 3/4 litre of water....
WEDNESDAY
3.5 miles to work, half day. Run errands for 1 hour in town with brother and most of Belfast if I was to go by the traffic congestion. Temp gauge is fine, oil pressure sitting perfectly on 210 once engine warms up as usual. Decide to buy my mum a 'new' car as she needs an estate for Golf and her dog. Drive 40 miles to look at a 320d Touring Black with 60k on the clock. Temp gauge is fine, oil pressure sitting on 210 still. Nice motor. Car bought. Decide to get some petrol for a change
and 'BONG - Coolant Low' Sh1t....... Oh Oh!.... LEAK
.... Was it something the BMW guys have knocked loose on fitting the fuel filter? Engine way too hot to try taking the coolant tank top off. Gotta drive the 40 miles home gingerly and very worried. Brother assures me it'll be fine until we get home. Drive home @ 65 mph in the rain. Engine temp fine, oil pressure @ 210 still. Wash car and leave bonnet open to help cool down quicker. Cant find my bottle of coolant, Dad must have used it in his 528 and didn't replace
. I put in 1.7 litres of water and go to bed.
THURSDAY
3.5 miles to work. GF complaining of not seeing me enough recently
. We decide to go to the cinema and only thing on is the new Fantastic 4 (Jessica Alba is so hot). Cinema, her house and then home = 38 miles round trip. Another thorough wash before bed. Rains over night
FRIDAY
work, gf house & home, another wash (i'm weird,
who else washes their car this much?!) 30 miles covered. Engine temp fine, oil pressure fine.
SATURDAY
3.5 miles to Work. Finish early at 5.30 drive 3.5 miles home. GF and I are going out for dinner and then to see 'Chicago' (things you do to keep other half happy!) Drive 3 miles to dinner, after dinner drive 2 miles to Opera House. Show finishes, gotta pretend to have liked it, get back into car and 'BONG - Coolant Low' Drive 8 miles to her house, drive 13 miles home @ 65 on motorway (1am not very much traffic). Go to bed thinking there MUST be a leak in a coolant hose or something.
SUNDAY
Up for work at 6.30, put 2 litres of water in and coolant tank, level now reads max. At 7.12am logs onto M5Board in work and does a search for 'Coolant leak' in the E34 M5 section. Reads many threads. Don't really understand most of it because I'm almost completely mechanically ignorant. I go outside and lie on the wet ground (Belfast always rains) to see if I can see a drip anywhere. Can't see one. Stay there for 5 mins then switches sides to see if I missed something. Still cant see a drip, although I'm sure that there was a small puddle outside my GF's house last night and the remains of what could have been a puddle from the night before as I parked almost in the identical position half up a kerb half down. I start the car to see if I can hear anything or see if this will magically produces a drip but nothing seems to be happening. I look in the engine and all around the coolant tank hoping to see some liquid anywhere, ah ha, I spy some liquid sitting on the panel below and to the right of the engine, before the fan. It did rain all night though and the roads were soaking wet driving to work
I go back out 3 hours later to check the level. Its still raining. Oil doesn't have white stuff in it. The level has gone down about 7mm's since 6.30 and I still cant see a 'drip' 'drip' anywhere.
What do you guys think? I'm off tomorrow so I could bring it back down to the guys who looked at at it on Monday. OR.... Is water a poor substiture for coolant and evaporates too quickly and thats why it keeps running out so soon. I know I should use coolant but I had none and work got in the way of getting to the shop. Sorry for typing so much but I thought it'b probably be better to list everything that the M5 has done all week
EDIT
I meant Ivan not Vadas, whoops.
Linear Mode
