Coolant getting drained quick

hey guys

i recently got the collant yellow light on my 323i so i checked it, and t was completely drained!

i wasted half the coolant bottle filling it.

this was yesterday.

today i checked it again and it wasnt drained all the way but it lost about 1/4 gallon of coolant.

so i filled it.

i also have white spots around the coolant cap.. appear to be spills of some sort.

does anyone have an idea of what the cause might be?

i searched it up and so far i have (water pump, radiator, thermostat, or hoses)

thanks

See sig, do it all.

Ah, crap, wait. You have a leak, find the leak, replace what is leaking. Probably expansion tank, but it could just be a faulty cap. Pressure testing is the best method.

More than likely a small crack in your expansion tank, check all your hoses? Maybe a small leak in your radiator, try putting some black pepper in there, I had 2 small leaks in radiator and black pepper has been holding up for 3 months now

Originally Posted by ToMuchFun

More than likely a small crack in your expansion tank, check all your hoses? Maybe a small leak in your radiator, try putting some black pepper in there, I had 2 small leaks in radiator and black pepper has been holding up for 3 months now

lol seriously? where did you get that idea from?

Learned it from pops, not supposed to be a permanent fix, it just plugs those little leaks up, I'm waiting for that day to come when the coolant light comes on but it still hasn't

Originally Posted by ToMuchFun

Learned it from pops, not supposed to or a permanent fix, it just plugs those little leaks up, I'm waiting for that day to come when the coolant light comes on but it still hasn't

haha, that's cool. Can't hate on temporary fixes.

I'm hoping it's going to last me threw winter, if not I got the money set aside

alright thanks guys, im going to check the expansion ank.. if it is that, what do i do?

If its the expansion a tank just order one online and swap it out, it's not to complicated to do, don't take it anywhere as they'll tell you you need an entire new system, and that would run you about $1200, expansion tanks are less that $100 online

You could rework your whole system for $700 and an afternoon.

the thing is that im broke like i only got around 100 bucks to spend

Originally Posted by tehcbass

the thing is that im broke like i only got around 100 bucks to spend

That's fine. You'll just have to do some good investigating to make sure you replace the right part. All of the cooling system parts are less than $100 individually except the radiator, so you are okay.

Drives BMW. Less than $100 in bank account.

Originally Posted by tock172

Drives BMW. Less than $100 in bank account.

No, he doesn't want to spend more than $100. I can buy a whole cooling system right now, I have plenty, but I'm not because I'd rather keep the money around.

Originally Posted by tock172

Drives BMW. Less than $100 in bank account.

Don't gotta be rich to drive a 10 year old car

Originally Posted by ToMuchFun

Don't gotta be rich to drive a 10 year old car

No, but you do have to be smart enough to realize things are going to break on a 10 year old German car and that they're going to cost more than $100 to fix.

Originally Posted by WDE46

No, he doesn't want to spend more than $100. I can buy a whole cooling system right now, I have plenty, but I'm not because I'd rather keep the money around.

That's not the impression I got:

Originally Posted by tehcbass

the thing is that im broke like i only got around 100 bucks to spend

OP...could've sworn you had a post on the same thing a couple of days ago. I don't want to bore you with all the details, but first, you can get an ET for under $100 online, but you don't know if that will fix your problem.

You might fix it for a $1 o-ring. It usually is the ET, but that doesn't mean it is.

For now, clean up your car, get it to op temp in your driveway...and find the leak. You can't afford Mango's solution, but you should read his sticky and a few other long 'cooling system' threads...do thread title search (click advanced search).

For you to fix your car and not ruin it, you need to learn enough to be able to diagnose your issue.

A leak is one thing...there might be a reason you had the leak. Have you been driving long enough to see the car overheat more than once? If so, you need to stop doing that. Don't drive the car until you fix the cooling system.

A head gasket is maybe $1000. Head another $500. Block issues...new engine...$3-5,000

Read threads until you want to throw up...actually, until you throw up...you need to feel a chill in your body. A fear. Trepidation. A sense of dread. Then some more throwing up.

Mango's thread is where you begin, but you need to read more. You need to have these symptoms...the chill, dread, puking! Figure maybe 4-5 hours of studying.

Then, go to car and start it, find and fix leak! I know you can do it because it sounds like you have to! Also, there are about 200K of us here...but a good 20 or so who will pitch in and not be too obnoxious!

I can't do too much more in cooling threads anymore as reading them makes 'me' feel cold now...and I'm old...and don't like being cold!

I'll check back...but you can do it. Read, learn, and show your cooling system you know what's up.

Also, remember that when preparing for the repair, the DIY will seem far more difficult than it usually is...and you learn how to put together by taking apart.

Feel the zen of it all...you'll love being done and all good! For now, get to the throwing up part first!

I believe in cheap fix. Find the leak and plug it.

Originally Posted by dmax

OP...could've sworn you had a post on the same thing a couple of days ago. I don't want to bore you with all the details, but first, you can get an ET for under $100 online, but you don't know if that will fix your problem.

You might fix it for a $1 o-ring. It usually is the ET, but that doesn't mean it is.

For now, clean up your car, get it to op temp in your driveway...and find the leak. You can't afford Mango's solution, but you should read his sticky and a few other long 'cooling system' threads...do thread title search (click advanced search).

For you to fix your car and not ruin it, you need to learn enough to be able to diagnose your issue.

A leak is one thing...there might be a reason you had the leak. Have you been driving long enough to see the car overheat more than once? If so, you need to stop doing that. Don't drive the car until you fix the cooling system.

A head gasket is maybe $1000. Head another $500. Block issues...new engine...$3-5,000

Read threads until you want to throw up...actually, until you throw up...you need to feel a chill in your body. A fear. Trepidation. A sense of dread. Then some more throwing up.

Mango's thread is where you begin, but you need to read more. You need to have these symptoms...the chill, dread, puking! Figure maybe 4-5 hours of studying.

Then, go to car and start it, find and fix leak! I know you can do it because it sounds like you have to! Also, there are about 200K of us here...but a good 20 or so who will pitch in and not be too obnoxious!

I can't do too much more in cooling threads anymore as reading them makes 'me' feel cold now...and I'm old...and don't like being cold!

I'll check back...but you can do it. Read, learn, and show your cooling system you know what's up.

Also, remember that when preparing for the repair, the DIY will seem far more difficult than it usually is...and you learn how to put together by taking apart.

Feel the zen of it all...you'll love being done and all good! For now, get to the throwing up part first!

yea thank you man, ill make sure i do what you said.

well, im off to throw up.

Originally Posted by MercForHire

I believe in cheap fix. Find the leak and plug it.

I believe in yuking.