engine and drivetrain (75) Coolant leak, isnt cool.

[Tanktheory]

Nice sunny day, not too hot but not cold. Took the BMW for a spin.  I backed into a spot,  killed it,  hopped out and seconds later there is coolant everywhere.  Looks like damn near the entire radiator drained.  

 

It doesn't look like a hose, looks like it's coming from the center of the motor, halfway up.  Maybe around the crank pulley? Looks to have been above the double clamped hose in the second photo. 

 

Not sure what to do.  Checked the oil. Luckily that looks great.  

 

Looking for advice and guidance.. Pull the motor? Throw it off a cliff? Sell it? 

 

[Dabliz02]

It's hard to tell but it looks like it is more that hose and not the water pump.  I would start with that before the water pump.  It looks very old and may be dry and crunchy.  If your looking for a quick check try to tighten the clamps down and see what happens.  You can use water temporarily to check, but make sure to flush it out after.

 

-Mo

[Tanktheory]

The pictures aren't the best, sorry.  I'll certainly be starting with the hoses and working my way to the water pump.  Are the pumps difficult to replace? First M10 motor I've worked on. 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Tanktheory

[theNomad]

easy to replace, its right in the front. Good luck! Mine's working fine but I dread those days too

[Tanktheory]

Yeah, did some research and dusted off the Haynes. Should be a simple fix, just a bummer. Luckily it happened in a safe spot. 

[TobyB]

In your pic, the hose clamp on the t- stat side of the short hose looks either loose or put on wrong.

 

Me, I'd fill it with distilled water, start it, and see where it's coming from.

 

Gushers are almost always hoses or radiators, not water pumps.  They drip, and eventually pee...

 

t

 

[OriginalOwner]

+1 Toby ..... that hose clamp looks sideways.

 

And do a double-check for tight on all hose clamps ..... not that I would ever make such a mistake (  ) and get stranded ..... 

 

Cheers,

 

Carl

 

[JohnH]

It looks like the hose below the cock eyed clamp has a spilt in it.

[Buckeye]

+5

Good time to take out radiator, fan, alternator, belt, etc. and de-grease engine front. Then replace all coolant hoses and fasten them down with BMW hose clamps.Use BMW coolant with 50/50 mixture unless you leave in Alaska then you want to use 60/40 coolant mixture. Coolant capacity is 1.5 gallons or 6 quarts. Move warm air lever to warm position while you filling. don't forget to bleed coolant system. Your book will tell you how. GOOD LUCK!

[Hans]

JohnH may be right - sorta looks like a split. That would explain it. But the clamp at top of photo looks wonky too. I'd get a re placement for that short hose (OEM or just piece of generic hose) and change that, redo all the clamps and see what happens. Water pump shouldn't puke that much out.

[Tanktheory]

Thank you guys,  I will be working on it once the snow goes away, and I'll  be sure to update you all. 

 

Thanks Colorado.. 

[Hans]

I too am waiting for the last bit of snow to melt in front of the garage doors!

[Tanktheory]

Update:

 

So I started to pull this apart. When I got to the house coming off the thermostat there was still a ton of coolant in there. When I removed the small hose going to the water pump it gushed out with coolant. All my hoses look okay. No cracks or anything crazy. I tried to get the radiator out but there are two lines on the bottom I didn't have a wrench big enough to remove them. That and the shroud around the fan is getting in the way.

 

So, I guess I'm again looking for answers. Where the hell did this coolant originally come from when I had my (what I thought was big) leak?