Is This Always Here..

[bigred318]

okay well i was reading somesones review on the aa tuning intake and noticed something about the engine compartment... (see the red circle in the pic below) this thing that looks like it it sucking air in. i know i have one of these that sucks into my stock airbox... but when i remove my stock airbox for my intake it comes out with the box or does it go over there... or does my car already have that part too.. i would go out and look but its dark and raining... and i just got the 325 used to the m42 engine bay.. anyways if anyone can run out to their garage and check that would be awesome!

heres the pics

David

[Deloriant]

I know that peice is directly involved in the cooling of something..might help channel cool air around the engine...or it might lead air into part of the radiator...not sure.

[Speedy-325is]

that is not the one connected to your airbox!!!
it is an air inlet tube that hooks directly to your ALTERNATOR!!
it keeps your alternator cool when its working hard so it wont fry.

you need it so keep it there, and if it isnt there, GET ONE!
the one u r thinking of is usually referred to as the "snorkle" and it goes to your airbox from the front grill area.

Mark

[bigred318]

okay im pretty sure i remember seeing it on my car.. but most of the time when i think of my engine i think of my 318, gotta switch modes to the 325 now.

David

[jrhaile]

that connects to your altanator or however you spell it I think

[YoungExec728]

that is the ram intake for your alternator. it keeps it cool when it's working too hard to keep your stereo system bumping. I rarely see one completey intact, usually they are all wrapped up in duct tape

[bigred318]

just looked under the hood and its all intact etc... i was looking because my OBC threw the low coolant thing at me.. my coolant is about half way filled... is it supposed to be higher> wheres a good place online to buy bmw coolant since there is no bmw dealer near here... is running low coolant bad for el coche?

David

[komodo]

Yeah, that pulls air in from the grills for cooling the alternator, like said above.

Yeah, my car has been saying low washer fluid for a long time now, even though the washer fluid thing is full... probably a bad sensor.

[-pimpin328is-]

yea it is prob a bad sensor, mine has said low coolant for months, kinda getting old too

[bigred318]

well how full is the coolant supposed to be? it looks like it is half way filled... its kind of hard to tell though due to the color of the fluid and the color of the holder

David

[Rooz]

Originally posted by bigred318@Jan 18 2005, 03:31 PM
well how full is the coolant supposed to be? it looks like it is half way filled... its kind of hard to tell though due to the color of the fluid and the color of the holder

David

[snapback]274170[/snapback]

Use a flashlight, open the coolant tank, put the light on it, and look at the side of it. Of course, do it when engine is cool

[Mark_318]

Originally posted by Rooz+Jan 18 2005, 09:37 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rooz @ Jan 18 2005, 09:37 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-bigred318@Jan 18 2005, 03:31 PM
well how full is the coolant supposed to be? it looks like it is half way filled... its kind of hard to tell though due to the color of the fluid and the color of the holder

David

[snapback]274170[/snapback]

Use a flashlight, open the coolant tank, put the light on it, and look at the side of it. Of course, do it when engine is cool

[snapback]274223[/snapback]

[/b][/quote]

wheres the fun in that?

[victorgallas]

Well about your coolant issue, go to the dealer, or bavauto.com and get bmw coolant first of all and distilled water, i know it saounds stupid, but ditilled water cost like a buck, and by being ditilled, you avoind having mineral deposits build into the car. That is the first thing

Also, if the cooland is showing low and you've check is not, well there is a sensor inside the expansion tank to indicate that, it fails, so get another sensor, and while you changin coolant change the sensor. And when filling the coolant, it should be on the mark, and that mark is for when the car is cold. So fill it up till the mark with the car cold.

And if you are doing the coolant job, besides of mixing it 50/50, you shuld go and change the thermostant, the thermostat housing, since its a plastic cover and they fail, so get and aluminum one and the water pump, bmw used plastic impeller and they break with no warning., and since there is no way to know whats in there, just get it changed,. O yeah if the fan clutch is gone, get it, you have to pull it out anyway. A good way to know if its gone is by letting the car iddle then get a big piece of plastic and cover the front of the car, so you block air from going trough the radiator and cooling the car. after a while the fan should ratate faster, make more wind noise, since it got hotter, see the principle.. But just make sure you dont let the fan eat the plastic cover youre using and make sure you dont let the car boil...

It seems a lot of stuff but when i got the car, this was my first tune up. and it worth it, now the only thing i replace ever 2 years is a thermostat and the coolant. Well the best thing is to do it every year, but im a college student now and so money is not on a river flow, so i follow BMW factory guidelines..


O yes, there is a separate procedure for taking the coolant out and bleeding the sistem...

if you need it let me know.