3-Series (E36)Chat relating to the BMW 3-Series from 1992-1999. Autodoodad
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I have a 1992 325i , with a check coolant level issue. My coolant is green. I checked my manual and it describes a certain kind of coolant. I have the kind it says, and it seems compatible, but its orange/red. Can I/Should I mix it, or get the green stuff at the dealers high price?
i believe the dealer has the red kind...and it is well worth getting it from the dealer. read the posts on coolant. the green stuff is not as healthy for the car as original BMW coolant is. It sticks to the hoses and connectors as a white residue. i'd say pay the extra bucks, but get the good stuff! original BMW coolant will not corrode in your lines, and will keep the system clean!
__________________ You think gas is expensive? CHECK THIS OUT:
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Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 .......... $10.00 per gallon
Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 ..... $10.17 per gallon
Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 .......... $10.32 per gallon
Evian water9 oz $1.49..........$21.19 per gallon?
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Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 ........ $123.20 per gallon
Vick's Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 .... $178.13 per gallon
The dealers sell the BMW bluish coolant which has been specially formulated to run in their aluminum heads.
If you're in a temporary situation it'll be ok to mix for a while, but in the long run I would drain the mix and put in the BMW stuff. It's $22 CDN at the dealer, so it's only twice as much. Besides it's only something you every 50,000kms.
Worth it in my books.
__________________ 1996 E36 M44 318i 5sp LSD
Canadian Model
Most likely you have some aftermarket coolant in there, IE: ziex or whatever.
If your worred about what is REALLY in there, do a full radiator flush and buy whatever antifreeze you want. I've got some regular ol aftermarket antifreeze that you can get at any gas station and it works just as good as any.
If you are worred about how it will work with the aluminum head or wahtever, you can always just take it to the dealer and have them deal with the coolant issue, or just buy the antifreeze from them and flush it yourself (or at a cheeper mechanic place that you know)
If your unsure, just get the dealer stuff and flush it. Mixing antifreeze types is bad news.
If they're incompatible, they can turn into a really nasty white sludge and block your entire cooling and heating system... If you're ever unsure what type is in there, get the system completely flushed out and refill it with a new coolant mix that doesn't have to be green...
No sooner has this question been brought up on here, a car's recovered in with a major overheating problem. He's recently topped up his cooling system with an aftermarket antifreeze and 'BEHOLD' the cooling system is completely blocked with a rather nasty looking sludge that's proving a bit of a nighmare to flush out, apparently caused by exactly what RIBEMR26 has just described.
If your gonna listen to anyone on this one if you're gonna add to your existing coolant, listen to this guy because it would appear he's spot on...
When I went to change my coolant last week I had the non-BMW coolant (green stuff) I noted some of the buildups you all were talking about, spent more than hour trying to flush it out. But, I was still a bit afraid that any leftover residue would not mix well with the BMW coolant, so Im sticking with the green stuff for now.
Maybe Im a bit overconcerned with the mixing there..... but as long as you change your coolant yearly, don't mix, and used distilled war I don't think you will every have a problem with the green stuff.
To do list:
Suspension--- researching
UUC System U TDM- 3/05
M50 manifold converstion 3/05
off to the tuning shop for custom software 4/05
Cams/lightened flywheel, throttlebody........ well lets see what happens
There is a coolant that can mix with blue/green/orange. All coolant's do the same thing. Its just a matter of mixing them that can be bad. Just buy the coolant that can mix with both and you should not have a problem.
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