3-Series (E36)Chat relating to the BMW 3-Series from 1992-1999. Autodoodad
Specific models include: BMW 316i, BMW 318i, BMW 318iS/ti, BMW 320, BMW 323, BMW 320, BMW 324, BMW 325, BMW 328.
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i bought a 318is (95) recently,the car is fine couldnt be happier with it,but there are 2 things i wanna ask u guys 1st i drive 20 miles a day,wen i check my radiator 2 see how much water there is in there,it seems 2 inches of water goes. is this normal? im topping it up 2 the top evry time i c that the water has gone slightly down, are 318is's known for this? 2nd, i changed my manifold recently (week ago) coz' it was cracked,thers no more ticking noise, but i can hear a very slight fluttering of air comin frm the engine area (wen i say 'air' im assuming it is air),is this normal is it comin from the manifold? or am i just being paranoid,this car is my first ever bmw so i dnt know how they shud sound like
It's good to be paranoid. e36's are notorious for failures in the radiator; there's a plastic piece where the metal radiator connects to the expansion tank (I think that's what it's called). Also, leaks can develop around the thermostat housing.
First check for a smell while driving; burning coolant is distinctive and nasty. If you smell that, it could be boiling out of the tank if you didn't cap it tight enough. Also, after parking, check to make sure there is no green puddle below your car.
Best thing to do is replace your radiator with a newer reinforced one; should be like $150-$200 I think. If you want, you might also want to replace that thermostat housing; the newer ones have a double gasket that helps to stop those leaks.
While I'm at it... I think it's before '96 that you should get your plastic water pump impeller swapped for a metal one...
well welcome to the world of e36's, my radiator had a microscoptic leak in the tank, i used sealant to close it up, gonna upgrade to a m3 radiator soon, it is probably the tank as stated above, as for the manifold, which one exhaust or intake, what rpm do you hear the air noise, might be a vacuum leak, when i opened up my intake manifold there was a ton of old hoses, replaced them all, it could be the disa system just opening, is the whistle like at 4800 rpm?
On the thermostat housing, you should get a metal one of those, too. They're too easily crushed. Got mine off ebay when I got my metal impeller water pump.
I'm always in favor of replacing expansion tanks, too, since over 100K miles their holes can be pretty gummy, severely restricting flow in the radiator. Happened on both my 528 and my M3.
4evawyntr: u got it bang on,wen i put the heaters on,it stinks like crap! but ther is no puddle unda my car,shall i jus replace my whole radiator and that thermostat thingy? or is there any other quick fix without spending the £'s or $'s!?? like pouring in rad sealer?
LISTEN TO THEM, GET A NEW RADIATOR, I did and happy about because even when it leaks for most cases the coolant will evaporate leaving you no sign of a leak. Mine did the same thing although for me the leak was with the bleeder screw was messed up and most of the coolant evaporated trough there. I used to fill it up about every 3 days like you did.
4evawyntr: u got it bang on,wen i put the heaters on,it stinks like crap! but ther is no puddle unda my car,shall i jus replace my whole radiator and that thermostat thingy? or is there any other quick fix without spending the £'s or $'s!?? like pouring in rad sealer?
Does it stink with the heater off? If it doesn't, could be the heat exchanger under the dash, or maybe the heater valve.
__________________ 1995 325I, window tint, K&N, debaffled airbox, BMW #104 wheels, Nighthawk low beams, smoked side markers, smoked corners, smoked taillights, M3 stlye heated mirrors, various interior bits, Bosal cat-back.
The heater valve is under the brake reservoir in the engine bay. Take a good look in that area to check for leaks. The heat exchanger is in the dash and there is no good way to get to it. Is there any wetness around the footwells?
__________________ 1995 325I, window tint, K&N, debaffled airbox, BMW #104 wheels, Nighthawk low beams, smoked side markers, smoked corners, smoked taillights, M3 stlye heated mirrors, various interior bits, Bosal cat-back.
na no wetness at all,just smells abit thats all, wen the heaters r on,i have asked someone about the radiator and he goes that after u have driven it the pipes expand which inturn makes the water level look low,the only thing thats left now is the stinking,i have checkd the heater valve 4 leakes and ther isnt any
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