antifreeze burns out in two day and i only drive the car for about 15-20 mins a day!! - BMW Forum

coolcooltracy · 09-24-2009, 08:30 PM

so i have a 2004 325i.. my dad recently changed the oil this past sunday morning sept. 20 he also checked the antifreeze level which was low and we hadnt put any in since about.... april-ish??? anyways.. check this out: he filled it up on sunday and tuesday it was low. the light had popped on warning me that it was low. so tuesday, my dad filled it up again.. and today (thursday) the light once again popped on. (can i say FML?!) jeez.. so we freakin filled it up and left my car running backed it out to check if there was a leak on the ground (its already way past sunset so its dark out) well what do ya know?? there IS A LEAK! so wtf. my dad said for me to just wait it out until saturday which is when he's off and we can trade cars for a day. maybe its the hose? or waterpump? idk.. if you guys have any advice or suggestions or thoughts on this problem, then please feel free to respond. Id really appreciate any help at all.

witeshark · 09-24-2009, 08:36 PM

Is the leak dripping under the back or front of the engine bay? If it's at the back, the heater core and connections may be the problem.

coolcooltracy · 09-24-2009, 09:34 PM

im not quite sure about what you mean by back or front of engine bay, BUT im assuming it is at the front. its leaking right about the area inbetween and underneath the air filter, oil filter and coolant thingy. thank you for responding!! and quick too!

witeshark · 09-24-2009, 10:47 PM

I'd say the coolant system plumbing needs to checked, especially the expansion tank.

coolcooltracy · 09-24-2009, 10:49 PM

thank you witeshark. i really appreciate it. ill make sure to mention that to my dad.

FCPGroton · 09-25-2009, 01:57 PM

More then likely is it just a hose that will need to be replaced. I would not worry to much about it. If you need to hose, let me know.

coolcooltracy · 09-26-2009, 06:39 PM

turns out my dad and uncle discovered a crack on the side of the expansion tank. we've ordered a new one and will replace it as soon as we get it. THANK you both a lot for the help.

witeshark · 09-26-2009, 08:15 PM

Glad it's sorted!

coolcooltracy · 09-26-2009, 10:41 PM

thank you

i feel the same way!

chet31 · 09-27-2009, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolcooltracy

turns out my dad and uncle discovered a crack on the side of the expansion tank. we've ordered a new one and will replace it as soon as we get it. THANK you both a lot for the help.

Good call by witeshark, common fail point. Change the water pump, thermostat, and radiator hoses while you are at it/have everything apart. These are also known to fail.

coolcooltracy · 09-27-2009, 07:19 PM

I'll make sure they check those out. Thank you chet31

coolcooltracy · 10-07-2009, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chet31

Good call by witeshark, common fail point. Change the water pump, thermostat, and radiator hoses while you are at it/have everything apart. These are also known to fail.

so the expansion tank was changed an for the meanwhile (a day) it went okay. no leaks and if any not major. now its doing the same thing all over again. leaking like crazy. so now thanks to chet, we are going to check out the waterpump. i dont believe it could be the thermostat bc my engine never overheats nor gets past the middle mark. (btw, my dad is very stubborn and bc i know nothing about cars he never listens to me) bc to begin with i had read up abt there being air in the water pump that needs to be leaked out or its the water pump all in all. and of course he doubted it. now he feels like a shithole but of course the stubbornness overcomes that bc he thinks he knows everything. anyways... hopefully its the waterpump and NOTHING MORE. im sooo ready to get rid of this damn car. its costing me way too much even if its little by little. im 18 jus graduated highschool and im making payments on this damn car. and what do ya knooo.. MY dad made me get it and would not approve of me getting the 09civic or 09altima which is what i wanted. FML. or my dad in this case.

witeshark · 10-07-2009, 08:51 PM

Best of luck with it...

coolcooltracy · 10-07-2009, 09:13 PM

thanks. we just did the process of letting the air (if any) run out of the waterpump and so far looks good. i hope this solves it and if not does anybody want to take this burden off of me?! jk

chet31 · 10-08-2009, 01:42 AM

I suggested changing water pump, thermostat, and hoses b/c these also fail, and while you had everything apart to fix the expansion tank, you might as well have changed these other items. Then you are set for the next 70K miles. These items (including the expansion tank) are such common failures in our cars that some people change them at 70K-80K, even if they are not broken. Anyway, let us know how it turns out.