Antifreeze Leak

[Luftpost]

I just discovered a slow leak, which appears to be originating from around the radiator somewhere. Water pump and hoses all look ok. Before I tear in and remove the radiator, has anyone else had a similar problem? Is there a plug that fails or are these radiators prone to cracking? As far as I know, front end has never been squashed.

Thanks!

1995 525ia

[e34]

well my front end was smashed, so it was leaking and all i did was add the sealer that u can get at pepboys. U just pour it in and drive for like 20min and it should seal any crack up. Worked for me.

Before the Accident:
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/461000-461999/461741_1_full.jpg

Accident:
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/461000-461999/461741_5_full.jpg

And Now:
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/461000-461999/461741_50_full.jpg

[mrbmw1]

they usually crack at the neck where the hose clamps on

[chamilun]

so does everyone believe that the coolant stop leak products are safe for use in BMWs?? i believe they are, but there seems to be a lot of voodoo ideas with these things.

[632 Regal]

if you use stop leak products you do not deserve the honor of driving and working on your own BMW. Find the leak and fix it, do your preventitive maintenance and run on. stop leak is for Yugos not BMW's so are additives. Not to get on you for an attempt but with all the new people on here I believe the reason of this forum may be getting out of the norm. Your problem is a LEAK not the lack of a quick fik that is going ti ruin your system and ruin the resale to any one of the real board users. The board is for knowledge and friendly commorodery not "add pepper to the antifreeze and be fixed" Sorry this just got me at a sore spot.

[tim]

Jeffs right. Don't even think about using that stuff.

The rad's seem to have a useful life of 75k mi. They crack in lots of places, some of which are hard to see and don't leave garage puddles, since they are pressure sensitive (i.e.: when you're driving, it's leaking).

You can get it redone, or get a new one. easy job. big time piece of mind factor.

This is a car that will run indefinitely if maintained to specs. The tradeoff is that we have to use annoying/expensive parts/fluids sometimes. But there's practically nothing other than bmw approved stuff or mobil 1 that anyone on this board will put in their cars.

[Eric Fraser]

Mine lasted to 92kmiles. No point in patchwork. Replacement with OEM was not a bad DIY job just followed Bentley

[e34]

Yea if u have a newer bmw then ok, but my is a 89 525i M20 with 214k miles and the people before me didnt really care about the car. For me sence i dont have the money it was a easy fix, and cheap. If i had a 535iM that was clean then i wouldnt cut corners. Thats y i decided in a year after i pay off my motorcycle i will sell the 525i for cheap and get a 95 M3. And when i get one in good condition i will not cut corners its going to be pampered all the way, but the 525i is just something that gets me from point A to Point B and sometimes point C. Dont get me wrong the 525iM runs great its just the A/C doesnt work, heat also doesnt, body panels dont match, i have a spray painted hood, the door behind the driver is locked. So there is problems but i love it. But i will drive this car for another year and sell it to get the 95 M3.

[chamilun]

Jeff,

because you post frequently, dont presume that new posters have not been around (lurking) for some time. in fact, ive been reading YOUR posts for quite a while, and appreciate them all (except this last one).

i had a new air conditioning system put in my buick regal. sure enough, began to lose freon within 6 months (aftermarket compressor. never again). 2 cans of freon with the stop leak stuff and never had a problem again. i guess i should have been smart and replaced the compressor???

someone who spends $100 to have a radiator fixed (whatever they do to the things) shouldnt feel real good if a $5 fix would have been good for who knows how long.

[AZ_Jason_S]

I just discovered a slow leak, which appears to be originating from around the radiator somewhere. Water pump and hoses all look ok. Before I tear in and remove the radiator, has anyone else had a similar problem? Is there a plug that fails or are these radiators prone to cracking? As far as I know, front end has never been squashed.

Thanks!

1995 525ia


I think you should check the reservoir that presses into the radiator. Its common that the O-ring that seals this begin to fail. Just look down at the bottom of the reservoir, you might see the coolant around the seam where the reservoir meets the radiator. This is the first thing I would check for. I had to replace mine and it took about 20 minutes (being careful) and less than $10. You might not see anything, but it could still be the problem. Is the coolant leaking on the driver or passenger side? Look right under the reservoir inside the chassis. The coolant might pool up there a little bit.

[Joe F]

We have one of those older (89) 525's and it has a leaky heater core. Now I too would like to be a purist and replace the leaky part, but it's about 8 hrs of labor to R and R the dash to get to it and I would like to find a less expensive and time consuming fix for the problem if there is one. Pardon me if that appears to be heresy to some. :p
I haven't had occassion to use Bars leak for 30 years, and frankly I was hoping that technology had improved the breed and there was something that performed the stop leak function that was designed for aluminium engines and cooling systems. Is there such a compound out there?

Thanks in advance for your helpful comments. If you just want to yell at me for "cutting corners" save your breath, or ... take a number.:D

[joshua43214]

If you absolutely must use a stop leak, only use the GM approved stuff. It has a gold colored powder and is made from some herb that folks use in homepathy, can't remember the name. Never use the bars or pellet type stuff. I have seen countless cars with our type of cooling system totaly cloged up with stop leak. even the GM stuff will clog the vent pipe, but it will be safer than the pellet stuff.

[mamilapon]

Pic #2: This has got to hurt, Idon't care where you're from!