EXXEL Distributions
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   BMW M3 and BMW M4 Forum > BMW F80 M3 / F82 M4 Forum > BMW M3 (F80) and BMW M4 (F82) General Forum

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      11-28-2020, 12:34 AM   #1
therealkenc
Captain
therealkenc's Avatar
United_States
995
Rep
780
Posts

Drives: Oxide Grey iX M60
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: San Francisco

iTrader: (2)

White residue splatter in engine bay

I happened to open my hood today and found this splatter. Checked with a buddy who said it might be a coolant leak, and my search seems to point towards that possibility as well.

Just wanted to check in with you guys in case you can tell what the problem is and what I need to do to fix it, or to prevent it from getting worse until I can get it fixed?

I'll try to get an appointment at the dealership ASAP but it might take some time, thus I thought to check in here. Thanks in advance!
Attached Images
 
Appreciate 0
      11-28-2020, 05:24 AM   #2
horsepower_and_hounds
Brigadier General
1836
Rep
4,204
Posts

Drives: BMW
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: USA

iTrader: (9)

Dried coolant residue. Looks like it is not tight, has debris under the seal, someone spilt when putting in or replacing cap, maybe tried to crack it when it was at temp, etc. Sometimes it takes awhile for it to completely loose its moisture and crystalize. Clean it all off and remove lid & clean the seal and fill area good.
Appreciate 1
      11-28-2020, 03:04 PM   #3
maddmatth
Major
New Zealand
555
Rep
922
Posts

Drives: F82 M4, E92 335i
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New Zealand

iTrader: (0)

It's clearly sprayed out from the cap. Check if it was closed properly, and check how much coolant you have left.

Clean it up and see if it happens again.

The cap is designed to release pressure if there is too much pressure in the cooling system.
Which could happen if coolant was overfilled.
If the caps are old and/or faulty they might release coolant too easily.
Otherwise it indicates something is causing too much pressure in the cooling system - overheating or a head gasket leak.

My old car kept doing this and it was a head gasket issue (loose head bolt). But that's rare and is about the worst case scenario so don't panic about that.

Although in my experience when it sprayed out due to the head gasket issue it sprayed much further. Your case looks like maybe someone didn't close it tight after refilling the coolant, then tightened it after noticing the spray. So I wouldn't be too worried.
Appreciate 1
      11-28-2020, 05:03 PM   #4
therealkenc
Captain
therealkenc's Avatar
United_States
995
Rep
780
Posts

Drives: Oxide Grey iX M60
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: San Francisco

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, guys. Much appreciated advice.

I also noticed white residue along the expansion tank seams. (see pic).

I checked the expansion tank level and it looks like it was overfilled with coolant (see pic), so for now I'm gonna assume it's a case of overfilled coolant and monitor the situation moving forward.

I don't have a turkey baster or anything to remove some of the excess coolant so I tried initiating the bleed procedure, but I couldn't get it to start.

Followed these steps:

- Ignition switch on (engine off)
- temperature switch to max / fan to minimum (1)
- headlight switch to off
- step on gas pedal for 10s

Nothing happened. I tried waiting for 3-6 mins for the pump to be activated (as per advice from some forummers in another post) but nothing happened. Tried this procedure for 6 times before giving up.

Anyone has tips on where I might be going wrong with the bleed procedure initiation?

Also, what have you guys used to remove excess coolant from the tank?

Thanks again!
Attached Images
  
Appreciate 1
      11-28-2020, 06:01 PM   #5
maddmatth
Major
New Zealand
555
Rep
922
Posts

Drives: F82 M4, E92 335i
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New Zealand

iTrader: (0)

That coolant at the seams is a bit more concerning but could be from it overflowing. Whoever overfilled the coolant, probably had it overflowing at some point.

You could use a cloth to soak it out.

Once you've drained that out, rinse around there with water or wipe with a wet cloth to clean up the spilled coolant, so that you can check if there are further leaks. A split expansion tank is a common failure in just about any BMW.
Appreciate 1
      11-29-2020, 01:21 AM   #6
Slowphiveo
Captain
Slowphiveo's Avatar
United_States
1523
Rep
895
Posts

Drives: 2020 M4 Heritage Edition
Join Date: May 2018
Location: PA

iTrader: (0)

Car is happy to see you? 😏
Appreciate 1
Poochie9099.00
      11-29-2020, 02:45 AM   #7
therealkenc
Captain
therealkenc's Avatar
United_States
995
Rep
780
Posts

Drives: Oxide Grey iX M60
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: San Francisco

iTrader: (2)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slowphiveo View Post
Car is happy to see you? 😏
The ladies seem to buy that argument

🌝🌝
Appreciate 0
      11-29-2020, 04:47 PM   #8
therealkenc
Captain
therealkenc's Avatar
United_States
995
Rep
780
Posts

Drives: Oxide Grey iX M60
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: San Francisco

iTrader: (2)

Quote:
Originally Posted by maddmatth View Post
That coolant at the seams is a bit more concerning but could be from it overflowing. Whoever overfilled the coolant, probably had it overflowing at some point.

You could use a cloth to soak it out.

Once you've drained that out, rinse around there with water or wipe with a wet cloth to clean up the spilled coolant, so that you can check if there are further leaks. A split expansion tank is a common failure in just about any BMW.
Got a siphon from the hardware store and removed a Haagen Daz pint worth of coolant from the expansion tank. Looks like this now. Still couldn't get the bleeding procedure initiated, but hopefully this is enough to keep the leaks/weeps at bay.
Attached Images
 
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:26 AM.




f80post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST