BMW E46 320d warning light? Help

MikeyNT

I just got the following warning light come on in my 320d. I don't have the manual with me to check but in case it's important and I shouldn't drive it home, can anyone let me know what it means?

It's yellow in colour and it's a symbol of a square container with a spout coming out of the top and some liquid with ripples at the bottom of it.

I've attached an image and indicated which one here....

Its the coolant level warning light. You can top up with water if its really low but your best to get some BMW coolant/anti-freeze (its no more expensive than stuff from a motorfactors) mix it 50-50 with de-ionized water and top up with that, especially with cold nights on the way having a good concentration of anti-freeze is vital.

MikeyNT

Brilliant, thanks Bailee Spoiled Keg. It's not too serious then. I don't think I've ever actually topped it up in the 4 years I've had the car! so it's no surprise it's come on. I assume it gets done at services though.

Cheers.

Its not a major issue, once the light has just come on the levels should still high enough to allow the car to be driven but I wouldn't put off topping it up for long (even with water if you have to). Open the cap shown here http://www.impee.co.uk/radiator_flush/diy%20radiator%20flush%2010.jpg, when the engine is cold.

The yellow stick indicates the coolant level. If its sitting way down and not buoyant then your very low and need to top up immediately, The top of the stick should be sticking out a bit when its full. Its most likely somewhere in the middle i.e. needs to be topped up but not critically low.

It is something that should be checked a during service, whether or not it was is another story.

DublinDilbert

MikeyNT wrote: »

It's not too serious then. I don't think I've ever actually topped it up in the 4 years I've had the car! so it's no surprise it's come on.

Cheers.

To be honest no one on an internet forum will be able to tell you how serious it is or not. There could be zero coolant in your system for all we know. In my experience of the E46 the coolant level has to be quite low to trigger the light.

You'll need to go look and asses how low the coolant is. If its extremely low there could well be a leak some where. Also if its really low you may have to bleed the system too.

See how much water/coolant is in the expansion tank, if its not too low top it up with water and see how you get on. There's a number of points of failure on the E46 coolant system, you could well have a leak. Its better to be safe rather than sorry.

Is your internal heater working?

MikeyNT

Sorry DublinDilbert I didn't realise I had another reply.

Long story short, I used redweld and it fixed it for about 2 months. After using it I checked the level each day, then each couple of days and it always remained static so I was really happy with what looked like a permanent solution.

That was until a few weeks ago and my coolant light came on again. Tried another go at radweld but this time it didn't fix it. The leak is very slow as in about 1 pint per week but it's very annoying at the same time.

With radweld no longer an option, what am I to do.....that won't break the bank?!

I suppose there's no avoiding taking it to a mechanic and have him take the whole thing apart....

taintabird

MikeyNT wrote: »

Sorry DublinDilbert I didn't realise I had another reply.

Long story short, I used redweld and it fixed it for about 2 months. After using it I checked the level each day, then each couple of days and it always remained static so I was really happy with what looked like a permanent solution.

That was until a few weeks ago and my coolant light came on again. Tried another go at radweld but this time it didn't fix it. The leak is very slow as in about 1 pint per week but it's very annoying at the same time.

With radweld no longer an option, what am I to do.....that won't break the bank?!

I suppose there's no avoiding taking it to a mechanic and have him take the whole thing apart....

Its probably your expansion tank on the side of the rad that's cracked its a common failure with bmw have a look around to see if you can any traces of coolant on it. If it is the tank it is a relatively easy fix

MikeyNT

Come to think of it, I do notice a small pool of coolant collecting directly under the expansion tank on one of those plastic shields/trays underneath. I'll get my torch and have a closer look down there this evening.

If you have any tips for fixing such a leak then I'd appreciate it.

taintabird wrote: »

Its probably your expansion tank on the side of the rad that's cracked its a common failure with bmw have a look around to see if you can any traces of coolant on it. If it is the tank it is a relatively easy fix

taintabird

MikeyNT wrote: »

Come to think of it, I do notice a small pool of coolant collecting directly under the expansion tank on one of those plastic shields/trays underneath. I'll get my torch and have a closer look down there this evening.

If you have any tips for fixing such a leak then I'd appreciate it.

Just fit a new one they are available spurious at this stage no need to go to BMW, chances of getting a good second hand one are slim I would say. They cost around €60 I think.