Will coolant be ok for my car?

arleitiss

Hey, so I got into car this morning, and Coolant warning light came up, it's been 4000 miles since I last checked it, or well mechanics did, they fixed cooling system, added some coolant and since then I didn't really check it (though I should I know), so seeing how most motor shops are closed today, I went to my nearest Tesco and bought this coolant for 5 Euros 1 litre. It says it's alright for all engines, any ideas?

My car is: E46 318i manual sedan. Engine: M43.
Just wondering what happens if wrong coolant is added?

Katunga

Wrong coolant could damage the water pump, thermostat or the head gasket. Check the manual with your car.

goz83

I would imagine it would be grand, but if you don't need the car, you could wait until tomorrow and bring to mechanic who did the work.

keithsfleet

Keep the colour the same.
If it's Blue use Blue, red use red, green use green etc etc.

Katunga

keithsfleet wrote: »

Keep the colour the same.
If it's Blue use Blue, red use red, green use green etc etc.

lots of different types even if its the same colour.

arleitiss

okay, guess I will go to shop tomorrow and buy proper coolant.

arleitiss

Okay, still driving without coolant, walked into a motor shop yesterday, seller recommended Prestone add to any colour coolant. He says it will work fine on bmw's. Though I read online all it seems is people saying go with OEM, but still would prestone be alright? I don't really want an overpriced coolant.

Chimaera

The problem with mixing coolant types is that they can react with each other and cause major problems inside the engine. Mostly, you can use any coolant in any engine but if you're switching you need to completely flush the old coolant out before putting in the new coolant.

OE coolant is really not that expensive in the grand scheme of things. Unless you run into problems with your cooling system inbetween, the only time it'll get changed is when the water pump is changed, which for most cars is every 90 000 - 160 000 km. So spending €50 on coolant for that long is not really a large expense.

Tallon

arleitiss wrote: »

Okay, still driving without coolant, walked into a motor shop yesterday, seller recommended Prestone add to any colour coolant. He says it will work fine on bmw's. Though I read online all it seems is people saying go with OEM, but still would prestone be alright? I don't really want an overpriced coolant.

There's your problem!

STOP!

biko

I hope you at least added water to top up?
Ring the mechanic you last used and ask what coolant they used, then drain the entire system and fill it with fresh coolant (just in case). It's an easy diy.
The old coolant can be recycled at your local recycling depot.

arleitiss

Too late, I had to go to work, opened up coolant tank and it was empty and dry, literally drained, so I assume it was running off the coolant which remained in system. Filled it in with the prestone coolant, drove car not a single problem for now, engine didn't blow up anyway.

biko

That's ok for an emergency (any coolant is better than no coolant, unless you can get water) but I'd suggest to get the coolant drained and replaced fully with bmw approved stuff anyway, to prevent issues down the road from mixing Prestone with oem stuff.

Chimaera

And you really should find out where the coolant went!

arleitiss

Chimaera wrote: »

And you really should find out where the coolant went!

Well it's been 6 months since I checked or refilled it, I assume it evaporates by bit?

arleitiss

biko wrote: »

That's ok for an emergency (any coolant is better than no coolant, unless you can get water) but I'd suggest to get the coolant drained and replaced fully with bmw approved stuff anyway, to prevent issues down the road from mixing Prestone with oem stuff.

Yeah I will do it in a month prior to my NCT.

dharn

Would it not be better to just add water to make sure the system has enough fluid to circulate and keep the engine cooled, not adding anything just because you think you dont have the right coolant, seems silly, supposing the system was nearly empty and you drive on because you didnt have the right coolant ? And you cooked your engine

Tallon

arleitiss wrote: »

Well it's been 6 months since I checked or refilled it, I assume it evaporates by bit?

Shouldn't that quick

dharn

Some of those early 3 series not sure which one were notorious for the expansion bottle splitting

bobin fudge

perhaps you tidied it all away, when you pulled your car apart the other day?

biko

dharn wrote: »

Some of those early 3 series not sure which one were notorious for the expansion bottle splitting

Yeah, I've had this issue too. The rads on older cars beemers do start to leak in their older years.
Tbh, a new rad with bottle isn't that expensive and probably will fix this issue.
Have it checked by a rad guy first.

arleitiss

biko wrote: »

Yeah, I've had this issue too. The rads on older cars beemers do start to leak in their older years.
Tbh, a new rad with bottle isn't that expensive and probably will fix this issue.
Have it checked by a rad guy first.

As I said above, cooling system:
Hoses, rad, pipes, pump, thermostat was replaced brand new 3k miles ago, so that's not the problem. Also when I stripped half of the engine bay apart, I didn't unplug any coolant pipes, worked only with alternator and air/oil filter housings.
I don't see any coolant spills though, so I assumed it's evaporating by a bit over time?

chinwag

Must say I thought coolant was coolant just different brands, does it vary that much?

Think I read somewhere that it's recommended to keep colour the same.

maceocc2

arleitiss wrote: »

I don't see any coolant spills though, so I assumed it's evaporating by a bit over time?

It shouldn't evaporate that quick no. Have you checked the under side of your oil cap for white gunk? coolant may be seeping into the engine if your head gasket is gone.

You may not see coolant spills, it may be leaking while engine is running only, does your car have an undertray that would collect any spills?

arleitiss

maceocc2 wrote: »

It shouldn't evaporate that quick no. Have you checked the under side of your oil cap for white gunk? coolant may be seeping into the engine if your head gasket is gone.

You may not see coolant spills, it may be leaking while engine is running only, does your car have an undertray that would collect any spills?

head gasket was also done 3k miles ago.

arleitiss

it could be anyway just that the mechanics didn't fill coolant up to the tops, maybe?

cleanslate

have used tesco coolant for a long time now, no problems. I always use water if stuck

Chimaera

arleitiss wrote: »

it could be anyway just that the mechanics didn't fill coolant up to the tops, maybe?

That wouldn't explain why it's disappeared. And just because everything was replaced doesn't mean it's all still working.

dgt

Driving with no coolant?

The car will sh*te a bag of bolts and another thread will appear wondering what went wrong....

Alanstrainor

Just because that work was done 3k miles ago doesn't mean its all working and fine. My car loses a bit of coolant, but never have i seen the warning light pop on. Buy BMW coolant in a dealer, its cheap and will last you ages.

As for where the leak is, it could be very hard to see. So examine everything closely and look for white dried on coolant that has dropped onto components. But being honest after the amount of money spent on the gasket/cooling job id go back to the mechanic tbh.

arleitiss

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Just because that work was done 3k miles ago doesn't mean its all working and fine. My car loses a bit of coolant, but never have i seen the warning light pop on. Buy BMW coolant in a dealer, its cheap and will last you ages.

As for where the leak is, it could be very hard to see. So examine everything closely and look for white dried on coolant that has dropped onto components. But being honest after the amount of money spent on the gasket/cooling job id go back to the mechanic tbh.

Guess I will get under car and see what's going on, was planning to do this long time ago as I need to check exhaust manifold, having this feeling it's bolts/whatever it's secured by went bit loose.

Thanks for help, will drive with this coolant for now then flush soon.

renofan

The cooling system is one of the most important parts of an engine. Coolant shouldn't drop at all if everything is fine. You need to get someone who knows them cars/engines to look at it.

goz83

The coolant system is sealed, so unless there are leaks, the coolant level should not drop. Adding water is just an emergency measure, as is mixing coolant (even the same colour. Best to flush asap, or you could be looking at another 3k very soon. Some cars seem to go great for years on water alone, but a small problem caused by mixing coolant can go un-noticed now and hit your wallet in a few months, or couple of years. Same thing happened my neighbours 318i and it also happened my own, because the mechanic had put water into it to test for leaks and "forgot" to drain and put coolant in. Cost him the price of a new radiator and it only took a few weeks to go pop.