Coolant level?

[JayGee]

Bought my GSLC in April this year and have done just under 8000 miles. I have noticed a weep from the "breather" hole on the left front side of the engine block but this seems to have stopped. The coolant level is just below the lower of the two marks on the reservoir, should it be refilled to the top Mark or the lower mark? Am I right in thinking the top mark is for when hot and the bottom mark for when cold?

I've heard the water pumps can leak and then seal themselves which is what mine appears to have done. In fact it seemed to leak most when very hot, especially one very hot long day and after that it seems to have stopped leaking(for now anyway).

Guess I should take it back to the dealer to at least be topped up with BMW water

 

[Kenny Rodkiss]

Page 120 in your manual, marks will be Max and Min when cold, but I have a TC , so there.

 

[JayGee]

Page 120 in your manual, marks will be Max and Min when cold, but I have a TC , so there.

Thanks, although it's not in the manual that came with my bike!

 

[DING-DONG]

In fact it seemed to leak most when very hot, especially one very hot long day and after that it seems to have stopped leaking(for now anyway).

Guess I should take it back to the dealer to at least be topped up with BMW water

That's exactly how mine leaked, over several passes when the engine got hot it leaked than sealed itself dealer fitted water pump, engine hot again and bingo it leaked, bike had a porous crank casing, remedy = NEW ENGINE .

 

[JayGee]

That's exactly how mine leaked, over several passes when the engine got hot it leaked than sealed itself dealer fitted water pump, engine hot again and bingo it leaked, bike had a porous crank casing, remedy = NEW ENGINE .

Yikes,, how much coolant did you loose? Mine has only gone down to just below the minimum level so far. I think I'll just get it topped up and see what happens. I'd heard of the pumps sealing themselves and others having the pump replaced but not heard of a porous crank case before. I bet it took quite a few passes before they resorted to a new engine!

 

[Wapping]

Thanks, although it's not in the manual that came with my bike!

What does your manual say about the minimum / maximum marks and coolant level?

 

[JayGee]

What does your manual say about the minimum / maximum marks and coolant level?

It just says fill to the specified level on page 111, other than that I can't find anything more helpful. I could have missed something in my search but I don't think so!

 

[Wapping]

Which answers the two questions in your opening post, surely?

The coolant level is just below the lower of the two marks on the reservoir, should it be refilled to the top Mark or the lower mark? Am I right in thinking the top mark is for when hot and the bottom mark for when cold?

Fill to the specified level on page 111.... Following its instructions. No need to worry just yet over porous engine cases.

 

[JayGee]

Which answers the two questions in your opening post, surely?



Fill to the specified level on page 111.... Following its instructions. No need to worry just yet over porous engine cases.

It would do if it specified a level, but it doesn't, so, no, it doesn't answer my question. That's why I asked it! If the lower mark is to fill to when cold then I haven't lost much coolant, on the other hand if the top mark is max fill when cold I could have lost quite a bit.
I'm not worrying about porous crankcase nor even about water pump replacement. It's a Beemer and it's well within the warranty period and the bike has been great, no significant issues and like all my previous boxers it's getting better as the miles roll by.
, even the clutch drag seem to have lessened.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Top it up to the max mark when cold, if it is too full when hot it will kick out what it can't cope with out of the overflow (put a bit of paper towel at the end of the overflow to give a telltale that this is happening)
If it does kick out the excess then when it has cooled down again it should give you a better idea of its ideal fill level at cold. Mark this new level, change the telltale for new ( to check for further emissions) and watch to see if coolant level keeps going down, if it continues to lose coolant via the overflow, remark the new cold level and change the paper towel. Repeat until you stop getting coolant on the telltale.
If the level goes down but there's no telltale marks then the coolant is leaking from elsewhere, if it continues to lose coolant through the overflow, and the cold level drops below the minimum mark then you have an over pressure problem. Either of these results mean a consultation with your dealer is in order and you should advise him of your test results.

 

[pistole]

there will OBVIOUSLY be a min/max level to take into account the fact that water expands when hot.

perhaps just fill to your max level (when cold) and then monitor from there.

 

[madmartin]

there will OBVIOUSLY be a min/max level to take into account the fact that water expands when hot.

perhaps just fill to your max level (when cold) and then monitor from there.

Fresh potable water is stable at 4' degress centigrade at sealevel= 0bar. Raise or lower the temp from 4' degrees and water will expand. There will be a coefficient of linear expansion for this but im clueless....fail.

 

[JayGee]

Any idea what I should top up the coolant with, again that's not in the manual. Is any premix coolant suitable?

 

[Tricky]

Anything that's blue and ok to -40.



Seriously I have the same problem with the bike spitting out a bit of coolant. Dealer wants to replace the water pump as it's a sealed unit but no new pumps in stock for another couple of weeks. Heading to Spain next Wednesday so will keep an eye on the coolant level and top up if required.

 

[rattler]

My water pump is being replaced at the end of the month, bloody German crap

 

[JayGee]

Anything that's blue and ok to -40. ...

OK, Thanks, I was thinking it might be something special, Beemer Magic Water etc. but now I've found a use for that bottle of Blue Nun that's been lurking at the back of a cupboard for ages

The dealer just said keep an eye on it and as it's only happened once that seems reasonable but if it gets any worse he knows I'll be back. TBH it's the only problem I've had with the bike and it looks like it might just seal itself as I have done about 1500 miles since it last happened and the coolant is now just level with the min mark on the reservoir. The dealer reckons they have only had one bike that needed a new pump and that was peeing coolant out of the "breather" hole, but he has seen a few with a blue dribble so maybe he's just in denial!

 

[wreck diver]

My water pump is being replaced at the end of the month, bloody German crap

Italian made crap,mine was replaced at 6k.

 

[rattler]

OK, Thanks, I was thinking it might be something special, Beemer Magic Water etc. but now I've found a use for that bottle of Blue Nun that's been lurking at the back of a cupboard for ages

The dealer just said keep an eye on it and as it's only happened once that seems reasonable but if it gets any worse he knows I'll be back. TBH it's the only problem I've had with the bike and it looks like it might just seal itself as I have done about 1500 miles since it last happened and the coolant is now just level with the min mark on the reservoir. The dealer reckons they have only had one bike that needed a new pump and that was peeing coolant out of the "breather" hole, but he has seen a few with a blue dribble so maybe he's just in denial!

Or telling Porkies