I just bought a used 2001 4.4 x5 with 58k on it...I did alot of research here and on other forums before buying...I realize the 2001 8 cylinder has some issues, but this is my dream car and the budget would not permit a newer model year...sooooooo...the issues begin!!! The car drives and feels awesome and looks brand new...however it keeps displaying the "check coolant level"...The engine temperature guage seems to ALWAYS be straight up the middle...I would NEVER run it if the needle were heading to the red...So alright...I check the coolant and the little red buoy is floating...so I jiggle the bouy around a bit and the coolant level goes down substanstially...so I figure it needs topped off and add about 10 ounces of distilled water...light disappears...I am now feeling satified that I fixed my car and I drive it about 30-50 miles (not all at once) and the light re- appears...I return home immediately and let the car cool off...open the expansion tank hours later and the coolant explodes out...just a bit...perhaps it did not need topped off originally...but I jiggle the little buoy again and the level goes down again...hmmmm...now I have no idea what to do...So I head inside to do some research on the problem...I have read a million posts and am confused so here it is...MY FIRST X5 POST...
-The car does not VISIBLY appear to be leaking fluids...
-Water does puddle under the center of the vehicle , but from my reading here that seems to be A/C condensation (correct me if I am wrong please)
-I can smell coolant when I look under the hood and the car is hot
-No smoke and the car feels great when driving
So my questions are...
How much coolant is too much and should the level change when you jiggle the red buoy??? (We had a 328i that we could NEVER get the coolant level light to go off despite replacing ALL coolant components...apparently they are notoriously hard to bleed properly???)
I read here on the forum that the engine temperature guage is a "dummy guage"...does that mean I cannot rely on that to tell IF my engine is over heating??? I am so freaked out right now I am afraid to drive my dream car for fear of destroying it...please help!!!
I first thought that there was a leak between the top and bottom halves of the expansion tank but now that does not seem to be true...
Is it possible this is JUST the sensor having gone bad???
Can you refer me to the appropriate links that help me determne IF this is a sensor problem, a water pump problem an expansion tank problem or the dreaded valley pan gasket...
I am trying hard to learn fast and have doen a bunch of reading but instead of eliminating things I seem to be adding things to my list and just creating general confusion for myself...so rather than lsoing my mind I thought I would ask those of you who have more experience and expertise where to start...My husband and I have some DIY skills, but with this car being so new to us, we need advice before we start tearing it apart
Thanks in advance for any and all advice...This is a GREAT FORUM...so much information...