Coolant Leak - help me

[Bouchedag84]

Hey guys

Last Thursday my 2006 4.4i notified me to check my coolant level. I did, so Friday I went to BMW and got the coolant.

Anyways,
Friday 4pm: topped up the coolant reservoir with 50/50 mix of BMW Coolant and distilled water, engine cold.
Friday 7pm: parked the X at my girl's house for the weekend while we camping
Sunday 3pm: arrive back at girls' house. Drive X around for a bit (~35mins) doing errands and park it at my house for the night at around 6:30pm.
Sunday 8:00pm: check coolant level in X and it is about 1/2" lower than what I topped it up to. Look under X and this is what I find.
This picture is taken from the passenger side looking towards the drivers front wheel.

I am assuming it was leaking from this drain pipe, is this the A/C drain pipe? If so, is this normal for this amount of liquid?



Am I being too paranoid?
I am really worried about the bimmerpipe issue or a leaking valley pan, however, I do not know how to diagnose this. I plan on doing a few longer road trips with the X but I don't want to seize my engine or anything. Obviously, I'll keep a jug of coolant and distilled water in my trunk but still, I don't want to have to constantly worry about it.

Thoughts/suggestions/diagnose this for me, please!
Note: I have 94,500kms, I have not seen any actual coolant anywhere beneath the car. Only the low level in the reservoir and the notification on the instrument cluster have alarmed to the missing coolant...

Edit:
here is the bottom of my engine filler cap

and the bottom drivers side corner of the coolant expansion tank - kind of feels a bit greasy where i've circled in red

[Sarek]

Maybe get a coolant pressure test?..........

[fmugur]

Did you run the auxiliary water pump and turned the heat up to 32C when you added coolant? I wonder if you got air in the system and just adding in the expansion tank wasn't enough.
Doru, a user here just changed the pipe and he didn't find the job too bad but let's hope is not the pipe.

[LVP]

The drip from that tube is your AC drain. You should see two puddles though. If you don't regularly, check the other AC drain.

[Bouchedag84]

Update: had parked the truck last night after I posted those pictures and noted the level of the coolant. I went out this am at 7am and the puddle beneath is dry, however, the coolant level is noticeably lower than last night. I topped it up yet again. There is definitely a rapid coolant leak or something somewhere and no visible coolant anywhere. I think I need to take it to a indy asap

[Bouchedag84]

Originally Posted by fmugur

Did you run the auxiliary water pump and turned the heat up to 32C when you added coolant? I wonder if you got air in the system and just adding in the expansion tank wasn't enough.
Doru, a user here just changed the pipe and he didn't find the job too bad but let's hope is not the pipe.

No I did not. I only added the coolant and drove as normal

[Doru]

First off, what is the mileage on the car?
Second, has the coolant been changed every 2 years or so?
Third, when you start noticing the low coolant level, were there any cooling components changed prior?
Fourth, as per above, that puddle is most likely A/C water condensation (because it points to that spot, and it was dry the next day - coolant does not dry like this), but to be 100% sure, did you run the A/C prior to parking the car?

Once you answer these questions, we could prolly go a step further.

Cheers

[Bouchedag84]

Originally Posted by Doru

First off, what is the mileage on the car?
Second, has the coolant been changed every 2 years or so?
Third, when you start noticing the low coolant level, were there any cooling components changed prior?
Fourth, as per above, that puddle is most likely A/C water condensation (because it points to that spot, and it was dry the next day - coolant does not dry like this), but to be 100% sure, did you run the A/C prior to parking the car?

Once you answer these questions, we could prolly go a step further.

Cheers

1. Mileage is 94,700kms
2. I don't know about the coolant being changed, I just bought the vehicle at the end of August.
3. Same as #2
4. Yes I had the A/C going as it's been hot here the last few days.

I have a very bad feeling about this. I noticed that the coolant in the reservoir is the typical green color, not the BMW specific blue stuff. I have a feeling the previous owner might have been losing coolant too and added the green stuff. Oh god, this isn't looking good.

I think I am dropping the car off at a shop here today, but they are busy and said to leave the car all week and they'll get to it when they can. But in the meantime, I'd like to try and diagnose it myself (with you guys) so I know wtf is going on

[Doru]

Tough one.....
So that puddle is 100% A/C condensation.
I would start by "assuming" some coolant components were changed, and maybe the car needs bleeding (that is the easiest and most conclusive step).

With car NOT running, key in pos II, HVAC set at max temp but fan at lowest setting, open the bleeder screw on the exp tank, then pour SLOWLY coolant until the dipstick is at the correct level (marked on the exp tank). Close the bleed screw & exp tank.
Then, drive around the block, come back and check the coolant level again - it might "burped" a bit, and you might need to top it off, using the same procedure as above.
Then drive normal, and keep a keen eye on the coolant level. While you drive, unlock the OBC test #7, and keep an eye on the KTEMP. As long as it's not going over 107°C / 108°C, you should be OK.

If after one or days, the coolant is low, then you probably have a leak somewhere. A shop would do the above using a pressure tester, which you prolly don't have, so this is the poor man's test, which also works, but you need to be careful, because you drive the car.

IF there is a coolant loss, drive the car front on ramps (if you cannot spot any coolant residue under the hood - the white stuff), take off the splash shield (plastic thingy), and start checking with a flashlight everywhere. Also, when you take of the splashguard, you might see some coolant puddled right there.

One spot that will usually leak, and is not a biggie, is around the lower radiator hose, where a temp sensor is mounted. The O-ring on that sensor can go bad, and need replaced.

Good luck

[Joshdub]

Like Doru said, get under the car and look.

And don't freak out as it probably isn't that big of a deal. Get a rag and clean up where you think you see a leak. If the spot keeps coming back then you might have a problem.