Coolant flowing off back of belly plate.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

Tomorrow, I will hook up my garden hose to the ex tank and let it run slowly while I crawl under and try to see again where the water is coming from. Now that the rear shelf is out, maybe l'll see something this time.

Thanks for the Real OEM. I actually checked each of those hoses and could feel no wetness around any of them before I parked the car. But I am very happy to check again. I'll report back what I find tomorrow.

Thanks again.

Remember that the hoses in the link I sent are not all of the hoses carrying coolant.

[blktoptrvl]

I can't believe this... It seems like BMW searches the world for any tool size that does not come in any standard set - and uses them.

I went out and found a 16mm 1/2" drive and broke the stiffening plate loose. Only to discover that the upper nuts are not captive. Now I need to find a 16mm offset box.

Nearby stores don't have them.

I will do a wider search tomorrow.

[blktoptrvl]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Remember that the hoses in the link I sent are not all of the hoses carrying coolant.

First...

BCRedliner, thank you for chiming in when you did. It may or may not have saved me a lot of work depending on what answers I get today.

Good news. I found the (primary) leak.

Bad News. Before I ran the garden hose into the overflow tank and got everything wet including the floor I had to lay on (I need a lift), I decided to go ahead and take the belly pan (stiffener) off so that when the water started flowing I could see better where it was coming from. (Thanks again William X5)

After getting the pan off, I was amazed at the amount of crud that had accumulated. I think this is because the little drain at the bottom of the oil filter is jammed and I have been undoing the entire filter casing to change the oil. This resulted in a lot of oil splashing and then dirt sticking. Good news is this gave me an opportunity to clean it off. I will also buy a new filter housing and hope that it allows for less splashing.

The bad news is I really didn't have to take the pan off to find the leak. After removing as mush as I have and then taking BCRedliner's advice to stop and check the leak was obvious.

More Bad news - What a PITA getting the plate off was. I expect that getting it back on will be even more of a pain. I have read the debate about whether or not new bolts should be purchased. I will check their prices and decide. But here is a question about the stiffener that has not been posed yet. From what I read, the bolts need to be tight in order to keep the stiffener located - does this mean they have to be put back in the same orientation; bolt in from the bottom? If Bolt in from the top is permissible, then it seems it would make the job much easier (just a guess at this point). A guess that may be moot because the head of the bolt is not the same size as the nut. Just a thought. Any reactions? And why is it these bolts are not captive? Has anyone tried putting take or putty over the nut to hold it in place when the bolts are screwed in? How does that work out?

The good news is that the leak is in a small hose that y's just under the throttle plate. Coolant is pouring out of there, running down the vee of the engine and then down the back of the block. (See picture.) It looks like it would be a tight fit, but I am hoping I can get my big hands in there and replace these hoses. It looks to be three total.

That leads to the questionable news... Can anyone tell me if these three small hoses at the front of the intake manifold are the only ones? Or are there more at the back of the intake? I cant tell from any of the pictures I have seen. If no, I may not have to take out the intake. If yes, then I might as well do the pipes when the manifold comes out.

It really makes me crazy that they would use a plastic connector here where brass or some other metal is the obvious way to go.

As always any observations or comments would be welcome.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

First...

BCRedliner, thank you for chiming in when you did. It may or may not have saved me a lot of work depending on what answers I get today.

Good news. I found the (primary) leak.

Bad News. Before I ran the garden hose into the overflow tank and got everything wet including the floor I had to lay on (I need a lift), I decided to go ahead and take the belly pan (stiffener) off so that when the water started flowing I could see better where it was coming from. (Thanks again William X5)

After getting the pan off, I was amazed at the amount of crud that had accumulated. I think this is because the little drain at the bottom of the oil filter is jammed and I have been undoing the entire filter casing to change the oil. This resulted in a lot of oil splashing and then dirt sticking. Good news is this gave me an opportunity to clean it off. I will also buy a new filter housing and hope that it allows for less splashing.

The bad news is I really didn't have to take the pan off to find the leak. After removing as mush as I have and then taking BCRedliner's advice to stop and check the leak was obvious.

More Bad news - What a PITA getting the plate off was. I expect that getting it back on will be even more of a pain. I have read the debate about whether or not new bolts should be purchased. I will check their prices and decide. But here is a question about the stiffener that has not been posed yet. From what I read, the bolts need to be tight in order to keep the stiffener located - does this mean they have to be put back in the same orientation; bolt in from the bottom? If Bolt in from the top is permissible, then it seems it would make the job much easier (just a guess at this point). A guess that may be moot because the head of the bolt is not the same size as the nut. Just a thought. Any reactions? And why is it these bolts are not captive? Has anyone tried putting take or putty over the nut to hold it in place when the bolts are screwed in? How does that work out?

The good news is that the leak is in a small hose that y's just under the throttle plate. Coolant is pouring out of there, running down the vee of the engine and then down the back of the block. (See picture.) It looks like it would be a tight fit, but I am hoping I can get my big hands in there and replace these hoses. It looks to be three total.

That leads to the questionable news... Can anyone tell me if these three small hoses at the front of the intake manifold are the only ones? Or are there more at the back of the intake? I cant tell from any of the pictures I have seen. If no, I may not have to take out the intake. If yes, then I might as well do the pipes when the manifold comes out.

It really makes me crazy that they would use a plastic connector here where brass or some other metal is the obvious way to go.

As always any observations or comments would be welcome.

Plastic is much more cost effective for manufactures as opposed to using metal for hoses. This is just a suggestion. if you have over 100K miles on your X5 I would suggest that you need to go through and change all of the coolant hoses. You are going to start chasing leaks and you only want to remove the stiffening plate only when is necessary. if you go through and change all the hoses and coolant lines you will reduce any amount of aggravated future stress. Change them out and motor on for another 100K of leak free driving.

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

It really makes me crazy that they would use a plastic connector here where brass or some other metal is the obvious way to go.

As always any observations or comments would be welcome.

blktoptrvl: Thank you for posting pics and your find! I found exactly the same leak!

Obviously, mine had been "repaired" by the "BMW mechanic" PO. More like POS.

I ordered the part (and several others, as is the norm for this X) and temporarily fixed it with a 1/4' brass barbed tee from the hardware store. Also oriented the hoses in their correct position so as not to hit the throttle body.Should be fine until the parts show up.

Again, thank you for your post.

[blktoptrvl]

Is there another source for parts breakdowns....

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

Does not show the hose or the connectors in my picture.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

Is there another source for parts breakdowns....

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

Does not show the hose or the connectors in my picture.

There are other sections that will show coolant hoses in the picture. Check engine, radiator and heater sections for full list of hoses.

[bcredliner]

Stiffing plate bolts are expensive as bolts go. IMO that is the only reason there is a debate about whether or not to replace them as BMW specifies. The reason that is the spec is they are designed to be torqued only once. I think there are more that don't replace the bolts than do. I always replace them.

I don't change the orientation of the bolts or glue the nuts in place. It takes some time but if you get the nuts positioned and then screw the bolts into them it still takes some time but you'll get it done. 'Gluing' the nuts in place is OK as long as no glue gets on the threads to give you a false torque reading.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Stiffing plate bolts are expensive as bolts go. IMO that is the only reason there is a debate about whether or not to replace them as BMW specifies. The reason that is the spec is they are designed to be torqued only once. I think there are more that don't replace the bolts than do. I always replace them.

I don't change the orientation of the bolts or glue the nuts in place. It takes some time but if you get the nuts positioned and then screw the bolts into them it still takes some time but you'll get it done. 'Gluing' the nuts in place is OK as long as no glue gets on the threads to give you a false torque reading.

A stubby 16mm wrench works well in seeking the nut as you tighten up on the bolts for the stiffening plate.

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by X53Jay4.8is

A stubby 16mm wrench works well in seeking the nut as you tighten up on the bolts for the stiffening plate.

As does a second person wielding it....