Coolant Leak *UPDATE* read findings below

[4.6is Ryder]

Well, with this abnormal weather we are having, a small coolant drip could turn out to be major if not looked at. I've been noticing a couple of small drops on the garage floor when I leave. I decided to take it to the stealer and have it checkout yesterday...I'll keep the gang posted on the results....Phil

[Zulu95]

How many miles? Water pump?

[4.6is Ryder]

Originally Posted by Zulu95

How many miles? Water pump?

Naw...talk to the stealer earlier....seems to be some kind of valley pan which is located behind the intake. The seal is leaking so the tech is going to change the pan. I'm told that this is another common E53 bug. Good news is CPO will cover repair. I'll also replace a couple of PVC hoses since the tech has the hood up. I'll keep you guys posted......Phil

[footsurg]

My valley pan gasket went south a while back as well on my 4.4i. They have to pull the head and valve covers off to change it out. Its a 2 day job. Good thing your CPO is covering it because its a $2000 job i've been told. Mine was covered by factory warranty. Good idea to replace those breather hoses while they have it all apart. Normally they are hard to get to because they are between the engine and the fire wall. They have to pull them off anyway to change the valley pan gasket. Because of the excessive heat in the breather (PVC) hose location these hoses usually are crumbling by 60k miles.Also my 4.4i was sucking down oil like a beast before this problem was fixed. It was eating a quart every 1-2k miles. I was told that there is a seal under the valve covers that goes bad on a lot of e53's. When this happens you get too much air in the intake manifold and that somehow causes the engine to eat oil. Of course when they change the valley pan they have to change this other gasket as well that solves the problem. My X has not eaten a drop of oil since the repair. I have put 15k miles on it since having this done. Thats 2 oil changes for me. And its been 8.75 quarts out......exactly what went in. No annoying engine oil low indicator anymore thank god.

[4.6is Ryder]

Good info Footsurg...my tech basically said the same thing. That's why I trust this guy. He's been my BMW tech since 1999. Whenever I go to the stealer, I'll call him to let him know I coming in for service and he's on it. The SA's need to quit asking for 5's and let the tech's take due credit......Phil

[4.6is Ryder]

Ok gang, it's a done deal....picked up the beast last night. Here is the info I got. It was indeed the valley pan gasket leaking. I talked with the service manager and tech......peep this.....most people don't realize the valley pan is leaking because the hot engine dries the leak before it ever hits the ground in most cases. So, word to the wise...if you are adding coolant and don't know why, have your X pressure tested to see if it is in fact the valley pan. This is about a 2500.00 job. Bless the CPO gods on this one . I also found this out as well...front turn signal sockets are not covered under CPO like the rears are ...the explanation I got was that the rears are part of a circuit board system and the fronts aren't. So that cost me about 25.00. I guess that's better than footing the bill for the valley pan.......Phil

[rayxi]

Thanks for the update Phil. Glad you got it fixed and avoided a big a$$ bill. I had to top off the coolant last summer during a long road trip but the light hasn't come on since then. I think I'll check the level every few months now based on your info.

[wilson]

Thanks guy for this information, beacause lately i add a coolant on my 4.4 2002 and also found a drops of coolant on my garage on the pasenger side. Tommorrow had a appointment with the dealer and will bring this up.

[fast4d]

the valley pan replacement is a $1200 job at the dealer. you should replace all the coolant hoses back there at the same time. it should cost you a couple hundred more.

the intake has to be removed it's a big PITA (time consuming). it take about 8 hours.

it's easy to see if it's leaking. it'll drip down by the transmission if you park uphill. another place to check for moisture on top of the intake where it meets the valve cover. I don't have any pictures.

mines been leaking (very slowly) for a while. trying to decide whether I should do it myself. it's such a pain to reach back there at the rear coolant log to R/R all the parts.

[wilson]

Thanks for the reply fast4d. Yes it is the valley pan gasket that is leaking.

The dealer will cover all parts including hoses under the warranty but I have to pay for the labor cost, $900.00.

It will takes 7.5 to 8 hrs. works, It's good I noticed now before the warranty expires.

I was just wondering, if this is a common problem with 4.4 x5, did anybody think that this might be a subject for a recall. my x5 is 2002 and has only 108,645 km on it.