HELP! Coolant leak
 

Has anyone had their intake manifold ghaskets leaking coolant on 4.4 X5 with 92k? I can not find this coolant leak- water pump is dry and does not show any coolant slinging arounf the front of the motor- under pressure or not, the dealership could not find it either but says it could be the intake gaskets. I add coolant when the light comes on every 3k or so:dunno:

I will look at a possible leak from the valley pan particularly when the leak is not obvious. This is common on 4.4 of that mileage.

With the plastic cover removed from the engine, look with a flashlight at the back of the engine between the manifold and head. If it is the valley pan leaking, you should see either some coolant or signs of leaking. Anywhere on the cooling system that has what looks like corrosion buildup, like at the ends of the hoses, etc. would be a tiny leak, where the coolant is leaking soo slow it evaporates away before having a chance to drip.

When you say "under pressure", do you mean while the engine was running, or did you perform a pressure test? I will deduce that the dealership you took your X5 to performed a cooling system pressure test, but I offer no guarantees that they did.

You can perform the pressure test yourself (just need the tools, obviously). I know AutoZone rents tools for free, but I'm not sure if they will have the pressure tester, or the specific adapter for your Expansion Tank. Give'em a call.

As mentioned in a previous post, the Valley Pan is a very common culprit when it comes to coolant leaks.

So if I see coolant "crust" or signs of coolant there by the intake and head, the manifold gaskets will need to be replaced?

Both the dealer and myself used a pressure tester and let it sit for a couple hours under 12psi with no results but you can smell the coolant in the engine compartment

It's not actually the intake manifold gaskets, they have no coolant running through them. The intake does need to be removed to change whats under it... the valley pan. That is what leaks... and it's not the easiest or cheapest job. It is actually the hardest coolant leak to fix labor wise. And it is a good idea to reseal the intake while it is off (all new gaskets at the end plates, throttle body, etc.) And the coolant transfer piping from front to back is R&I'd during this, so a couple more coolant pipe gaskets and o-rings. And the crankcase vent piping that runs to the underside of the intake also usually falls apart when removed and should also be replaced. Pretty much it would best be done by either the expensive dealer option or an indy that specializes in bmw and has done this a few times before. But it is about an 8 labor hour job...

My money is on the valley pan gasket. As stated above, get all the hoses changed while completing this repair. If you are not under CPO, it's about a $1200.00 job :wow: ....Phil

I had this same problem a couple of months ago. Turns out the radiator had a pin size hole and the fan was spraying the coolant back to the manifold. Yours could be different though.

I think it is different because I dont see any traces off coolant spraying around the engine area, I just smell it