Normal frequency of top-off for cooling system

[JMI]

How often do you guys top-off the cooling system with water. I add about 1 quart of water every 2-4 weeks.

Thanks

Jim

[gmannino]

I add about a quart every month or month and a half.

[Morgenster]

Before my waterpump went I'd top up every 10000km. Now it's holding.

[philbyil]

Level remains nice and steady......

[e34.535i.sport]

Level remains nice and steady......

+1 since I changed out all of the coolant hoses...

By the way there was a recall on the resevoir cap of some e34's due to it leaking or something - still stands so if you take it to the dealer they can check if yours needed it and whether it has been changed. If not its a new one for free. Worth a check.

[JMI]

+1 since I changed out all of the coolant hoses...

Been looking at the hoses and it appears there has been some weeping of coolant at some time (currently?) where they clamp to the various spots.
Were hoses 1 and 8 difficult? They both pass under the intake manfold. There is a clamp (16) that looks like a pain.
Also loos like some weeping past the thermostat housing and gasket. That looks preety straight forword.

TIA

Jim

And I will check out the expansion tank cap.

[e34.535i.sport]

Been looking at the hoses and it appears there has been some weeping of coolant at some time (currently?) where they clamp to the various spots.
Were hoses 1 and 8 difficult? They both pass under the intake manfold. There is a clamp (16) that looks like a pain.
Also loos like some weeping past the thermostat housing and gasket. That looks preety straight forword.

TIA

Jim

And I will check out the expansion tank cap.

Hey there posted I reply earlier but mustn't have stuck...

Anyway you won't have too much of a problem with those two hoses that feed under the manifold as long as you have a good look at that #16 clamp thingy mabob- have a good feel around it and figure out how to undo it before forcing it as they are quite brittle! Not difficult as long as you take your time, feeding them through is fine but make sure they are seated correctly so you can close the clamp thingy afterwards. Also be aware there's a litte tiny pipe by the resevoir too that you can pull off by accident if you aren't careful... you dont need to ask how I know.

The only problem you might have is fitting the hose clamps on the end of the two pipes with the small diameters that finish right by the windshield. These are a serious PITA to get on... get yourself some angled screwdrivers before you start the job and you'll be ok.

Oh and expect some spillage no matter how much you drain the coolant, so get some rags on the alternator and belts etc.

Good luck, let us know how you get on...

[e34.535i.sport]

Been looking at the hoses and it appears there has been some weeping of coolant at some time (currently?) where they clamp to the various spots.
Were hoses 1 and 8 difficult? They both pass under the intake manfold. There is a clamp (16) that looks like a pain.
Also loos like some weeping past the thermostat housing and gasket. That looks preety straight forword.

TIA

Jim

And I will check out the expansion tank cap.

Nearly forgot to mention that you should make sure you change all the hoses out at the same time... I just changed one when it went, filled the coolant back up, week later another hose went and no more coolant. This time I got all the other hoses and done the job properly. Cost me two lots of coolant the much more time and inconvenience.

Those two pipes that feed through under the manifold cost a forune at the dealer too... I think one is £50 and the other around £60!! Scandaous!

[JMI]

from the stealer. Had to pay because a new one was "installed" back in 2000. Figured what the hell put a new one in there just to cover all the bases. The expansion, water pump, thermostat have less then 10,000 miles while the radiator has about 40,000 miles.
Don't know the history of the hoses but they have no obvious warning signs. Have a new set of belts to install so sometime in the spring (unless disaster strikes) will do the hoses and belts in one shot. I know a whole set of hoses gets very pricey but what can you do?

Thanks for the excellent tips.

Jim

[Kalevera]

By the way there was a recall on the resevoir cap of some e34's due to it leaking or something - still stands so if you take it to the dealer they can check if yours needed it and whether it has been changed. If not its a new one for free. Worth a check.

Actually, it was for pretty much every car produced during the era. I've always been told that its sole purpose was to mine data on owners -- nothing particularly wrong with the original caps.