The boroscope is good, worth a buy for those in need. Don't abuse it tho, act with it like a surgeon would. They can break the neck, that said, they did warranty me, sooo that's a +1 in my book.
Had a 325 that smacked a tree once, pushed the motor back into the firewall and cracked the thermostat housing on the back of the engine. Was a miniscule leak, but it caused same symptoms. When you said it had been painted, it reminded me.
I’m a tech at a ford dealership, and there’s an extremely common issue on the 1.5 fecal-boost engines where they get coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Typically they will have no evidence of coolant in the oil and it leaks just enough to evaporate and cause a misfire. They look exactly the same as your suspect cylinder. If it were me, I’d definitely be comfortable recommending a tear down on that engine. Happy wrenching Wes !
I chased a similar coolant leak on my BMW a couple of years ago. No visible leaks, not smoking, no coolant in the oil. I took the parts cannon to it, and it turned out to be the thermostat housing (which is plastic). My guess is that the leaking coolant evaporated before turning into a visible drip.
We had a VW rabbit diesel back in the stone age. Very similar issue, kept losing coolant and couldn't figure it out. Just by chance my dad the hood up started it up when it was really cold and saw coolant leaking out of the head on the back corner. Within a minute the aluminum head expanded from the heat and it sealed itself up and it dripped dry without hardly a trace. Remember from your school days, Aluminum has one of the highest Linear coefficient of expansion. It's one of the reasons that those VW rabbits had such a rough time with head gaskets, because the aluminum would stretch the head bolts during it's heat cycle and loosen up just enough that the interface would loosen up and blow. I bet you could snug down those head bolt in the back and it would solve the problem. If you hit it with a torque wrench I'd bet dollars to donuts they would be loose.
Hey Wes the e46 chassis is prone to cooling system failures , mostly do to all the components being plastic, which get brittle after 10 years. Preferred method is to overhaul the entire cooling system with only genuine (OE) components. The coolant hard lines are a common leak point, as well as the expansion tank cracking and leaking at the seams. And yes, it is in the service manual to use rtv where the front cover meets the block.
@@rhiantaylor3446 I overhauled our e46 cooling system a while back, not completely tho, didn’t do the radiator or hard pipes. It still leaks. I check it once a week…sometimes it’s fine some times I add just a touch. I believe it is the thermostat housing. It’s not dripping, just seeping out. Oil samples haven’t shown any coolant in the oil yet, not a bad car at all, has over 230k on it, wife drives it daily
And gray hairs grow faster than hair which has not yet turned gray - perhaps because they don't have to stop off at the paint shop before emerging from the skin...
@@DanEBoyd tell me about it!!! Ever since my face hair ran out of paint, i can have a freshly shaved face turn too haggard Unabomber homeless scruff in less then two weeks! Never have ritualistically daily shaved but, probably should… just something i don’t consciously think about, until @ a week or two passes & POOF, all back, greyer then before & seemingly longer in less time
I have a 330i and love it. The only problem I had with it was chasing a coolant leak. Replaced hoses that were original, water pump, thermostat and it still was loosing coolant. Turned out the reservoir was bad at the seam on the radiator side of it so I couldnt see it. New reservoir and it doesnt loose coolant any more.
We call these oil leak spots on the gasket half moons in Europe. Its a common leak point on all straight sixes of the era, hence someone put red silicone in there, I always add some usual black one, otherwise they just don't last and leak from in there again. I cant remember if this one has it but there's a water rail hidden under intake manifold that would often be your leak source on lots and lots of european straight sixes. Looking forward to the next video!
I had that coolant pipe break on my and leak their. It could be it but I’m not sure there’s any area underneath it to hold to coolant from leaking onto the floor.
it's actually in the official repair manual (TIS) of bmw to put sealant on the half moons as well as the spot where the head and timing chain cover meet when changing the valve cover gasket.
Some Toyota trucks have these half moons as well and they're a service item and many fail to do them with a gasket job.. soon ish down the line they want to know why it's leaking out the sides..
I noticed that Harbor Freight now sells a 10-pc socket set that's all 10mm... short, deep, swivel, chrome, impact, a 10mm socket of every flavor. I just thought that was clever marketing - because the 10mm dilemma is real :-)
BMW corrosion protection is immersion of the all-new body frame into a manganese, nickel, phosphate zinc bath to provide a protective coating layer. Earlier versions most likely had something like Waxoyl. That’s why they don’t rust much.
I think all more expensive German cars from the early to mid 90s have such or similiar treatment. Not the cheaper models like polos though. VW also made the B6 Passat rust easier than the B5 for example. Same with the Audis. This was around 2005. This is especially true for the body, not necessarily the underside.
Head gasket is 100% leaking. Rusted cylinder is the dead giveaway. Gasolina doesn’t rust and its hard to for surface rust to happen with the pcv system dumping oil into the intake constantly. But you know what glycol does. Causes the oil to just run around it. Oil doesn’t like coolant.
Several good comments, I'd like to add for emphasis that the pressurized plastic expansion tank is a ticking time bomb on this era. A family member's 2004 325 had the tank let go in traffic on a hot day, circa 2010 with around 120k on the car.
Ive heard rumors that the pearly gates are indeed shiny gates. Constructed of the finest grade 10mm sockets lost over the years. A magnificent sight I’m sure.
I too had an E46 a long time ago! Mine was a 2000 323i with Sport Package. It was red with the very rare two tone interior, it was beautiful. I loved this car, wish I still had it sometimes.
drove an E46 330i ZHP for 10+ years, 250,000 miles. best car I've ever owned. low option, no sunroof, no auto lights, 6 speed. sold it with 325K miles on the original clutch! needed a valve job or at least valve seals but still drove better than any new sedan.
Hey Wes 👋, you got to love those mystery problems that don't show themselves . The car is in good shape . But that rusty cylinder is out of place. The fun max has chasing mice is funny. Thanks for sharing, and have a great day👋
Holy cow! That valve cover gasket was as easy as my 2006 Matrix. I like how the half moon shapes are built into the cover. And absolutely you want sealant on interfaces/wick spots.
I didn’t hear the mileage on the “beemer”., but being a 2002, I would guess pretty up there., but the cross hatching on the cylinders sure appeared like new. Great tool there in that bore scope…, Thank you sir.
I have 2 of the e46 wagon x & Xi love them. The jnc 660 jump box is 1 tough tool that will last for years, mine has been warriors. Good video with quality craftsmanship.
My 2003 E46 was blowing coolant thru the head gasket. Out of desperation I tried K-Seal, and amazingly, it worked. Stopped the leak 100% and 50k miles later, still holding!
Have a 2002 525i sedan that I bought at auction. Had to do a engine swap as it was leaking coolant into the oil and sat for 8-9 months. Drained 12 quarts of oil and fluid from the pan. Got a running junk yard engine and am still driving it. Nice car!
I'm 1:15 in and I'm going to say: Cracked plastic radiator or overflow can. Ask me how I know.... 11:15 - M54 is one of the best engines ever produced but sucks to work on in that E46 engine bay. Those half plastic radiators will get a hairline crack if you even hit a bump too hard. Then they only leak steam and you never see they coolant leave. 16:00 - If you (or the owner) want to really check the head gasket, you'll need to pull the intake and exhaust manifolds and look up in the seams of the head/block for coolant crusty residue. They tend to leak away from the cylinders and toward the outside edges first. But I'm still going with..... replace the radiator! it's only about $100 unless you want to go all aluminum. BTW, rust on a running engine cylinder... ok that's a new one. You see something new every day.
I agree with you regarding the E46s. I’d say the E39 falls into the same category. Biggest downfall for those cars is the plastic cooling system. After those cars, BMW build quality went downhill FAST. Today’s BMWs are straight junk with zero redeeming qualities, and I don’t say that as an old timer or an old BMW fanatic. I say that as a mechanic who works on them. There is a reason that most mechanics don’t want to work on newer BMWs, and it’s not because they’re “too new” or “too complicated.” It’s because they’re garbage.
lol idk what you're on about but the new B series engine have been extremally robust and the S/N63s have been usurpingly reliable as well, Tech for bmw
I had a 1972 BMW 2002. Another good model for BMW. Simple car to care for. I could adjust the valves on that car, 15 minutes from socket up to socket down. The only downfall is that it was so bad in snow, I would just put it away in the winter.
i've had nothing but failures with Fel-Pro in the last 5yrs. as a result i get to re-gasket a customers engine for free since EVERY SINGLE GASKET is leaking! i now call them "Fail-Prone" gaskets
The nut you had in your hand at 14:33 is one of the valve cover nuts, each of the valve cover nuts and bolts have a washer and a thick rubber ring that go on them, if you don't replace the rubber ring, the valve cover will start leaking again
The sealant placement is correct, there should also be some where the vanos meets the block. The Factory uses "Dreibond", sort of colorless/translucent.
I'm on my second JNC powerpack. First one lasted about five years, and the second one is about four years old. Good reliable product that is well-made.
I've been able to put the cooling system under pressure and actually see the coolant coming out of the head gasket with the scope. This particular engine was throwing a misfire code b/c the coolant would leak into the cylinder on shut down and cause a misfire on start up. Once the coolant cleared out, it was good. Spark plug and cylinder were VERY clean. No idea why the compression doesn't get into the cooling system, but it wasn't. Ive also had an oil analysis done, it didnt show any antifreeze in the oil.
Wes I have a 2003 Trailblazer that had a slow leak and took along time to find, it was the radiator cap, at a time of desperation I wrapped a pice of clothes and after a month it developed a spot of coolant!! New cap problem solved! Thanks for sharing
Yep, I have a jnc770 and I used it in place of a car battery for a 92 Toyota Tercel my friend and I were reviving. It kept cranking that little engine without a issue. Their awesome jump packs. I opened mine up to see the internals and it’s basically a car battery attached to jump cables. It’s really well build and the parts are stout.
Same experience with my 4000. Over 20 years, and only problem was I replace a the internal battery about 5 yrs ago. Cost about $60 to replace. Solid unit.
We abused a JNC660 almost daily at a used power sports/auto dealer I worked at. That thing jump started multiple large diesel engines without issue. Many many sxs, cars, trucks, motorcycles. It was even used as the primary battery in a V10 F350 for a while. We had several of the newer small lithium jump packs and I could never get those things to jumpstart even an ATV consistently.
One place you could be losing coolant is from the coolant cap. On my mothers f25 x3 I couldn’t find any leak and then realize the expansion tank bottle was leaking the tiniest bit. As you drove it would slowly evaporate a minuscule amount for a week or two until it triggered the sensor. I replaced the tank and cap and had no issues since. I heard the tiny leak when I couldn’t get my pressure tester to seal up on the threads.
I too had an E46 330Ci, mine was a topaz blue 2002. Loved that car, the seats were the most comfortable of any car I've ever owned. I bought it when it was 3 years old with 30k miles on it and kept that car for almost 10 year, selling it when it had 160k miles on it. Only problems I had on the car was a broken valve spring, and three replacement steering racks (apparently there was a manufacturing process error). All was covered under warranty.
Wes I feel you, I never ever feel like I'm getting ahead, things pile up around me. Mostly my fault though, I just can't seem to say no to people so my stuff takes the back seat.
I have a Saturn Aura with the 2.4l ecotec I'm currently working on a block replacement. When I bought the thing, it had blown the head gasket but the people kept running it but changing the oil constantly. It had worn a SLIGHT ridge in the liner but I had thought the magic sealing beads in the felpro MLS headgasket would fix it. Well, turns out if your coolant passage is near the cylinder, it can blow the head gasket without introducing coolant into the oil. I had the mystery coolant issue on both a chevy 5.3 and my current 2.4l ecotec. Both were able to seep coolant into the combustion chamber without milking up the oil. My only for sure test of head gasket failure was to bring the piston 3/4 the way up, and put the cooling system under pressure for 2 hours. At the end of the 2 hours, the ecotec had a pool of coolant ontop the piston, the 5.3 didn't pool, but the piston was noticeably wet.
I had a 2000 323i, it was a great car. After 252,000 miles the rust was getting to it after being in the rust belt it’s whole life and Illinois for most of it. That upper cover that’s above the engine is removal. Just remove the cabin air filter and there’s 4 t25 under it and it comes out easy and quick. It gives a lot of access to the back spark plugs. If you need bootleg software for it you can get factory ista+ and the old factory software. I know of a couple places if you end up needing it. The bootleg ista is great for reading codes and doing some two way communication but you can’t/shouldn’t program with it unless you have the icom box or wanna take huge risks and slow program times. Ista is great since it puts together a plan of attack for you and brings up wiring diagrams and pin outs within the software as your going between steps if needed.
Wess, I was a mechanic for 35years, I had a vehicle with the same problem, I never was a additive guy, but believe it or not we fixed the vehicles coolent loss with K&W block seal and she drove it untill she got a new vehicle without any loss of coolant
I've had 4 BMWs, and every one of them were awesome! I agree with you about that engine, I had a 2004 330ci, and it was great. I also had a 2007i, a 2008i and a 2011m and didn't have any problems with any of them. So I think all of BMW engines are awesome, especially the M car.
Maybe Heater core? No build up on inside windshield or damp on firewall/floor pan? I had a tiny crack in plastic radiator side cap on crown vic in a hidden area. Super slow leak and really only apparent on long trips in summer when really hot. Maybe 1 cup/500 miles. Where it collected I assumed leaking drain valve. After 3 years and inspections every oil change, it finally split open enough to steam and dribble in a seam.
OMG, Wes have you ever watched one of your videos at 0.25 playback speed? What a riot! I stumbled upon it while you were panning the camera around the shop (I was looking for the Goldwing). I slowed the video down and only now I am settled enough from laughing that I can actually type. Thanks for the Share and Stay Safe!
maybe whoever worked on it before drained the coolant and left it full of airlocks when refilling without bleeding the system , then after driving car for awhile the coolant moved throughout the pipes and made the reservoir empty making it look like there was a leak
Great video. Depending on how big the leak is it could be a weepy radiator that leaks when it's hot thereby evaporating off the coolant. The telltale coolant stain is probably hidden behind the aircon heat exchanger and/or trans cooler.
i dont know why you say that about your self like you never learn nothing your one of the best old boy and very smart so i trust you word over anybody on the net im saying this not give you the big head but you are the best of the best keep doing this wess i learn so much from you buddy
Not this one! As Wes mentoined, the E46 series was the last "real" BMW. Made to last. And the M54 6-cylinder engines were really bulletproof mith excellent mpg. I had a 328i. It was a great car.
I love the BMW X3 even if the handling is a bit harder in snow, but the comfort is unreal. My old car was a Kia Sportage which had the opposite of comfort
Thanks for that link to the borescope with the side lens! I think you showed it once before about a year back and I thought *_"That's a great image! I need one of those."_* and promptly forgot where I saw it. This getting old ain't no joke...
I have to disagree on the E46 being the last "good BMW". Am driving the successor, an E91 320d with the N47 engine myself. Meanwhile almost 270.000km. Didn't have any trouble at all besides normal wear until now. Now the injectors are vanishing, but that's not a particular failure of the car. Inside it looks better than a lot of cars with half the mileage. Rust? Nothing real. The E46 are known for bad rust over the fuel tank and the dap between the rear wheel arch and bumper. Nevertheless, like your channel! Great stuff! Cheers from Germany
The M54 commonly had head gaskets leak. My most reliable method for slow leaks or 'only overheats after driving for hours' was to get it smoking hot, pressure it up to 20 psi, take the plugs out. As long as I kept the system pumped up for the next hour or two while it cooled down if there was a leak it would happen under those conditions, eventually. I'd have it under pressure overnight if needed. Usually an obvious overheat due to coolant leakage was the issue but also a sticking thermostat or slipping impeller on the water pump can do the same. One huge consideration for engines that have overheated is that the threads will pull out of the block on that engine. If you ever go that far make sure you crack the head bolts loose then re-torque to ensure you don't discover you need an engine after you repaired the old one. But seriously, that rusty cylinder looked like it had a coolant trail and the rust was a giveaway.
I had the exact symptoms with a POS 2003 Dodge Durango. Coolant was disappearing and not reappearing in the oil or the exhaust. After pressurizing the system overnight, I found the leak in the heater line that feeds the rear heater. Dodge engineers aren’t familiar with the problem of dissimilar metals that touch each other. The aluminum line was being held to the frame by an uninsulated steel clamp, which is where the leak occurred.
Wes put 2 teaspoons of pepper powder in the radiator if there is a leak the pepper will seal it and not clog the radiator or heater an old trick from my dad works every time cheers from down under
Wes, I have a JNC770 I purchased in Dec of 2021. Have used it to jump a car with parasitic draw. Car was not worth fixing the problem. Got me home from work for about six months, I would disconnect the battery once I got home. The jump pack has performed above my expectations. Good luck with the 660.
Reminds me of our Volkswagen Passat, the workshop also has trouble figuring it out. Eventually it turned out to be the coolant reservoir/filling tank itself, undetectable with pressure test.
Excellent video Wes :) never work on a BMW cars ever but losing collant would have Low Coolant module sensor on rad of side of hand and why ask make Lol! I losing coolant in my 2002 Chevrolet Impala E-X 4 door with 3.4 litre series 2 of 207 Cubic V6 motor not head gaskets or vavle covers , or Thermostat faulty or a Water pump & no intake even rad leaks and hoses to! Funny part Low Coolant Sensor light came on when did cold start and hot start not! So found Sensor went but didn't leak but Dex Coolant plug up sensor and change fluid then figure the water pump inside propeller seal broke and seized up ! So put new Water pump in and no problem but did change hoses plus Thermostat too! Cure all and put NAPA brand RISLONE in rad to cure never lost drop of fluid in rad or resivor again !
I bought an E46 330Ci new in 2001 - also 5-speed manual. The coolant system is the weakest part of the car. At 210k miles, the expansion tank cracked, the car overheated on the motorway and it's never run properly since. I think the head or the block has warped, or the head gasket has also failed. That was in 2018 and I still own the car because I can't bear to get rid of it. I have a 2014 Porsche, an Audi and a 1992 E32 BMW 730i as well, but that E46 is the best car I've ever owned. I'm glad you like it too.
i worked at a dealership before and they had that jumpbox. multiple of them actually. they looked old when i started working there. i worked there for a year or two. never had an issues with them!
given it was a real dealership we used them all day. used cars especially with bad batteries about to be going to action and stuff. youll be happy with the purchase!
Coolant usually leaks out of the side of the head onto the manifold and evaporates. Often only does it on switch off after a run. Bought a few over the years with that issue. The other is a crack in the side of the Rad which blows back into the engine bay and evaporates.
Not sure it translates to Bimmer geometry, but on VW OHC blocks you can get a pesky coolant gallery combustion gas headgasket breach that only shows up when the head is trying to lift under heavy acceleration. Sitting in the driveway they pass the leakdown test and the combustion-gasses-in-the-coolant test... but you learn to replace 'em on faith and almost always win. How much coolant they use is directly proportional to how heavy the right foot is. :)
BMW also recommends using a film of silicone gasket at the edges at the rear end of the camshafts and the front at the vanos (where the gasket forms a lobe; where you said it was leaking). BMW recommended gasket sealant is drei bond 1209 (ThreeBond 1209)
The m54 and m52tu are amazing engine’s unfortunately they all have head gasket failure at some point usually starts as a very slow leak and when it goes it likes to lift and take the block threads with it and the heads almost always crack as well takes a few specialized tools to fix it all it’s more than likely more than the car is worth even if you did it as a diy.
The rust is perhaps from an open intake valve allowing moist air into the engine while the engine was sitting. That little line of fluid going down the cylinder might have made me call a head gasket, but as you've said it's a tough call to make and it's a very expensive call to make. I recently went through this on a 6.7l Cummins after a bus driver kept driving the bus after a coolant line to the air compressor blew, in spite of the stop engine light and engine protection stuff. When I got the bus the temp gauge was 240 degrees. I slapped the tester into the tank and found that while the fluid wasn't changing color in the tester, it was definitely bubbling heavy. I revved the snot out of it and the bubbling was so fierce it splattered the side of the bus and those droplets definitely did change color. I didn't have the equipment or shop space to do the head gasket, and honestly I was doubting myself if the head gasket was actually bad so I kicked it to another shop and it cost the company over $10,000.
How funny you mention the 6.7 cooling line failure on a bus. I just did that on my bus. No damage, just bad O rings. Those odd O rings are $8.00 copy from Freightliner, LOL.
@@johnclamshellsp1969 I've found the two plastic quick connect lines get very brittle with age, which is what happened here. I would strongly recommend their replacement while you're in for any sort of engine work if those are more than 5 years old.
@@bcbloc02 I unfortunately live in a very affluent area. Diesel engine repair here is expensive, like at least $150 an hour. This bus most certainly didn't get a long block or even a used engine. The final bill was actually over 20k because the bus stopped charging the batteries and the def pump also crapped out while it was there. These guys are one of the better shops in the area (they gave us a free injector from a core engine after one of ours crapped out after the head job) and their prices are much better than Cummins. Cummins is charging over $35,000 to inframe bus engines.
I had really bad luck with Fel-Pro exhaust gaskets for my old BMW. Went back to OEM and haven’t had a problem. Fel-Pro is great for my American stuff, but I will stick with the Victor Reinz or OEM for my BMWs.
How many times have we all said “Shoulda Kept it” If only we coulda kept it. :) Re Rust I have a 40 year old car and it’s not rusty. Sure we don’t salt the roads here. The answer is Galvanised. It’s a 4wd originally destined for the police but didn’t get there and was sold privately. It has zero rust where it’s brothers and sisters of the same model are falling apart. It shows they(car manufacturers) can do it if they want to. But why would they want to? In the end Max says ”I’m going in!”
Need a bore scope or jump pack?
Teslong: amzn.to/3ZBZJW4
JNC660: amzn.to/3KYzF3r
check exhaust
The boroscope is good, worth a buy for those in need. Don't abuse it tho, act with it like a surgeon would. They can break the neck, that said, they did warranty me, sooo that's a +1 in my book.
Per mortske it’s pronounced “the schlong” 😂
@@bobhoughton3785 - In some garage, somewhere on the planet.. there is a forgotten old drawer that is slowly filling up with 10mm sockets.
@@EngineeringVignettes I saw a meme the other day of a gumball machine except instead of gumballs, 10mm sockets in a clear plastic ball.
Watching Dr. Wes performing an endoscopic colonoscopy on a 21 year old BMW! It doesn't get any better than that!
"Its like I've learned nothing.."
I feel your pain, some days are exactly like that for me.
Even worse when you constantly remind yourself of the fact
Try to not be weak at the knees.
Stand up and see.
Just a thought .
YEP.
Had a 325 that smacked a tree once, pushed the motor back into the firewall and cracked the thermostat housing on the back of the engine. Was a miniscule leak, but it caused same symptoms. When you said it had been painted, it reminded me.
I’m a tech at a ford dealership, and there’s an extremely common issue on the 1.5 fecal-boost engines where they get coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Typically they will have no evidence of coolant in the oil and it leaks just enough to evaporate and cause a misfire. They look exactly the same as your suspect cylinder. If it were me, I’d definitely be comfortable recommending a tear down on that engine. Happy wrenching Wes !
Yeah it may well be leaking in #6. I can't tell if it's coolant or oil.
As a completely unqualified opinion I agree and liked your comment.
I thought check heater control water valve , vaccuum diaphragm if present,
I chased a similar coolant leak on my BMW a couple of years ago. No visible leaks, not smoking, no coolant in the oil. I took the parts cannon to it, and it turned out to be the thermostat housing (which is plastic). My guess is that the leaking coolant evaporated before turning into a visible drip.
I bought a billeted aluminum thermostat housing for my e39 just because of that possibility.
We had a VW rabbit diesel back in the stone age. Very similar issue, kept losing coolant and couldn't figure it out. Just by chance my dad the hood up started it up when it was really cold and saw coolant leaking out of the head on the back corner. Within a minute the aluminum head expanded from the heat and it sealed itself up and it dripped dry without hardly a trace. Remember from your school days, Aluminum has one of the highest Linear coefficient of expansion. It's one of the reasons that those VW rabbits had such a rough time with head gaskets, because the aluminum would stretch the head bolts during it's heat cycle and loosen up just enough that the interface would loosen up and blow. I bet you could snug down those head bolt in the back and it would solve the problem. If you hit it with a torque wrench I'd bet dollars to donuts they would be loose.
This, i would def try and tighten those bolts in the rear and see whats up, im surprised he didn't try it.
Hey Wes the e46 chassis is prone to cooling system failures , mostly do to all the components being plastic, which get brittle after 10 years. Preferred method is to overhaul the entire cooling system with only genuine (OE) components. The coolant hard lines are a common leak point, as well as the expansion tank cracking and leaking at the seams. And yes, it is in the service manual to use rtv where the front cover meets the block.
I was going to suggest expansion tank - that's where my E46 went. Common problem apparently.
@@rhiantaylor3446
I overhauled our e46 cooling system a while back, not completely tho, didn’t do the radiator or hard pipes. It still leaks. I check it once a week…sometimes it’s fine some times I add just a touch. I believe it is the thermostat housing. It’s not dripping, just seeping out. Oil samples haven’t shown any coolant in the oil yet, not a bad car at all, has over 230k on it, wife drives it daily
I had a old Golf. Radiator had a crack on the side plastic. Leaked only when engine was hot.
Yeah everything under the hood is plastic. The pistons might be plastic.... I wouldn't be surprised.
LOL. Every BMW has cooling system failures. BMW GDCS - God Damn Cooling System.
I'm calculating the gray in your beard as the months and years go by. As we sit today we are approaching the log part of the graph. 🤣
Yes, BMWs trigger exponential growth.
@@WatchWesWork Heck you haven't seen mine and I've never rode in a BMW, much less worked on one.
And gray hairs grow faster than hair which has not yet turned gray - perhaps because they don't have to stop off at the paint shop before emerging from the skin...
I've always said that as long as it stays on my head, I don't care what color it is!
@@DanEBoyd tell me about it!!! Ever since my face hair ran out of paint, i can have a freshly shaved face turn too haggard Unabomber homeless scruff in less then two weeks! Never have ritualistically daily shaved but, probably should… just something i don’t consciously think about, until @ a week or two passes & POOF, all back, greyer then before & seemingly longer in less time
I have a 330i and love it. The only problem I had with it was chasing a coolant leak. Replaced hoses that were original, water pump, thermostat and it still was loosing coolant. Turned out the reservoir was bad at the seam on the radiator side of it so I couldnt see it. New reservoir and it doesnt loose coolant any more.
and you got a coolant system which basically will be ok the next 10 years (as long as something catastrophically doesn't happen ie collision etc.)
Thanks for the "Pup and Mouse Moment"...what a good pup!
We call these oil leak spots on the gasket half moons in Europe. Its a common leak point on all straight sixes of the era, hence someone put red silicone in there, I always add some usual black one, otherwise they just don't last and leak from in there again.
I cant remember if this one has it but there's a water rail hidden under intake manifold that would often be your leak source on lots and lots of european straight sixes.
Looking forward to the next video!
I had that coolant pipe break on my and leak their. It could be it but I’m not sure there’s any area underneath it to hold to coolant from leaking onto the floor.
it's actually in the official repair manual (TIS) of bmw to put sealant on the half moons as well as the spot where the head and timing chain cover meet when changing the valve cover gasket.
Some Toyota trucks have these half moons as well and they're a service item and many fail to do them with a gasket job.. soon ish down the line they want to know why it's leaking out the sides..
Bypass heater core and run it. If coolant stays full/found it
I noticed that Harbor Freight now sells a 10-pc socket set that's all 10mm... short, deep, swivel, chrome, impact, a 10mm socket of every flavor. I just thought that was clever marketing - because the 10mm dilemma is real :-)
Astro has been doing the same for a few years, as well.
@@mattmanyam tractor supply has their set. Rebranded ? Oh yeah!
BMW corrosion protection is immersion of the all-new body frame into a manganese, nickel, phosphate zinc bath to provide a protective coating layer. Earlier versions most likely had something like Waxoyl. That’s why they don’t rust much.
I think all more expensive German cars from the early to mid 90s have such or similiar treatment. Not the cheaper models like polos though. VW also made the B6 Passat rust easier than the B5 for example. Same with the Audis. This was around 2005. This is especially true for the body, not necessarily the underside.
The wagons are my favorite and I’m not Ashamed of it. Good video BTW
Love the E46 wagons
I'd say they're a bit assheavy for my taste, but i'd never think anyone should be ashamed of their preferences. You do you bro.
stand proud OZ
They all they rage with the kids today!
Head gasket is 100% leaking. Rusted cylinder is the dead giveaway. Gasolina doesn’t rust and its hard to for surface rust to happen with the pcv system dumping oil into the intake constantly. But you know what glycol does. Causes the oil to just run around it. Oil doesn’t like coolant.
Several good comments, I'd like to add for emphasis that the pressurized plastic expansion tank is a ticking time bomb on this era. A family member's 2004 325 had the tank let go in traffic on a hot day, circa 2010 with around 120k on the car.
Ive heard rumors that the pearly gates are indeed shiny gates. Constructed of the finest grade 10mm sockets lost over the years. A magnificent sight I’m sure.
You can't fix what you can't find. Thanks for sharing.
*Wes digs out another 10mm socket*
Today, I learned what the "shop supplies" line item on my invoice is for.
I too had an E46 a long time ago! Mine was a 2000 323i with Sport Package. It was red with the very rare two tone interior, it was beautiful. I loved this car, wish I still had it sometimes.
drove an E46 330i ZHP for 10+ years, 250,000 miles. best car I've ever owned. low option, no sunroof, no auto lights, 6 speed. sold it with 325K miles on the original clutch! needed a valve job or at least valve seals but still drove better than any new sedan.
Hey Wes 👋, you got to love those mystery problems that don't show themselves . The car is in good shape . But that rusty cylinder is out of place. The fun max has chasing mice is funny. Thanks for sharing, and have a great day👋
Holy cow! That valve cover gasket was as easy as my 2006 Matrix. I like how the half moon shapes are built into the cover. And absolutely you want sealant on interfaces/wick spots.
I have a jnc 4000 (same construction, smaller capacity) for at least 20 years. Changed the battery inside once for about $60... still going strong.
I didn’t hear the mileage on the “beemer”., but being a 2002, I would guess pretty up there., but the cross hatching on the cylinders sure appeared like new.
Great tool there in that bore scope…,
Thank you sir.
we drive m52/m54 400k kms with maintence in eu
one of the common measures of humanity bro, never get as much done as you think you should.
I have 2 of the e46 wagon x & Xi love them. The jnc 660 jump box is 1 tough tool that will last for years, mine has been warriors. Good video with quality craftsmanship.
My 2003 E46 was blowing coolant thru the head gasket. Out of desperation I tried K-Seal, and amazingly, it worked. Stopped the leak 100% and 50k miles later, still holding!
Well given the upper rad hose was popped off, maybe it wasent seated all the way so that was the leak before it decided to pop off completely.
Love the videos Wes. Your channel is the most relatable content I’ve found on UA-cam. Keep it up.
Have a 2002 525i sedan that I bought at auction. Had to do a engine swap as it was leaking coolant into the oil and sat for 8-9 months. Drained 12 quarts of oil and fluid from the pan. Got a running junk yard engine and am still driving it. Nice car!
I'm 1:15 in and I'm going to say: Cracked plastic radiator or overflow can. Ask me how I know....
11:15 - M54 is one of the best engines ever produced but sucks to work on in that E46 engine bay. Those half plastic radiators will get a hairline crack if you even hit a bump too hard. Then they only leak steam and you never see they coolant leave.
16:00 - If you (or the owner) want to really check the head gasket, you'll need to pull the intake and exhaust manifolds and look up in the seams of the head/block for coolant crusty residue. They tend to leak away from the cylinders and toward the outside edges first. But I'm still going with..... replace the radiator! it's only about $100 unless you want to go all aluminum.
BTW, rust on a running engine cylinder... ok that's a new one. You see something new every day.
I agree with you regarding the E46s. I’d say the E39 falls into the same category. Biggest downfall for those cars is the plastic cooling system.
After those cars, BMW build quality went downhill FAST. Today’s BMWs are straight junk with zero redeeming qualities, and I don’t say that as an old timer or an old BMW fanatic. I say that as a mechanic who works on them. There is a reason that most mechanics don’t want to work on newer BMWs, and it’s not because they’re “too new” or “too complicated.” It’s because they’re garbage.
lol idk what you're on about but the new B series engine have been extremally robust and the S/N63s have been usurpingly reliable as well, Tech for bmw
I had a 1972 BMW 2002. Another good model for BMW. Simple car to care for. I could adjust the valves on that car, 15 minutes from socket up to socket down. The only downfall is that it was so bad in snow, I would just put it away in the winter.
i've had nothing but failures with Fel-Pro in the last 5yrs. as a result i get to re-gasket a customers engine for free since EVERY SINGLE GASKET is leaking! i now call them "Fail-Prone" gaskets
The nut you had in your hand at 14:33 is one of the valve cover nuts, each of the valve cover nuts and bolts have a washer and a thick rubber ring that go on them, if you don't replace the rubber ring, the valve cover will start leaking again
The sealant placement is correct, there should also be some where the vanos meets the block. The Factory uses "Dreibond", sort of colorless/translucent.
2003 Model 3. I parted it out at 70k miles. It had never been wrecked. It's just that nothing on it had ever worked.
I'm on my second JNC powerpack. First one lasted about five years, and the second one is about four years old. Good reliable product that is well-made.
I've been able to put the cooling system under pressure and actually see the coolant coming out of the head gasket with the scope. This particular engine was throwing a misfire code b/c the coolant would leak into the cylinder on shut down and cause a misfire on start up. Once the coolant cleared out, it was good. Spark plug and cylinder were VERY clean. No idea why the compression doesn't get into the cooling system, but it wasn't. Ive also had an oil analysis done, it didnt show any antifreeze in the oil.
Wes I have a 2003 Trailblazer that had a slow leak and took along time to find, it was the radiator cap, at a time of desperation I wrapped a pice of clothes and after a month it developed a spot of coolant!! New cap problem solved! Thanks for sharing
Max ❤️
I’ve had my JNC jump pack for over 6 years - very durable and has never let me down
Yep, I have a jnc770 and I used it in place of a car battery for a 92 Toyota Tercel my friend and I were reviving. It kept cranking that little engine without a issue. Their awesome jump packs. I opened mine up to see the internals and it’s basically a car battery attached to jump cables. It’s really well build and the parts are stout.
Same experience with my 4000. Over 20 years, and only problem was I replace a the internal battery about 5 yrs ago. Cost about $60 to replace. Solid unit.
We abused a JNC660 almost daily at a used power sports/auto dealer I worked at. That thing jump started multiple large diesel engines without issue. Many many sxs, cars, trucks, motorcycles. It was even used as the primary battery in a V10 F350 for a while. We had several of the newer small lithium jump packs and I could never get those things to jumpstart even an ATV consistently.
@Nick Sjoberg my brother and I both travel quite a bit, and keep Noco lithium jump packs in our trucks... always been useful.
One place you could be losing coolant is from the coolant cap. On my mothers f25 x3 I couldn’t find any leak and then realize the expansion tank bottle was leaking the tiniest bit. As you drove it would slowly evaporate a minuscule amount for a week or two until it triggered the sensor. I replaced the tank and cap and had no issues since. I heard the tiny leak when I couldn’t get my pressure tester to seal up on the threads.
Agreed, those BMW caps are also security valves and when they get old water scapes. A new cap and it'll get better running temperatures too.
I too had an E46 330Ci, mine was a topaz blue 2002. Loved that car, the seats were the most comfortable of any car I've ever owned. I bought it when it was 3 years old with 30k miles on it and kept that car for almost 10 year, selling it when it had 160k miles on it. Only problems I had on the car was a broken valve spring, and three replacement steering racks (apparently there was a manufacturing process error). All was covered under warranty.
Wes I feel you, I never ever feel like I'm getting ahead, things pile up around me. Mostly my fault though, I just can't seem to say no to people so my stuff takes the back seat.
I have a Saturn Aura with the 2.4l ecotec I'm currently working on a block replacement. When I bought the thing, it had blown the head gasket but the people kept running it but changing the oil constantly. It had worn a SLIGHT ridge in the liner but I had thought the magic sealing beads in the felpro MLS headgasket would fix it. Well, turns out if your coolant passage is near the cylinder, it can blow the head gasket without introducing coolant into the oil. I had the mystery coolant issue on both a chevy 5.3 and my current 2.4l ecotec. Both were able to seep coolant into the combustion chamber without milking up the oil. My only for sure test of head gasket failure was to bring the piston 3/4 the way up, and put the cooling system under pressure for 2 hours. At the end of the 2 hours, the ecotec had a pool of coolant ontop the piston, the 5.3 didn't pool, but the piston was noticeably wet.
I had a 2000 323i, it was a great car. After 252,000 miles the rust was getting to it after being in the rust belt it’s whole life and Illinois for most of it.
That upper cover that’s above the engine is removal. Just remove the cabin air filter and there’s 4 t25 under it and it comes out easy and quick. It gives a lot of access to the back spark plugs.
If you need bootleg software for it you can get factory ista+ and the old factory software. I know of a couple places if you end up needing it. The bootleg ista is great for reading codes and doing some two way communication but you can’t/shouldn’t program with it unless you have the icom box or wanna take huge risks and slow program times.
Ista is great since it puts together a plan of attack for you and brings up wiring diagrams and pin outs within the software as your going between steps if needed.
Wess, I was a mechanic for 35years, I had a vehicle with the same problem, I never was a additive guy, but believe it or not we fixed the vehicles coolent loss with K&W block seal and she drove it untill she got a new vehicle without any loss of coolant
Coolant tank! It's hot O-Rings where it clicks in underneath. Plus there's a sensor in there that can leak. They also like to crack as well
The e46 coolant level sensor is dry, not immersed in coolant. Can be removed without leaks. The expansion tank around it likes to crack & split.
I've had 4 BMWs, and every one of them were awesome! I agree with you about that engine, I had a 2004 330ci, and it was great. I also had a 2007i, a 2008i and a 2011m and didn't have any problems with any of them. So I think all of BMW engines are awesome, especially the M car.
Maybe Heater core? No build up on inside windshield or damp on firewall/floor pan?
I had a tiny crack in plastic radiator side cap on crown vic in a hidden area. Super slow leak and really only apparent on long trips in summer when really hot. Maybe 1 cup/500 miles. Where it collected I assumed leaking drain valve. After 3 years and inspections every oil change, it finally split open enough to steam and dribble in a seam.
OMG, Wes have you ever watched one of your videos at 0.25 playback speed? What a riot! I stumbled upon it while you were panning the camera around the shop (I was looking for the Goldwing). I slowed the video down and only now I am settled enough from laughing that I can actually type. Thanks for the Share and Stay Safe!
M539 restorations is a channel specializing in bmw repairs. Amazing for learning how to keep them going
maybe whoever worked on it before drained the coolant and left it full of airlocks when refilling without bleeding the system , then after driving car for awhile the coolant moved throughout the pipes and made the reservoir empty making it look like there was a leak
Great video. Depending on how big the leak is it could be a weepy radiator that leaks when it's hot thereby evaporating off the coolant. The telltale coolant stain is probably hidden behind the aircon heat exchanger and/or trans cooler.
Max is awesome !!
He is certainly hardwired to hunt!
Appreciate your videos Wes..
always learn something.
What I like about this channel is Wes is always up for a challenge.
Hi Wes, Those are known for the oil filter housing o ring gasket to leak. Sometime you will see oil in the pressure tank . It goes both ways.
i dont know why you say that about your self like you never learn nothing your one of the best old boy and very smart so i trust you word over anybody on the net im saying this not give you the big head but you are the best of the best keep doing this wess i learn so much from you buddy
I admire your determination to even take on one of these over-engineered Teutonic mechanical nightmares.
Not this one! As Wes mentoined, the E46 series was the last "real" BMW. Made to last. And the M54 6-cylinder engines were really bulletproof mith excellent mpg. I had a 328i. It was a great car.
Yeah after this things got stupid with twin turbos active suspension and no room for anything.
Exactly the sort of video I look forward to you posting 👍 another lesson of how you approach problem solving 😊
That needs to be a framed picture... Max , with the mouse right up near his nose...priceless!
I am a fan of the last "workonable" BMW E46/E83 as well. Thanks Wes!
Speaking of 10mm, Autozone has a 60-920 that has an assortment of TEN 10mm sockets! All for two 10 dollar bills.
I love the BMW X3 even if the handling is a bit harder in snow, but the comfort is unreal. My old car was a Kia Sportage which had the opposite of comfort
I always clean surfaces to degrease before putting new valve covers gasket. It creates better seal when you have clean gasket against clean surfaces.
Good to see Max on duty
Thanks for that link to the borescope with the side lens! I think you showed it once before about a year back and I thought *_"That's a great image! I need one of those."_* and promptly forgot where I saw it. This getting old ain't no joke...
I have to disagree on the E46 being the last "good BMW". Am driving the successor, an E91 320d with the N47 engine myself. Meanwhile almost 270.000km. Didn't have any trouble at all besides normal wear until now. Now the injectors are vanishing, but that's not a particular failure of the car.
Inside it looks better than a lot of cars with half the mileage.
Rust? Nothing real. The E46 are known for bad rust over the fuel tank and the dap between the rear wheel arch and bumper.
Nevertheless, like your channel! Great stuff!
Cheers from Germany
LOVE the bonus MAX MOUSE footage!!!!
I have jnc660 jump box. Use it almost every day, very happy with it.
You're so upbeat and positive, Wes, one of the many, many things I like about your channel.
Max is such a good pup!
The M54 commonly had head gaskets leak. My most reliable method for slow leaks or 'only overheats after driving for hours' was to get it smoking hot, pressure it up to 20 psi, take the plugs out. As long as I kept the system pumped up for the next hour or two while it cooled down if there was a leak it would happen under those conditions, eventually. I'd have it under pressure overnight if needed. Usually an obvious overheat due to coolant leakage was the issue but also a sticking thermostat or slipping impeller on the water pump can do the same. One huge consideration for engines that have overheated is that the threads will pull out of the block on that engine. If you ever go that far make sure you crack the head bolts loose then re-torque to ensure you don't discover you need an engine after you repaired the old one.
But seriously, that rusty cylinder looked like it had a coolant trail and the rust was a giveaway.
Thanks for the video - looking forward to part 2…. ‘cause she’ll be back….
just out of school my first job was at a tire shop and my boss had one of these 1999 e46 318i wagon 6 speed manual i use to love driving that car
I had the exact symptoms with a POS 2003 Dodge Durango. Coolant was disappearing and not reappearing in the oil or the exhaust. After pressurizing the system overnight, I found the leak in the heater line that feeds the rear heater. Dodge engineers aren’t familiar with the problem of dissimilar metals that touch each other. The aluminum line was being held to the frame by an uninsulated steel clamp, which is where the leak occurred.
Wes put 2 teaspoons of pepper powder in the radiator if there is a leak the pepper will seal it and not clog the radiator or heater an old trick from my dad works every time cheers from down under
Wes, I have a JNC770 I purchased in Dec of 2021. Have used it to jump a car with parasitic draw. Car was not worth fixing the problem. Got me home from work for about six months, I would disconnect the battery once I got home.
The jump pack has performed above my expectations.
Good luck with the 660.
Reminds me of our Volkswagen Passat, the workshop also has trouble figuring it out. Eventually it turned out to be the coolant reservoir/filling tank itself, undetectable with pressure test.
I feel your pain. I have 2 BMW's, X5 35D and 328D, great cars but every time it's in my shop I beat my head on the bench!
Excellent video Wes :) never work on a BMW cars ever but losing collant would have Low Coolant module sensor on rad of side of hand and why ask make Lol! I losing coolant in my 2002 Chevrolet Impala E-X 4 door with 3.4 litre series 2 of 207 Cubic V6 motor not head gaskets or vavle covers , or Thermostat faulty or a Water pump & no intake even rad leaks and hoses to! Funny part Low Coolant Sensor light came on when did cold start and hot start not! So found Sensor went but didn't leak but Dex Coolant plug up sensor and change fluid then figure the water pump inside propeller seal broke and seized up ! So put new Water pump in and no problem but did change hoses plus Thermostat too! Cure all and put NAPA brand RISLONE in rad to cure never lost drop of fluid in rad or resivor again !
I bought an E46 330Ci new in 2001 - also 5-speed manual. The coolant system is the weakest part of the car. At 210k miles, the expansion tank cracked, the car overheated on the motorway and it's never run properly since. I think the head or the block has warped, or the head gasket has also failed. That was in 2018 and I still own the car because I can't bear to get rid of it. I have a 2014 Porsche, an Audi and a 1992 E32 BMW 730i as well, but that E46 is the best car I've ever owned. I'm glad you like it too.
i worked at a dealership before and they had that jumpbox. multiple of them actually. they looked old when i started working there. i worked there for a year or two. never had an issues with them!
given it was a real dealership we used them all day. used cars especially with bad batteries about to be going to action and stuff. youll be happy with the purchase!
Shop looks nice! Keep the Videos coming. Your efforts are appreciated. And do gain knowledge.
I really like your videos, I like the way you integrate your humor with sarcasm. I get it. Max and the rat at the end, hilarious.
Best jump pack out there. Mine has lasted me 4 years so far. And it starts my idi diesel
My 92 Taurus loses coolant. I like the natural coolant changing feature.
Coolant usually leaks out of the side of the head onto the manifold and evaporates. Often only does it on switch off after a run. Bought a few over the years with that issue. The other is a crack in the side of the Rad which blows back into the engine bay and evaporates.
The end clip with Max chasing the mouse was cute, thanks for that 👍
I feel your pain on that 10mm. I pretty much work exclusively on CAT/Cummins/Waukesha and always lose my 3/8 drive 9/16 shallow socket.
Not sure it translates to Bimmer geometry, but on VW OHC blocks you can get a pesky coolant gallery combustion gas headgasket breach that only shows up when the head is trying to lift under heavy acceleration. Sitting in the driveway they pass the leakdown test and the combustion-gasses-in-the-coolant test... but you learn to replace 'em on faith and almost always win. How much coolant they use is directly proportional to how heavy the right foot is. :)
BMW also recommends using a film of silicone gasket at the edges at the rear end of the camshafts and the front at the vanos (where the gasket forms a lobe; where you said it was leaking).
BMW recommended gasket sealant is drei bond 1209 (ThreeBond 1209)
The m54 and m52tu are amazing engine’s unfortunately they all have head gasket failure at some point usually starts as a very slow leak and when it goes it likes to lift and take the block threads with it and the heads almost always crack as well takes a few specialized tools to fix it all it’s more than likely more than the car is worth even if you did it as a diy.
I have my grandpa's Schumacher. Still works (far as I know). It's all metal. Don't know how old it is, but I'm passed 50.
The rust is perhaps from an open intake valve allowing moist air into the engine while the engine was sitting. That little line of fluid going down the cylinder might have made me call a head gasket, but as you've said it's a tough call to make and it's a very expensive call to make. I recently went through this on a 6.7l Cummins after a bus driver kept driving the bus after a coolant line to the air compressor blew, in spite of the stop engine light and engine protection stuff. When I got the bus the temp gauge was 240 degrees. I slapped the tester into the tank and found that while the fluid wasn't changing color in the tester, it was definitely bubbling heavy. I revved the snot out of it and the bubbling was so fierce it splattered the side of the bus and those droplets definitely did change color. I didn't have the equipment or shop space to do the head gasket, and honestly I was doubting myself if the head gasket was actually bad so I kicked it to another shop and it cost the company over $10,000.
How funny you mention the 6.7 cooling line failure on a bus. I just did that on my bus. No damage, just bad O rings. Those odd O rings are $8.00 copy from Freightliner, LOL.
@@johnclamshellsp1969 I've found the two plastic quick connect lines get very brittle with age, which is what happened here. I would strongly recommend their replacement while you're in for any sort of engine work if those are more than 5 years old.
I love stupid
That is a big bill for a head gasket. I wonder if they just put a long block in it?
@@bcbloc02 I unfortunately live in a very affluent area. Diesel engine repair here is expensive, like at least $150 an hour. This bus most certainly didn't get a long block or even a used engine. The final bill was actually over 20k because the bus stopped charging the batteries and the def pump also crapped out while it was there. These guys are one of the better shops in the area (they gave us a free injector from a core engine after one of ours crapped out after the head job) and their prices are much better than Cummins. Cummins is charging over $35,000 to inframe bus engines.
I had really bad luck with Fel-Pro exhaust gaskets for my old BMW. Went back to OEM and haven’t had a problem. Fel-Pro is great for my American stuff, but I will stick with the Victor Reinz or OEM for my BMWs.
We use to use sewing thread to keep valve cover gasket s on the covers from moving. Tks from gary
How many times have we all said “Shoulda Kept it”
If only we coulda kept it. :)
Re Rust
I have a 40 year old car and it’s not rusty. Sure we don’t salt the roads here.
The answer is Galvanised. It’s a 4wd originally destined for the police but didn’t get there and was sold privately.
It has zero rust where it’s brothers and sisters of the same model are falling apart.
It shows they(car manufacturers) can do it if they want to. But why would they want to?
In the end Max says ”I’m going in!”