pushing the e30 kinda hard, and it started to smell funny. then the engine coolant light on the check panel lit up so i took the next exit and pulled over to check it out. found some spray under the hood, around the radiator/coolant hoses but couldn't pinpoint the leak in the dark. i drove to the nearest gas station and bought a gallon of coolant, figuring worst case scenario i just keep pulling over and topping her off on my way home. at the gas station i noticed the coolant was leaking out of the radiator. filled up the reservoir and started driving. every time i noticed the coolant light, i would pull over and top her off again. it happened every five miles until the last ten or so miles. the coolant light didn't come on again that drive, and when i checked the reservoir, it was full. i parked her for the night and when i woke up this morning checked under the car for a puddle, drips, etc BUT there weren't any. i drove my car to my parents' house (25 or so miles) with no problem. no leaks, no lights, and the heat works fine. also, no bad smells coming from the vents. i think it was just her having a mechanical period. i'm not that concerned with it but its fuckin weird, so tell me mechanical geniuses of GC, what the fuck happened?
^^ what he said, check all your hoses. Maybe your radiator cap was on crooked? Just look around for anything that doesn't look normal.
radiator doesn't have a cap and the hoses are fine, that was the first thing i looked at. i was just telling a story and being sarcastic about the "mechanical geniuses" bit.
its a e30, what do you expect for a 25 year old car? hahah I've always loved them and lusted after one
I dont know much about cars, but maybe the hoses are loose. Maybe the vibration of the car caused them to become loose and they somehow vibrated back to being tighter again.
Yup, sounds like your E30 was just on her once a decade period, HAHAHA! I'd love to own a E30 one day! -CN
That's cuz the e30 is old as fuck and outdated. As I have said in many threads before old bimmers suck. Buy a new BMW or stop bitching about your old one dying.
Love how this guy just throws it out there "By a new one or stop bitchin." Don't really think the man was bitchin though.
dose it got an electric fans. if so, thats ur problem. time to replace. when the reserve bubblin hot. is cuz their no fan keepin the radiator cool down, or heat temp not working. aswell water pump mite be givein out
If it's been years since the hoses were changed, I would definitely consider it. Since it doesn't have a cap, the coolant was coming from the radiator or hoses (more than likely). Also, since you were pushing it pretty hard, engine vibrations and movement could open up small cracks in the lines or cause the hoses to shift and spray from a connecting point as well-- the more I think about it I'd definitely change the hoses. Should be a relatively inexpensive solution, if it continues then it's one less item on the culprit list.
and the award for ignorant fool of the year goes to.... haha jk idk about you but when i think of a bmw i think of 2 round headlights on each side. i wouldn't even consider anything newer than an e36. (except for the e39) on paper the newer bmws might wipe the floor with the older ones, but you'll never see me getting out of an e92 or e60 with as big a grin as if i was getting out of an e24 or e28. never. its all about that ultimate driving experience, and i feel like the older bimmers got that down to the point. newer cars lack character