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      12-05-2019, 04:57 AM   #1
Giggs11
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Low coolant

Need your help guys , yesterday got msg on Idrive low coolant level ad coolant blabla, only a inch missing from reservoir , added coolant , disappears then msg goes, away comes back etc even after adding coolant msg comes back , no visible leaks-searched for on hour above ,under you name it , temp engine doesn't change at all !car runs fine , no coolant smell , engine temp normal , what do you all think ?
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      12-05-2019, 08:30 AM   #2
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The main engine coolant fill pipe is located (facing the engine) on the far back right side of the engine compartment. There is no marking to indicate "full". Use measurement on attached pic to determine when full.
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      12-05-2019, 08:41 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggs11 View Post
Need your help guys , yesterday got msg on Idrive low coolant level ad coolant blabla, only a inch missing from reservoir , added coolant , disappears then msg goes, away comes back etc even after adding coolant msg comes back , no visible leaks-searched for on hour above ,under you name it , temp engine doesn't change at all !car runs fine , no coolant smell , engine temp normal , what do you all think ?
Bad sensor?
Tried your mechanic for a scan/inspection?

Also, not sure if applicable, but there are two coolant reservoirs; one for the turbos and one for the engine (mentioned and pictured above).
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      12-05-2019, 08:45 AM   #4
Opie55
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Per Walt's post you need to be clearer what you are talking about. You have a 2013, which should be a TU engine that has the filler neck at the very back left of the engine compartment. You are talking about a reservoir, but you cannot see the reservoir on a TU engine. So what are you looking at?
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      12-05-2019, 08:49 AM   #5
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You are not by any chance looking at the small reservoir at the front center of engine are you? That is coolant, but is unrelated to a low coolant message because it is a separate system.
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      12-05-2019, 09:06 AM   #6
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Ditto the comments above. As I was reading the original post...the same questions came to mind.

See the image below as to the location of the engine coolant fill pipe (on a 2013 the coolant reservoir isn't visible because it's located in the front fender area)...and you know that it's full when you stick something down into the fill pipe and the fluid level is 4"-6" below the top of the fill pipe's neck.

The turbos and engine CPUs have a "charge air cooler" system that is easy to get confused or conflated with the engine coolant system since it is not really described well in the owners manual...along with it being "front & center" with writing on the lid (versus the engine coolant lid tucked at the back of the engine bay with an almost blank lid).

In the diagram below...#5 & #6 is the lid and filler pipe for the engine coolant...and #1 is the reservoir for the engine coolant if you have the N63TU.

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Last edited by Qsilver7; 12-05-2019 at 09:13 AM..
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      12-05-2019, 09:17 AM   #7
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Hi thank you guys for all the help and response , i m at the dealer as we speak and they just told me i have a small leak on my turbo line so loosing coolant from that middle reservoir located in front of the engine , and yes msg would appear on idrive screen as engine coolant low/add coolant
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      12-05-2019, 09:32 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie55 View Post
P You have a 2013, which should be a TU engine that has the filler neck at the very back left of the engine compartment.
Again, facing the engine it's on the far right side of the engine.
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      12-05-2019, 09:53 AM   #9
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Guess bmw technicians don't know shit !!
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      12-05-2019, 10:22 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggs11 View Post
Guess bmw technicians don't know shit !!
HA! I can't remember which forum it was...but just recently a forum member took their car to their local dealership...and they supposedly "topped off" the coolant...except they put it into his PS reservoir!

You can see from the pic above of the n63TU engine bay...that the PS reservoir isn't that far from the engine coolant fill pipe. (I hope they came out alright...the dealership was supposed to be handling things).
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Last edited by Qsilver7; 12-05-2019 at 06:14 PM..
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      12-05-2019, 05:21 PM   #11
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Qsilver/white/and rest of you good ppl

Hey guys thank you for all your help earlier with coolant crap I tell you what you guys know more than $100 per hour so call professionals I have a year and a half worth warranty left on this car but I am NOT taking it to a dealer ever again That being said they diagnosed the small tiny leak somewhere in a turbo line and they said it's at least 13 to 14 hour job but I don't trust a word they say anymore, oh and this is a kicker they forgot to close the cap on coolant filler tube so I drove 50 Milles Home with the open thing , At home I noticed it and when I shut the car off sounded like washer machine cycle for at least 20 minutes with the engine off I wish you were all here with me when I made a phone call to a dealer and express my feelings LOL once again thank you guys for all the help
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      12-05-2019, 06:14 PM   #12
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Now your coolant will be low for sure. And you will have a ton of air in there.
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      12-05-2019, 06:15 PM   #13
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Thanks for the update...hope it all gets squared away correctly and in a timely manner.
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      12-05-2019, 06:19 PM   #14
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And also, I'm still confused. That small front reservoir cools two things - your two engine computers and the charge air coolers - not the turbos themselves. And it has no level sensor. It's a low temp system. So it must be your main reservoir that is low. Of course now it will be really low since they left it open.
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      12-06-2019, 07:02 AM   #15
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OP, what dealer did you go to?
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      12-06-2019, 02:43 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie55 View Post
And also, I'm still confused. That small front reservoir cools two things - your two engine computers and the charge air coolers - not the turbos themselves. .
Come to the light...

Yes, you wrote it correctly. The engine cooling and turbo cooling is on one circuit...and the charge air coolers and DME are on their own separate circuit.

See the info below that illustrates the N63TU engine's set-up:
  • the engine's cooling circuit...
  • the turbos' cooling circuit...
  • then the charge air's & DME's cooling circuit...
And yes, it's confusing (or way more convoluted than I ever thought it was before I stumbled upon the BMW N63TU Technical document that the illustrations below came from).
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      12-06-2019, 03:17 PM   #17
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Right. What I was confused about was at one point he said it was the center reservoir that was low, but that a turbo line was leaking. Those two things should not be related.
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      12-06-2019, 04:23 PM   #18
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Ah, now I get what you meant. Now look who it is that's not confused (shoe is in the other foot)...it was me.
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      12-06-2019, 08:55 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qsilver7 View Post
Come to the light...

Yes, you wrote it correctly. The engine cooling and turbo cooling is on one circuit...and the charge air coolers and DME are on their own separate circuit.

See the info below that illustrates the N63TU engine's set-up:
  • the engine's cooling circuit...
  • the turbos' cooling circuit...
  • then the charge air's & DME's cooling circuit...
And yes, it's confusing (or way more convoluted than I ever thought it was before I stumbled upon the BMW N63TU Technical document that the illustrations below came from).
Wow these cars are over-engineered. I don't mean that as a compliment. If these cars were properly engineered, they wouldn't need to over engineer them to compensate for the deficits that they inherently have. No wonder these things always break.
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      12-07-2019, 10:58 AM   #20
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{knocking on wood as not to jinx myself}...can you imagine what its going to take to change an engine coolant reservoir in the n63tu engine? And if anyone has owned a BMW in the past...the coolant reservoir will eventually require replacement if you keep it past warranty...and this thing is buried in the fender...O M G!
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