MiniNL

I've been googling this for a while, but I think I may have run out of google-fu. On the other hand, BMWs and coolant leak will come up with about 20 million results

Anyway, I did a WOT pull from an onramp onto the highway. Half a mile further the car said low on coolant. I have an ultra gauge so I kept an eye on the temp. It stayed mostly stable, although it fluctuated a bit more than normal. Drove 5 miles home and parked it. Didn't have time to look at it at the time and left on an overnight camping trip in the LR3 (yes, I know, I'm a masochist.) Came back the next afternoon and spotted a small puddle under the car. Pulled it in the garage and put it up on ramps.

It seems to be leaking on the passenger side, behind the front axle, near the cats. I feared it was the water pump at first, but that's dry.

Car's a US 08 535xi (N54 engine) touring.

Anyone else had this issue? Is it the heater core?

Thanks.

MiniNL

Ended up taking the wheel + liner off and all the plastics in the engine. Still no idea on the source. Seems to come just from above the cats. Unfortunately the frame is blocking a direct view. And can't get to it from the top as the engine's blocking it :-/





That hose up there is where it seems to be dripping from. Ruled out heater core, it's on the driver side.

MiniNL

Alright, loosened the downpipe. Pretty sure this is my leak:



This is right above the downpipes, and you're looking at the waste gate actuator.

Anybody have any experience with these hoses, how to put them on, replace them or have any other useful tips or ideas?

Thinking about ripping it off and maybe replacing it with something else, though it has to be pressure and very heat resistant, running right there.

Thoughts?

Thanks

MiniNL

Looks like it's a turbo coolant line. hmm... Looks like major surgery.

haanz

Hi, I have the same problem . Most probably the second turbo return cooler line . I dont know what to do . The dealer asks for $1300 to repair . Any idea to to make the job easier ? my car has just 76000 miles its so bad have such problem in BMW !!

MiniNL

Depending on which turbo line it is, it can either be hard or easy to each. There's one that I could replace no problem. For the one that's leaking on mine, I can see the other end and I'm not sure if I could get a socket there the way it is.

If you wanted to DIY, there's a great writeup on turbo replacement on e90post: DIY Turbo Install for OEM Replacement E92 335i

Those are pretty much the steps you'd need to take to get there. I haven't gotten any quotes yet, but 1300 doesn't sound too bad. I've been quoted 1100-1200 for an oil pan gasket, which would be sort of similar. I might consider that. I'll call 2 indy shops tomorrow and see what they'd charge. I might just put it on a trailer and tow it there, half taken apart. The taking apart part is not hard, it's the putting together, I think.

haanz

thanks. Its exactly the one shown above in the pictures . I ordered the parts and may get help from some indy . I guess its not that easy .