New to BMW, bought 325I 1993
 

Good Morning,

I just bought a 1993 BMW 325I for fun. I have noticed intermittent electrical problems. Meaning, I get notification to check coolant, check brake circuit. Then the next time I turn it on, it's gone. Are these common problems (though coolant has persisted, will check)?

Also, any idea the costs to fix the blower for the A/C. I heard the dash would have to be taken out.

Thanks!

is the coolant actually going down? or is just the sensor screwy?

A lot of e36's have the issue where the coolant sensor says the coolant is low when it actually isn't.. You could change that if you wanted to. As far as the brake circuit error, my car also does that every once in a while. To fix that you need to buy the switch that goes under your steering wheel area. I bought the switch, just haven't put it in yet. The price for it was under $20.

Where did you get that switch? My 325is is having the same problem and it's getting kinda annoying.

Check Engine
 

Thank You. It still does the coolant. It wasn;t really low, but I put some in. Also, the previous owner put in a stereo. I am not confident that he knew what he was doing. Coudl that have short circuited the electrical system?

Also, I have a light that says check engine. Now when I start up the car I am on the last green light before yellow. Does that mean I need to have it serviced?

I heard you can buy a book and read the code of some red light on the engine that tells you what is going on with the engine (I work with a German guy). Any thoughts?

The car runs great, just the lights are pesky. I had a Ford and it never had technical crap. It would work fine or not, no need to worry about it.

It's usually caused by corroded electrical contact where the plug meets the sensor, located at the bottom of the coolant expansion tank. Feel for a small tab under there, push it down towards the ground to release, and unplug it. Clean the contacts and plug it back in, that should do the trick.

The Check Engine light has nothing to do with the service light bars; for more info on it, see the last part of this post.

Oil service bars are timed for every 12,000mi, and inspection service bars are every 15,000mi, but you don't need to follow them; nothing will happen if you don't reset them either. At this point in the car's life, it doesn't make too much sense to pay for those services from BMW. But if you choose not to get it done, you'll need to be responsible for your own maintenance. Here's a list of what these inspections entail:

http://www.bimmerzone.com/inspection.htm

Don't need to buy a book. It's called the "5 stomp method" explained here:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tech...de_Reading.htm

Hello again. This is bimmer dumbass. Thank you for the 5 stomp method info. My car has only 37000 miles on it. I got it at an estate sale for 3000. Now, on my way hom for memorial day weekend, the belt broke. I was stranded on the side of the road, but got a ride. I need to fix it tomorrow. Is this hard? Can you do it from above? Are there service guides at auto zone? I think it was the original belt from 1993

Thanks!

btw, the coolant isnt supposed to be filled to the neck, there is a marking about 5/6 of the way up the reservoir that says KALT | COLD and thats where the level is supposed to be when it is cold

Yeah, you can replace the belts from above. For a six, it'll be pretty tight. But I'm too tired to find a DIY for you now, maybe tomorrow.

Oh, don't trust anything AutoZone says. Take their "wisdom" with a grain of salt. A big one. I learned the hard way.

I kept filling the coolant and it was getting sucked in. Now I have a leak in the radiatior area, I think. The other day I was driving to work and a coolant hose busted. My car was smoking all over the place. I took it to a mechanic and they replaced my thermostat, water pump and the hose. I can't figure out if it needed it or not. Because the car is old and none of these pieces have been replaced ever, I think that is going to happen. I am expecting a 500 radiator replacement, when I get the money. I also have an A/C problem. I was told from a fried that it was probably the motor. I hear that is an expensive fix too. I'm thinking of just taking it to a dealership and having everything done right. Then I hope I can drive it for a while before the next thing happens. Thank you guys for all your help.

$500? The radiator should cost you no more than $200.

I found the leak, it is underneath the coolant reservoir. the pipe there feels lose. I touch it and I can feel coolant pouring out. Has this happened to anyone else?

Although you have quite low mileage on a 14-year old car, the relative little mileage on it may also mean that your coolant hoses are dried out and cracked, aside from being old. In addition to that, the radiator neck and the water pump are weak spots on these cars, at least as originally outfitted. The $500 you mentioned earlier, if that's for a new water pump (you gotta replace it if yours is the ceraminc type, which it almost certainly is) plus a radiator isn't that bad a price.

As to the leak you've just described, I'm not sure whether that's the hose or the connection. Your most prudent bet is to take the car to a shop (no need to go to a dealer) (or do it yourself if capable and inclined) and have them do the radiator, water pump, AND associated plumbing. It'd also be a smart move to have the entire cooling system, radiator AND block, flushed and replaced with new stuff.

Fourteen years and only 37,000 miles makes me wonder about the service record of this car. If you don't have that information, start from scratch and do everything (over time) to establish a baseline for yourself (so you can add another 14 years of driving).

The guy who replaced the water pump mentioned something about the ceramic radiator and that I would probably have to replace it. The pipe and connection to the coolant reservoir is definitely lose. Thanks for clearing it up for me.