[ttt85]

I wouldn't be so afraid but BMW's choice words "Danger of engine damage!" and exclamation mark at the end is unsettling. Should I put some distilled water in? (Although have done this already in the past when I first got it in June 2011) Or is it safe to drive it to the dealership (about 10 miles)? Thanks in advance!

[cmyk]

Top off the reservoir with distilled water and then head to the dealership. Ask them for a full inspection and pressure test on the cooling system -- both on a cold engine and after it's warmed up. Hopefully they'll be able to locate the culprit.

[ttt85]

Thank You!!!

[2ndname]

Ooo...last time I had that warning, it was 1 day before my Water Pump exploded...

[John 070]

Originally Posted by 2ndname

Ooo...last time I had that warning, it was 1 day before my Water Pump exploded...

Yikes....there really isn't any reason to top-off antifreeze....if under warranty I'd put it in for repair....

[Olagüe]

welcome ;-)

[fenixxishot]

Originally Posted by 2ndname

Ooo...last time I had that warning, it was 1 day before my Water Pump exploded...

Mine was a few days later but basically the same. Low coolant frequently means water pump is going going gone.

[plokij]

Omg you need a full engine replacement.

Lol. Love the Internet. Top it off per the manual. If it persists, service it.

[fazman]

At what mileage are you guys noticing the problem with the water pump/coolant? Is the coolant suppose to be flushed every X years/Y miles or is it a lifetime (till the part dies) fill fluid?

[Reznick]

Originally Posted by fazman

At what mileage are you guys noticing the problem with the water pump/coolant? Is the coolant suppose to be flushed every X years/Y miles or is it a lifetime (till the part dies) fill fluid?

.BMW did go to a "Lifetime" fill for coolant, but I came from the old school where fluids & oils wear out, so it should be changed eventually.If I remember correctly before they went to Lifetime they wanted a full flush at 60,000 miles. But unless you are putting serious miles on the car I wouldn't worry too much about it.
I've never had a water pump fail on any of my BMW's. Most likely you have a small leak somewhere . Top it off and get it into a shop. Good luck

[morphius909]

It's apparently a
Bit normal according to various bmwexperts. Had this on my 2011. Topped it up. The dealer topped it up as well last oil change and said its " normal". Shrugs.

[cmyk]

Originally Posted by fazman

At what mileage are you guys noticing the problem with the water pump/coolant? Is the coolant suppose to be flushed every X years/Y miles or is it a lifetime (till the part dies) fill fluid?

As someone else mentioned, according to BMW it is "lifetime." This probably means ~100k miles. Personally I would not wait that long (nor do I follow their 15k mile oil change intervals). I replaced my coolant at 43k miles. It did not appear to be necessary (coolant looked brand new) when I did it, but I was in there already and went ahead with it while doing some other maintenance.

And to the OP: you may not be leaking coolant. It may be evaporating. I spent way too long scratching my head about a slow but persistent loss of coolant. It turns out that my coolant reservoir cap was not sealing correctly and coolant was slowly evaporating out of the reservoir (I had to top it off twice in about 10 months). Multiple pressure tests yielded zero leaks. So if you find yourself in this situation that's one thing to check

[fenixxishot]

My water pump went out at 65k not saying yours will with any certainty but if you have a bt tool check for the shadow code that has been linked to wp failure. I don't remember the code but if you search you should find it.

[fazman]

Originally Posted by fenixxishot

My water pump went out at 65k not saying yours will with any certainty but if you have a bt tool check for the shadow code that has been linked to wp failure. I don't remember the code but if you search you should find it.

I'm definitely interested in figuring this out... if someone knows what the details are for this shadow code... please post up.

Regards,
Faz

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by Reznick

..If I remember correctly before they went to Lifetime they wanted a full flush at 60,000 miles.

It was 4 years prior to "lifetime", so one free flush was included in covered maintenance. IIRC, the change was around 2005 or so.

Tom

[GoRomeo]

Could be evaporation. I ve done this once but I only had to add about half cup of coolant. Warning light has not come back in about 2 yrs. Fill it up and keep an eye on it. Keep us posted. Cheers!

[aarwilli]

Was there a temperature drop between when it had no warning and when the warning occurred. I've had this a few times all on the other side of a pretty drastic cold spell. I always just chalked it up to that but maybe I have something more systematic.

[m@rco]

Mind you that the same warning also comes on when the sensor is not working and/or not in place correctly. I had mine come on after a valve gasket replacement. The dealership had to disconnect some engine parts to gain access and apparantly didn't place the sensor back properly.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by fazman

I'm definitely interested in figuring this out... if someone knows what the details are for this shadow code... please post up.

Regards,
Faz

Fault code 2E81"Electrical Cooling Pump:Speed Deviation"

Coolant logevity has nothing to do with the waterpump failing. The waterpump is a poor design that fails due to over-temp of the control electronics.

This is a good thread on the whole waterpump issue. There are tons others in the Maintenance section....

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...inty+waterpump

[Brad from the OC]

I just replaced my water pump and t stat today as a pre failure preventative measure. At just 50K miles, I didn't want to risk an unplanned breakdown, possible safety hazard pulling off to the side of the road, $200 tow bill and the inconvenience of sitting by the side of the road and not to mention engine damage risk from overheating. So took the car to an Indy, supplied him with new pump, t stat, bolts, and coolant and he supplied labor for $270.

If you run to failure, you still have to buy a new pump and coolant and it's a good idea to replace the t stat at the same time, so for $70 more than a tow bill I have cheap insurance against a pump failure for awhile.

[fazman]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Fault code 2E81"Electrical Cooling Pump:Speed Deviation"

Coolant logevity has nothing to do with the waterpump failing. The waterpump is a poor design that fails due to over-temp of the control electronics.

This is a good thread on the whole waterpump issue. There are tons others in the Maintenance section....

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...inty+waterpump

Thank you i wish I could find an image of what the symbol is in yellow and red to show my wife, so when she get's it... she is prepared for what to do.

- Faz

[marine24]

should be changed at 100k. Unlike oil, it doesn't get the dirt build up or temp breakdown. Just top it off and change it on schedule, or when you replace your water pump.