BMW fluids

[twastheglow]

I have a couple general questions about fluids for my e36. Does the power steering on a '96 328i use just general power steering fluid or something special?

And also what's the deal with coolant? I've read that BMW uses special coolant, but does that mean I can't pick some up @ Autozone?

[Elliott18t]

is it G12 coolant? i know that my vw uses that and I think i need to get that at a dealership? and my audi wanted mineral based PS fluid. silly euro cars .

[twastheglow]

Originally Posted by Elliott18t

is it G12 coolant? i know that my vw uses that and I think i need to get that at a dealership? and my audi wanted mineral based PS fluid. silly euro cars .

Well, that's the thing. I don't know what either uses. I never got a manual with my car. These are the questions I'm looking for answers to.

[Elliott18t]

well i found this...

http://www.bimmerworld.com/html/antifreeze--coolant.htm

and

http://www.dvatp.com/bmw/diy/power_steering_flush/ but idk if thats for your m50(correct?) .. says ATF fluid o_0

[twastheglow]

Well, I called BMW and apparently (from what they say), it does take a special coolant. They didn't say what was so special about it but it's $23.10 for a gallon jug. Since I got a OBC message about low coolant I'm going to have to take a closer look when it cools off while I'm at work. If it IS low, then it looks like I'll be driving over to the dealership on lunch.

Also it takes a BMW hydrolic oil for the PS. WTF? Why can't anything be simple? A liter of that **** is $20! lol Oh well. You have to pay to play I guess.

[twastheglow]

I guess my other concern is why the **** do I have low coolant (if in fact I do which I need to confirm on my next break from work)?

[SoStock92]

Use the BMW coolant if you have BMW coolant in it. Else, this weekend is going to be nice and warm, you could flush it and put in universal "mix with everything" type. But you don't want to mix anything with the BMW stuff. Its blue I think.

The power steering varies - my E34 525 takes ATF fluid Dexron III, my E34 530i (v8) takes like CHF 7.11 or some ****. The CHF thing is super expensive but you need it.

As for where the coolant is going - check your heater core, your radiator area, and check your waterpump area. How many miles on the thing?

[twastheglow]

Originally Posted by SoStock92

Use the BMW coolant if you have BMW coolant in it. Else, this weekend is going to be nice and warm, you could flush it and put in universal "mix with everything" type. But you don't want to mix anything with the BMW stuff. Its blue I think.

The power steering varies - my E34 525 takes ATF fluid Dexron III, my E34 530i (v8) takes like CHF 7.11 or some ****. The CHF thing is super expensive but you need it.

As for where the coolant is going - check your heater core, your radiator area, and check your waterpump area. How many miles on the thing?

Whatever's in the radiator is green. That's why I figured I could use the universal ****. I'm going out to my car in about 30 minutes to open it up and take a look at how low it is. This is the first time in like almost 2 months of owning the car I've gotten this OBC message.

As far as the power steering, I have no idea what it needs if different models used different types. And to make matters more confusing, since my motor was swapped into my 318i from a 328i, I don't know if it's the original power steering or the power steering from the donor car.

As far as I can tell (and I could be wrong), since the motor was swapped in fully OBDII (and I have an OBDI car), I'm assuming they had to use the donor car cluster too. The odometer reads 150k+ miles.

I gave it a quick look before walking into work and there doesn't seem to be a leak anywhere. There's nothing on the ground either and I park in the same spot every day.

[Elliott18t]

Originally Posted by SoStock92

Use the BMW coolant if you have BMW coolant in it. Else, this weekend is going to be nice and warm, you could flush it and put in universal "mix with everything" type. But you don't want to mix anything with the BMW stuff. Its blue I think.

The power steering varies - my E34 525 takes ATF fluid Dexron III, my E34 530i (v8) takes like CHF 7.11 or some ****. The CHF thing is super expensive but you need it.

As for where the coolant is going - check your heater core, your radiator area, and check your waterpump area. How many miles on the thing?

CHF is what my old audi used lol. it was expensive and for a while it was leaking bad.. so I used the GUNK brand stuff as I had to refill alot of times.
luckly I found a pressure hose place in conshy that fixed it for $45.

anyways..
Why would they used ATF fluid? just curious.

[twastheglow]

So I just went and took a better look at everything. With the motor cold, the coolant level is about 1/4" below the "cold" line on the end tank (expansion tank?). So, it doesn't seem that I'm actually low (unless the car is truly that sensitive to the fluid level being SLIGHTLY lower). That would lead me to believe I possibly have a faulty sensor. I'm going to closely monitor it for the next week or so and see what happens.

As far as the power steering fluid, I'm not sure how filled the reservoir is supposed to be. When I clean the cap and put it back on, the cap's dipstick barely touches fluid. I would assume that's low, but where is it supposed to read? Also, the PS fluid is not red like I thought it would be (ATF), it was a dirtly clear color. SoStock, does that give a hint as to what PS fluid I need?

[SoStock92]

Yeah its low on both counts. The dipstick on the P/S should have a couple like, lines on it... not even fill marks. But like, if you look at the canister there is like a "half way" point - fill to that. Yeah and for the coolant it is that sensitive - its likely that when you run the motor that 1/4 sucks down adn its empty. Do you have good heat?

It sounds like whats in ther eis generic "power steering" fluid. Usually if it requires Dexron III it'll say on the lid. It might be time to hit bimmerforums with some searchez.

[teh DIRT]

e36's

this is what you will get

1. A sagging headliner
2. A sagging glovebox
3. A leaky/inoperative plastic impeller type waterpump
4. A leaky plastic thermostat housing
5. A leaky oil filter housing/ Vanos pressure line

3 and 4 are my guess for your loss of coolant. Oh and my 93 E36 took ATF for PS fluid.

[twastheglow]

Originally Posted by SoStock92

Yeah its low on both counts. The dipstick on the P/S should have a couple like, lines on it... not even fill marks. But like, if you look at the canister there is like a "half way" point - fill to that. Yeah and for the coolant it is that sensitive - its likely that when you run the motor that 1/4 sucks down adn its empty. Do you have good heat?

It sounds like whats in ther eis generic "power steering" fluid. Usually if it requires Dexron III it'll say on the lid. It might be time to hit bimmerforums with some searchez.

Ok. I'm going to need to top both systems off. And to reitterate, it's only one quarter inch below that "cold" line. I can't believe the system's that sensitive to that! I do have good heat. No issues there (as far as I can tell).

Since the coolant is green does that mean that when the motor was swapped they filled the coolant with generic?

The PS cap just has a bunch of ribbing on it. There wasn't any writing. Yeah, I have a thread up about the PS already.

Originally Posted by teh DIRT

e36's

this is what you will get

1. A sagging headliner
2. A sagging glovebox
3. A leaky/inoperative plastic impeller type waterpump
4. A leaky plastic thermostat housing
5. A leaky oil filter housing/ Vanos pressure line

3 and 4 are my guess for your loss of coolant. Oh and my 93 E36 took ATF for PS fluid.

LOL That's what I'm wondering about my PS fluid...it's not red like I expected. So I'm wondering if the power steering system is the original or the system out of the donor '96 328is. *shrugs shoulders* I'm trying to get it figured out by lunch so I can go over to the dealership if I need to get anything from them.

[SoStock92]

Originally Posted by teh DIRT

e36's

this is what you will get

1. A sagging headliner
2. A sagging glovebox
3. A leaky/inoperative plastic impeller type waterpump
4. A leaky plastic thermostat housing
5. A leaky oil filter housing/ Vanos pressure line

3 and 4 are my guess for your loss of coolant. Oh and my 93 E36 took ATF for PS fluid.

the headliner and glovebox are case by case - ive seen 200k E36 w/ perfect interiors.

The last 3 are silly - waterpump/t-stat housing should be replaced by time you by it used and are typically replaced with aluminum housing and metal impeller (though many people who used to use the metal impeller are now going to the BMW composite again)

leaky filter housing isn't that big a deal

Very minimal issues compared to some other cars ;)

[twastheglow]

So upon further research, it seems that the previous owner probably refilled my PS with actual PS fluid instead of the ATF that is required (which may explain an ongoing loud whine I have). I think I'm going to try flushing the system this weekend and refilling with the proper fluid.

But on to the coolant...what is safe to add to the coolant? Generic mixed with distilled water or the BMW coolant that they have? I've read you shouldn't mix the BMW with the generic and that you can use one or the other separately. IE...if you've flushed the system and are adding all new, you can use either, but that you need to continue what you've used until you flush again. How can I tell which I have in there now? Can anyone confirm that BMW's is DEFINATELY blue...because mine is DEFINATELY green.

[SoStock92]

Yeah kinda as I suspected - clear = PS fluid

For coolant, it will be nice out today - maybe consider flushing it out and refilling with generic "mix with anything" coolant so you can later mix it with anything.

[russiankid]

Originally Posted by teh DIRT

e36's

this is what you will get

1. A sagging headliner
2. A sagging glovebox
3. A leaky/inoperative plastic impeller type waterpump
4. A leaky plastic thermostat housing
5. A leaky oil filter housing/ Vanos pressure line

3 and 4 are my guess for your loss of coolant. Oh and my 93 E36 took ATF for PS fluid.

3. metal impeller ftw!
4. aluminum upgrade!
5. Fix for the two plugs that leak is already found.

[russiankid]

I use BMW coolant and I am 100% sure its blue. I honestly like the satisfaction of having BMW coolant. It may not make a difference, but its just that little part of me that says use BMW coolant, its made for a reason.

As for the P/S pump. Just pull the feed hose to the pump and drain out as much as you can. Regular P/S fluid is to heavy of a weight for pumps meant for ATF.


Edit: Go me for making two posts.

[twastheglow]

Originally Posted by SoStock92

Yeah kinda as I suspected - clear = PS fluid

For coolant, it will be nice out today - maybe consider flushing it out and refilling with generic "mix with anything" coolant so you can later mix it with anything.

Originally Posted by russiankid

I use BMW coolant and I am 100% sure its blue. I honestly like the satisfaction of having BMW coolant. It may not make a difference, but its just that little part of me that says use BMW coolant, its made for a reason.

As for the P/S pump. Just pull the feed hose to the pump and drain out as much as you can. Regular P/S fluid is to heavy of a weight for pumps meant for ATF.


Edit: Go me for making two posts.

If it's semi decent out on Sunday, I'm going to try pulling that PS hose and flushing the system and refilling it with Dexron III.

If I have time, I'll try pulling the drain plugs and flush the coolant too.

[supraghost]

#6 sqeaky steering wheel
#7 sqeaky clutch


these bother me the most lol