A Better Way to Diagnose a Coolant Leak on an E46 BMW!

Radiator Pressure Test Kit: amzn.to/2jNtbtq
My mailing address for correspondence or swag of any kind is on my about page.
This video is for entertainment purposes only. 50sKid assumes no liability for any repairs or modifications performed by the viewer as a result of the information contained in this video.

[@uvolniavka1]

When I bought this coolant system pressure tester several months ago, the #5 adaptor did not fit the expansion tank - the O-rings were just a bit too large. Glad to see they have fixed them.

[@evn137]

Thanks for sharing this. My 740i had a leak that only became apparent at high pressure. Traced it to a clamp that wasn’t torque to spec by the firewall. Thankfully its a leak that i could see. The bad news leak are the one you don’t see. Then you have to check the coolant for combustion byproducts. Thanks again for your interest in helping other enthusiasts and keep their wheels in tip top shape.

[@David-yh5po]

Thanks again for sharing this with us. Happy hunting for leaks. I would love to try to buy replacement parts that last. That are not plastic crap.

[@gentoolive]

Good tool that you will use more often than you'd like.. I got so sick of chasing coolant leaks, and the car coming home on the wrecker because of the coolant system i got fed up and just traded in my 330ci.

[@TheCowgirlNiamh]

I've been looking out for one of those! Deffo a must for BMW's lol

[@becomematrix]

Nice tool, i've got just the fitting for the reservoir and diy'ed something with a hand pump. Basically the same but cheaper. Excellent for bleeding stubborn cars too..

[@harborcbs]

Take a tip from someone who knows, if you own an e46 thats more than 10 years old and you have a leak, plan on changing EVERYTHING thats made of plastic that comes in contact with the part that you NEED to change. You can't remove one part with out breaking two other plastic parts! I don't know why BMW plastic is so brittle after time but it's very frustrating to have to change three parts when only one is cracked. I guess what I'm saying is ...Plan ahead. Expect to make that trip to the parts store several times or just buy all the parts the first time. Good luck!

[@HamidRHariri]

584 and proud of it!

[@brandon7968]

Snagged the harbor freight version of this tool last year for my brothers E70 X5 nightmare.... going to use this on my E46 that I plan on selling, the cooling system is new-ish and has no leaks visually but I do smell a sweet coolant smell once I’ve let it run for more than 30 minutes. Coolant temp is pinned in the middle but you never know.

[@based1781]

nice and straight forward video

[@vviiper]

Omg this would have been so useful when I did my watercooling system overhaul. I had one annoying leak that I just couldn't spot and it took forever to diagnose. This would've sorted me out nice and good

[@thefiantl6948]

Thank God for your channel.... Had the same Exact leak....

[@DaxNyC]

TheDefiant1 what was leaking?

[@mikesavage8379]

Nice Tool & Video. I bought a fitting that connects one of the bleeder screws to my portable air tank (also a great tool) and put 15 lbs into the system..found a leak in the radiator...

[@50sKid]

nice

[@MrJaz8088]

I found my Coolant Leak easy enough, the whole top of the expansion tank blow complete off, what a pop

[@ismedennis9228]

Hello , thanks for the video. I am having overheating problems with my bmw e46 . I suspected a leak on the pipes and also the head tester appeared to be yellow.... Please I want to know if is the coolant leak causing the overheating or if my head gasket is actually blown.... because I am actually in doubt of the head tester results. Thank you.

[@christophersalas912]

50skid, based on your recommendation I was going to oreder the tool in the this video. I looked on Amazon with no luck in the description of applicable vehicles, will this work on the newer sized expansion tanks like used on the E90 with the larger style caps?

[@mitchellman32]

This comes up on the dash as the tank/ liquid light on the far right correct?

[@MegaFREEAIR]

thanks a lot, good idea

[@1rewd133]

OT a bit from the video, but I have a question maybe you can help? '05 325xi, lower hose from heater control valve to (?) has split and I need to replace. Seeing as to the location I figure the best thing to do i replace all the coolant lines located in that area, under all the crap (intake manifold, etc). I can't find any diagrams or DIY's about these lines, just the 'front end' ones I've already replaced. Any help? Thanks

[@lesafighter]

hey man , i watched some of your videos on e46 very nice diy's , can you please tell me which antifreez goes to e46 m43b19 the car is '99 ,i cant find any info online .

[@And-War]

HI 50sKid, again great vids, your intake valve cover vid was great I dont have a oil buring mess, but im not loosing coolant at a high rate, but I dont see any water leeks, so wanted to know what I need to look for

[@50sKid]

There's either a leak somewhere you're not seeing or you might have a cracked cylinder head and you're losing coolant into the combustion chamber.

[@And-War]

dam, if its the cracked head then the car is going to die, ill try to look today, do you have any pointers of should I check all the coolant connectors, thanks again

[@And-War]

HI 50skid, I live in the UK, we have had a huge heat wave over the last 5 weeks weather over 33C and I took my car on a 7 day road trip through europe, do you think the heat could be a cause? thanks again

[@tenderloinceasar8697]

Hey 50’s Kid I love your videos I watch them all the time, can you help me out! What is the name of the rubber piece that is connected to the radiator and tank !

[@MrTue22]

How did you fix the leak, showing in your video, 50Kid? It looks like a join between expansion tank radiator connector

[@FieldClosed]

2:28 side hose 😂

[@mrsteel10213]

Terrence Cross TSHOT

[@nonmutualgroup]

Lol

[@quirino18]

i been wanting to ask about checking coolant leak using a Smoke machine which is used for EVAP leaks!! at this point i want to try using smoke to trace it!! i did pressure test and it does drop i just can’t see any leak, Cabin doesn’t smell nor does windshield get any steam/fogged floor not wet, i had Green Fluorescent Dye in my system to try finding where coolant is coming from and i can’t find it!! plugs are fine, normal steam in mornings, engine runs perfect!! i recall it leaked years ago from the center pipe below the intake and wouldn’t make it to the ground because block was evaporating it but i saw it when i replaced my PCV and had it replaced as well!! that is on place i haven’t check but Dye is nowhere to be found!! what do you think about Emptying cooling system to pump smoke in it then pressurize it with pressure tester?? air molecules will flow easier through any crack, O-Ring etc

[@doelife]

@50skid Where can i get that cooler kit you mentioned in the beggining?. To delete the one I have. I have a 04 330xi

[@quartznation9499]

I can't find the beefy orings that go on the underside of the expansion tank. small and large. The ones I find at the store are too thin to seal. Do you have any sources for these proprietary particular orings?

[@dopvmine_p]

According to bentley manual you are suppose to pressurize it to 21.75psi and it should not drop more than 1.45 psi for at least 2 minutes..

[@tonys4751]

I bought this tool for my 528i w/ an m52 engine and based on Jason's recommendation. A few notes: @ 15 psi I couldn't detect the leak but at 21 psi, and according to Bentley specs, I found and heard the leak. Secondly, I used cap #5 and was pensive tightening the cap to the expansion tank because I didn't wan't to strip any plastic. While pressurizing it leaked around the cap and I tightened accordingly until it felt super hand tight - but it still slightly leaked coolant. I was able to still pressurize system to 21 psi, although the psi didn't drop low enough over two minutes to merit an immediate repair it did reflect the small leak that was causing me to lose about a one and half cups of coolant over a two week period. My leak was coming from the thermostat housing.

[@pkflynn]

Great video. Does the engine need to be hot (thermostat open) or can you do it with the thermostat closed, cold engine. Thanks

[@50sKid]

Doesn’t matter

[@robroberts2064]

If the engine is hot and your leak is small enough that there’s still pressure in the cooling system (which happens normally when hot) it could spray hot coolant when you take the cap off.

[@kcsnow9447]

I just bought (probably a different manufacturer) of one of these kits, but haven't used it yet. IF I'm pumping it up above the engine and have a large enough leak, it seems to me it might depressurize before I could get underneath (even though jacked up, obviously), and particularly at my advanced age. But if I could have the pump underneath with me while pressurizing it, I might still find the leak before all the air went out again. That SHOULD be possible, I would think, if I had an extension hose which would let me pump it up while underneath the car. Any idea where to find something like that...just in case? Thanks anyone/everyone for a reply.

[@ssrsuspension8247]

Any idea if head gaskets are a common E46 issue???

[@krystofbartosek3730]

what is the part number of these 2x o rings in the bottom of ET. i have allso leake here and i cant find size of those. ty for any answer

[@slayerbot1394]

Hey question, are 1.2t jack stands sufficient? My floor jack is a 1.4t as well. Are they enough?

[@50sKid]

I would get 2 ton jack stands just for safety

[@ericstrada3260]

I'm not sure what is more frustrating about owning an E46 -all the little shit that goes wrong or that you need to order every f'g part because local auto parts stores don't stock what you need and the dealer wants 5x more than you can buy it on Ebay. Dumbest GD car purchase I ever made.

[@blackyonder]

its a 17 year old car duh its gonna need some attention and no your local shop wont have its parts lying around!

[@jabraan1360]

Just shop on fcpeuro

[@jelaniperry1896]

I have a coolant leak from the same area that you just highlighted in your video. Its dripping from that lower hose above the cowling u removed. It looks to be coming from where the expansion tank sits, the side that has the smaller o ring on the expansion tank, I replaced that ring and its still leaking. Could it be the mounting bracket where the tank sits? There's no drip from above its like seeping out and dripping from the lower hose going to the radiator like in your video.

[@50sKid]

If only you had a tool that would pressurize your system and show you exactly where it's squirting out. ;-)

[@wallaceharding2063]

How much pressure should you generally put into it before you start finding leaks. If there is no leaks , when to stop before you cause one. ?

[@50sKid]

15psi is what most radiator caps are calibrated at.

[@favo3x450]

Hey I have a overheating problem and I was wondering if you could help me spot it

[@grahamclayclay360]

My plastic header water tank had a bmw one stuck on it hopefully as iv a tiny leak

[@nicolasfernandez7402]

My coolant leaks from like the middle of the engine behind the water pump? If you want i could record it, upload it, and show you. Im having trouble

[@andymoore1813]

I haven't tested mine yet but I think the same is happening for mine. Have you figured out what the problem was for yours?

[@nicolasfernandez7402]

@@andymoore1813 it was the collent pipe directly under my intake manifold, since i fixed thag i started having vaccuum leaks

[@andymoore1813]

@@nicolasfernandez7402 thanks I'll probably replace that with the coolant pipes if I do it. Just got an offer for 1k for my 2001 BMW 325i. Think I might take the offer of 1k instead of fixing it

[@smooveking773]

Is there a easy cheap way to bybass and make my own cooant pipes instead of the bmw connections id rather just have rubber and make my own connections

[@imdeadlol1564]

now I just found another way to make a coolant-flush:) yeaaaaah babeeeee

[@michaelmurphy8314]

What was actually leaking?

[@cadong92692]

Is there a pressure tester specific for e46? Can I just modify my pressure bleeder to perform the same task?

[@50sKid]

It's just a specific adapter for the overflow tank

[@dariusdouglas692]

Hey nice video but I have a quick question wen I put new coolant in, and ounce I put coolant in the car ,the car started runnin hot before I drove a Half a mile down the road and when I lifted the hood it was smokin from the intake I think wat do you think? Do you think i need a new intake or do you think I need new hoses and also I have 2 codes po171 and po174 that’s the vacuums leak do you think it’s all a connection

[@50sKid]

yeah concentrate on the 171/174. You have a vacuum leak somewhere

[@dariusdouglas692]

So you think I need a new ccv

[@NoOne-zf6uw]

I have the same leak. Do you have the part number or name of the hose? Thanks

[@BOUZOUKI_PETE]

when i open the reservoir and fill it it squirts on the inside back into the reservoir

[@johnaramirez1816]

fifty bucks and one minute diagnosis. i'd say that's a good buy.

[@jamesbruce7555]

Can you use that tool to force drain the coolant from the whole system?

[@50sKid]

sounds plausible to me

[@jamesbruce7555]

thanks, about to replace cooling system and AC system as well as oil pan gasket and some other goodies on an e46. Thanks for the videos!

[@55miniv]

Not possible

[@partyp1lot]

I tried to find the leak with such a tool, but i failed. You can only use this on a cold engine, right? Can you pressurise the whole system with a closed thermostat?

[@50sKid]

Yeah never a good idea to remove the radiator cap on a hot car, but once it's open you can use it. You can pressurize when the thermostat is closed because the system isn't closed on the other end.

[@partyp1lot]

Ah OK, thanks :) I had a few leaks, the damaged thermostat gasket was quite difficult to spot.

[@truth7080]

Would you recommend a brass bleed plug on the top radiator hose?

[@donmayor9729]

can you rent the tool at a autozone?

[@youngrasta612]

yes

[@gohdux]

I’m a dummy but how does the air just not end up in the reservoir.

[@kenholst7491]

B

[@JiTengful]

Break my wallet

[@NEWAGenTChannel]

damn almost first

[@theboringuy]

first

[@ve2430]

Oh no! 50skid not using bmw coolant!!! Unsub!!! Jk lol.. seriously tho I hear it works better with these shitty plastic systems. Just don't remember how