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So recently did an oil change and i noticed some dry pink coolant. the usual sign is it cascading down the back side of the engine and we see it dry and pink. as you can see by the driver and pass side photos, nothing. only place i see it is in the third pic at the very front of the cover. cant see any signs from radiator or pump. not hearing any squealing to indicate belt contamination. coolant did need a slight top off, but id say about an 1/8 of a quart.
thoughts?
passenger side no coolant driver side no coolant if you notice at the very front of the engine cover you can see some dry coolant.
The only way to be sure what the source is will be to use a borescope and check. IMHO, it looks like a coolant pump leak, not the valley plate, but with only a couple shots to look at, I could be way off.
The only way to be sure what the source is will be to use a borescope and check. IMHO, it looks like a coolant pump leak, not the valley plate, but with only a couple shots to look at, I could be way off.
drip drip found, its sealed now, but im just gonna go ahead and order my parts. Figure i might as well open up the valley plate and reseal it since i dont have any records of it being serviced. also planning on replacing with rr racing radiator/ cooler unless others have other options.
drip drip found, its sealed now, but im just gonna go ahead and order my parts. Figure i might as well open up the valley plate and reseal it since i dont have any records of it being serviced. also planning on replacing with rr racing radiator/ cooler unless others have other options.
looks like the water pump, its got streaks of coolant but not actively leaking from what i can tell. hoses above it are clean, and i bore scoped behind the engine to look for coolant and i dont see anything.
my only guess at this point is weep hole started leaking and coagulated ?
also: front of engine has splashes of coolant on it.
looks like the water pump, its got streaks of coolant but not actively leaking from what i can tell. hoses above it are clean, and i bore scoped behind the engine to look for coolant and i dont see anything.
my only guess at this point is weep hole started leaking and coagulated ?
also: front of engine has splashes of coolant on it.
You will want to find the leak at the water pump or also check radiator top and bottom seals..
If you remove the bottom oil filter access door, you can easily see if it’s from the WP.
I have a 2009 with 125k and getting super paranoid about the leak (I check the coolant every other week).. Anyways, I held off doing the ELF recall because I heard that that is halfway into this job..
Any chance a dealer cuts me a break if I have that done at the same time as the ELF? I do all of my own maintenance (other than alignment), so I have no relationship with the local dealer..
I have a 2009 with 125k and getting super paranoid about the leak (I check the coolant every other week).. Anyways, I held off doing the ELF recall because I heard that that is halfway into this job..
Any chance a dealer cuts me a break if I have that done at the same time as the ELF? I do all of my own maintenance (other than alignment), so I have no relationship with the local dealer..
Thanks!
ELF recall is 95% of what you need to do for the valley plate. The only thing remaining is removing the DI injector connectors and the valley plate itself (everything else is already out), cleaning up the surfaces, and gluing the plate back on top. Maybe an extra hour if you work really slow without any assistance or power tools to clean up the old sealant.
ELF recall is 95% of what you need to do for the valley plate. The only thing remaining is removing the DI injector connectors and the valley plate itself (everything else is already out), cleaning up the surfaces, and gluing the plate back on top. Maybe an extra hour if you work really slow without any assistance or power tools to clean up the old sealant.
I have read this before as well.. I wasn’t sure if the dealership would be dickish about it and not want to do it, or try to bill it completely separately.. I don’t mind paying something for this job, but would like to duck the full punch if I can. Thanks for the reply!
I have read this before as well.. I wasn’t sure if the dealership would be dickish about it and not want to do it, or try to bill it completely separately.. I don’t mind paying something for this job, but would like to duck the full punch if I can. Thanks for the reply!
Worse that can happen is they say no, and you find a different dealer ship that is willing to handle it.
This "problem" pales in comparison to the ISF's competition (E90 M3's have accelerated rod bearing issues, early model W204 C63 AMG's have head stud issues).
If you can snag a 2014 ISF at the current price ranges, I dont think a $1-3k Valley Plate reseal will be much of a problem.
If you keep the coolant levels full and monitor your coolant loss (also can check under the car by the transmission and see if there are pink trails of dried coolant) you can literally buy yourself more time (IF you have the leak)
To be fair the rod bearing service on the E9x M3 is roughly a 2-2.5k job total with parts and labor all with upgraded APR and BE parts. You gotta pay to play and not even the ISF is immune to random issues that will set you back a couple grand as they age.
Car is currently under the knife. I'm OMW to him with my RR Racing AO separator after he send me this pic. Intake has a small puddle of oil in it. Coolant around oilpump. Im happy with the choice i made to get this done before it became a bigger issue especially since its currently the daily.
Also noticeable little click clack from the oil pump. Not leaking or anything but just wondering if anyone has been in that situation of hearing a Lil play noise.
I will note no CEL or any lights at all. But. Random inconsistently will notice a little stumble in idle while at a light. Like once a month if that. Can see leak starting to form on valley plate. So another good reason i decided to do all this.
Final edit. 2 injectors were lost. Got replacements for 280.00 a pop though. Tbh i was ready to replace all of em if need be so i feel i got off cheap so far.
09-29-21, 01:13 PM
