![]() ![]() It doesn't have problems when going 65MPH or so. How exactly should I go about switching to the proper Dexcool coolant? Would it do more harm than good to switch now?Īlso, my car is having problems in that it overheats when sitting in traffic or idling. So I've been running green coolant for about a year now. I took it to another mechanic and after fixing the leaks, he also filled it up with green coolant. Well, reading up more I realize that I'm wrong.Ībout 6 months ago, I had a wreck and got the radiator replaced(salvaged) and the mechanic(who I'm convinced now is an idiot) filled it up with green coolant along with leaving several leaks. I ignored the Dexcool warning in my manual as one of those "you also need to take it to a certified dealer to get the oil changed" type of warnings. At the bottom of the expansion tank was an orange crust(also the manual recommend DexCool. Perhaps it bears stating that I ran G-48 throughout the 14 year life of my E39 and I had no cooling system failures except a slow leak (no explosions) at the thermostat housing - a $15 part.Hello I realized today after beating my head about my car's overheating problems that I have the wrong coolant in it.Ībout a year ago, my car ran dry. Even though the E90 is not fragile in this area, there's still a crap load of plastic in the cooling system. We're particularly sensitive to anything concerning the plastic so the notes on G-48's plastic compatibility properties caught my attention. My previous BMW was an E39 from the golden era of plastic cooling system unreliability. Or if you're in the US order online from somewhere like bavauto or Amazon (with free shipping no less). If you don't have a BMW dealer nearby, check out a Volvo dealer. I'm not sure why people go to such lengths to avoid it. I've found even BMW branded G-48 to be within a couple of dollars of anything else. I still stick with G-48 (whether there's a BMW logo on the bottle or not) and change it every 2-3 years. Were I in your position, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that you're further ahead with whatever "green" is just because you plan on changing it. G-48 has specific plastic compatibility factors which are not present in other coolants. Dex-Cool is rated with a 5-year, 100,000 mile lifespan. Dex-Cool, like other modern coolants is about 95 polyethylene glycol and 5 organic acid. BMW's coolant is G-48, and they've been using G-48 long before any fluid in the car was claimed as "lifetime", let alone the coolant. That’s when GM introduced Dex-Cool coolant, an organic acid coolant technology (OAT) to replace silicate coolants. The chemistries chosen aren't just about "lifetime". Nothing like a water pump burning out or anything like that (he said, knocking on wood). Maybe the small amount of green mixed with the aging OAT coolant just turned brown. My new green coolant (I'm going to change every two years, so don't need "lifetime" OAT blue-green BMW coolant) is staying green. The WW reacts with the G-48 and precipitates a brown, greasy deposit inside the cooling system and floating in the e-tank. I'll say it for the benefit of anyone listening - NEVER, EVER put Waterwetter in BMW (or any other G-48) coolant. Has Redline WaterWetter or any other similar product ever been in the system? radiator pump heater core and thermostats have all been changed 3. You may have something else in the system breaking down and forming some sediment. first off, this brown coolant issue has been happening for years and i believe it started with the previous owner, never the less im flushing the system every weak to keep the coolant proper, but it continues to turn brown, clog repeatedly overheat, and ruin the system components. It might be that blue + enough green = brown. The "green" you put in *might* be incompatible with the factory G-48. Thanks-love my car, BTW-6 speed with sport package. Rust would be unlikely in a magnesium and aluminum engine anyway. Has anybody seen this before? Does the BMW "lifetime" coolant just turn brown with age? It doesn't look like rust, by the way-not really cloudy and not that color. Over the last 22 months I've had the car, I have added maybe a pint or two of green coolant and distilled water. I only hope everyone is aware that OAT anti-corrosion additives need about a 90 charge to be effective, so a 50/50 mix potentially has zero anti-corrosion properties. When I looked at it before (as in checking specific gravity with a bulb type tester), it was blue-green-the factory coolant color. A 50/50 mix of Dex-Cool 'MS-12106' OAT (orange) + Mopar 'MS-12106' OAT (purple) will be a disturbing brown, but still 100 OAT coolant. The old coolant is brown-looks like apple cider-no oil in it, no foam, doesn't smell odd. I just changed the coolant in my 2007 328i. ![]()
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