HI People

I got a 1995 Bmw 318 is .Its in great condition and just drives great.I just had a small question was when i bought it second hand the previous owner never used any coolant in the radiator.He had some radaitor problems so he changed the radiator and put in a new one.Now instead of Coolant he has topped the radiator with WATER ...The negine temp and all is normal but once a week or so i have to top up the water level in the radaitor reservoir.Its like empty once week.Is this a problem .I mean or is it normal to top the radiaotr with water .Theres no coolant at all .Here we have tmep exceeding 50 degree celsius .

My second problem is once a month or so i have to top up the engine oil with about a litre of water.I have doubts that the piston oil rings are worn out .Just wondering if i could get a professional opinion.Is this harmful to drive like this.At the oment i been driving for two months topping the oil every two weeks or so.

THANKS FOR ANY HELP RENDERED

cheers

PS This is my first car A BMW 1995 318is.

You can top the radiator with coolant, but remember, it's a closed system. Ideally, you should NOT lose any liquid. As for running just water, I'd recommend running some coolant (or water wetter only) in it so that there is some lube for the water pump and seals otherwise you will probally encounter issues there.

As for the oil, what does it look like? Is it milky or foamy? You should not be consuming a liter of oil ever two weeks. Get a compression and leakdown test done. That will show you if you have any problems.

Hi

Thanks for the advice.I dont see any water dripping out from anywhere.As for the oil consumption its like a litre of oil after a month I do a top up.No the oil is not foamy or mily .I think u gettin at the Head gasket and that water must be seeping in to the oil chamber .Well the oil is clean and fine .Only thing that bothers me is how come once a week or so i have to top up the radiator with water.All other friends of mine say they never checked their water levels in two years .Although they did mention they use coolant instyead of water.

The oil loss could be possibly , just guessing piston ring seal ??? Can i drive it without any harm to the engine for another couple of months or so.


Thanks

Go out for a long drive so the coolant/water heats up. Come back then jack up the front of the car. Check and see if anywhere under the car is wet with coolant. I was losing coolant too and it there was no dripping water. Turns out that it would only leak when I drove the car so any leak would have been on the roads and not my driveway.

-Robert

Replace the radiator cap. It's an inexpensive part and they have been known to leak. To your knowledge, when was the radiator changed and what else was changed at the same time?

Have a mechanic pressure-test the cooling system, and stop guessing. Radiators have been known to leak, so have water pumps, head gaskets, hoses, thermostat housing gaskets, heater cores, etc. In fact all those things I just mentioned are more likely to leak than the radiator cap.

While the mechanic is under the car, have him check for oil leaks, paying close attention to the front crank seal.