Best Place to Check Your BMW’s Engine Cooling System in Bellevue
Posted on: September 25, 2020Your vehicle should be your pride and joy. When it comes to a car as trustworthy as BMW, it can be hard when problems arise that you aren’t used to. That being said, vehicles are complex pieces of machinery with a large number of moving parts.
Should any single part or system of the car not be working at its ideal level, the entire car could be compromised. If you suspect that something may be wrong with the engine cooling system in your BMW, it is best to err on the side of safety and caution. Take the vehicle into an auto shop and do not try to fix the problem yourself.
How does the cooling system work?
As you may expect or already know, the engine of your car tends to get extremely hot. After all, a series of mini-explosions in the combustion chamber has that effect. However, there is an important component in your vehicle that regulates the heat of the engine carefully: the engine cooling system.
If your engine temperature is too low, then you are not getting the best fuel economy. If the engine temperature gets too hot, then you risk blowing the entire engine. Whether it’s a hundred degrees out or a hundred below, the cooling system in your engine regulates the temperature.
This is done by circling liquid coolant throughout the system and against the engine. As the coolant runs through the tubes near the engine, it absorbs heat from the engine and keeps moving. Once it moves towards the radiator, it becomes cooled by the air stream entering the car from the front grill.
After that, the cycle begins again. There is also a thermometer placed along with this engine cooling system. If the coolant is too low a temperature, the path to the radiator is sealed and it heads straight back to the engine.
As you can imagine, the coolant system would have some serious repercussions if it goes bad. Namely, the engine may be permanently damaged and the performance you love with your BMW may forever disappear.
Common Signs of a Bad Cooling System
Smoke Rising From Engine
As stated earlier, steam rising from the engine is indicative of the engine overheating. This is the number one sign that the temperature under the hood is no longer being properly regulated. When this happens, pull your car off to the side of the road and turn it off right away to prevent further damage.
Low Coolant Light
If the low coolant light ever illuminates on your dashboard, something is wrong. Provided you have an older car, it is possible that the coolant levels could have gone low over time. If your car is still new, however, you may have a loose gasket somewhere in the cooling system.
Varying Gas Mileage
When the engine temperature is too low, you can see worse fuel economy. This is due to the fact that it is taking longer for the engine to heat up and reach the optimal temperature for fuel combustion. However, you may also be burning fuel inefficiently if your engine is getting too warm.
Coolant Leaking
The coolant in your vehicle should be a closed-loop system where it should never be released. If you happen to see a green drip under the hood of your car, it is time to take it into the shop. Losing too much coolant can result in a total failure of the engine cooling system and lead to more serious problems such as engine failure.
Landmark Motors will Help
At Landmark Motors, we pride ourselves on providing you with a satisfactory level of service that makes you want to return should future issues arise. Landmark Motors proudly serves clients around Seattle and Bellevue, WA.
Our expert staff is eager and excited to help solve your vehicle problems and get your BMW safely back out on the open road. Please give us a call or visit us at our location today to see why Landmark Motors is the number one choice for auto repair. We look forward to becoming your trusted BMW service center for all your future needs.