BMW i8 coolant issues: Low coolant warnings. Engine overheated. No heat in the cabin.

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Күн бұрын

UPDATE: NewTIS has been closed. Service Manual data is no longer free. DIY maintain your BMW at your own risk. • BMW shut down NewTIS. ...
UPDATE: NewTIS has been closed. Service Manual data is no longer free. DIY maintain your BMW at your own risk. • BMW shut down NewTIS. ...
If you have a low coolant error or high temperature warning on the iDrive of your BMW i8, this information will be useful. The most common issue with the coolant system in the i8 is the coolant level sensor starts to degrade and needs to be replaced. There is a technical service bulletin (TSB) for the replacement of this part so that your mechanic can replace it properly. SIB-17-03-18 provides guidance to the technician in order to accomplish the replacement of the parts necessary to no longer display Low Coolant warnings: Remove coolant, replace engine coolant expansion tank and wires/harness with connector, and bleed the system.
Cooling Water Expansion Tank: Part # 17-13-7-640-831
Repair Cable: Part # 61-11-9-312-324
Coolant: Part # 82-14-1-467-704
This video also discusses how the coolant systems work in the i8. Two circuits, a high temperature and low temperature circuit, cool different items. These include radiators, electric coolant pumps, expansion tanks, the range extender machine electronics or REME, the water cooled throttle valve, the high voltage starter motor generator, the bypass valve for the transmission oil cooler, the transmission oil cooler, the electronic machine electronics or EME, the electrical machine or front motor, the electric fan, the map thermostat, the mechanical coolant pump, the combustion engine, the exhaust turbocharger, the engine oil cooler, the coolant temperatures sensor, the heat exchanger, the changeover valve and the auxiliary electronic heater. If any of these parts fail, you can get a low coolant warning top up error on the iDrive, engine overheated error, no heat in the car cabin, or even a drivetrain failure where you get a vehicle cannot be restarted message.
--- Here are some of the videos I mentioned:
How to Open the BMW i8 Hood • BMW i8 Hood/Bonnet Lif...
Radiator Coolant Vacuum Bleeding • Radiator Coolant Syste...
What is valvetronic? • What Is Valvetronic? B...
--- Here are some links to products mentioned in this video, for your convenience:
Schwaben 003466SCH01 Coolant Refill/Air Purge Tool (REQUIRES Air Compressor capable of 90PSI): amzn.to/362IFAk
Service manual entry explaining the thermostat:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i1...
Working on the cooling system:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i1...
The coolant fill process:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i1...
The coolant bleed process: High Temp: www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i1...
Low Temp: www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i1...
More service manual coolant articles:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i1...
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Пікірлер: 71

@brucepeterson3246 3 жыл бұрын

As an engineer, this cooling system was not designed well. Pulling a vacuum across such a long distance with hoses that will probably collapse and a closed thermostat blocking one path seems problematic. I don't know if a high point exists on the mid-engine plumbing that would allow a tee to be installed with a valve. I would fill from the reservoir with an extension tube to make sure it is the highest point of the "U" shaped path and open the valve on the tee and fill the system until coolant is emerging from the valve on the tee. Alternatively, you could pull vacuum at the engine and fill at the reservoir. Be sure to use an apparatus like a vacuum flask in case your vacuum pump cannot digest the liquid.

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Very good analysis and suggestions!

@Evapors 3 жыл бұрын

The i8 authority has spoken.

@mattlvng 5 ай бұрын

Hey, just want to say thank you. Got my i8 2015 6 months ago, coolant sign went off. Watched your video, and I just decided to take it to the mechanic. Turns out coolant was actually low and not a sensor problem. Ty for posting !

@Michael_MJ 3 жыл бұрын

SAMCRACC needs your help.

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I've reached out.

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

I just released a video on my thoughts about Samcrac's BMW i8 problems: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/edNkfqh2ybClppc.html

@MAJafari 3 жыл бұрын

Great video as always Pat!

@anthonypink7361 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent info but I can only think of scuba Stev when you talk. All jokes aside your info will help many people and save them lots of money. Well done 👍🏼

@nikolasc4142 2 жыл бұрын

Great Video Thanks 🙏

@paulmcnally4994 6 ай бұрын

Thanks Pat - I'm in the same boat! 3 breakdowns in 3 months - all engine overheat! First BMW garage replaced waterproof belt tensioner - all shredded up? 2 months later had same overheat issue - they diagnosed the radiator this time - replaced it , within half an hour if driving - engine overheat again , and low coolant warning. Waiting for recovery now. Hopefully just air in system as you explained. Will let you know.

@PatsGarageOnline 6 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear this happened to you. Please keep me posted.

@paulmcnally4994 4 ай бұрын

@PatsGarageOnline Hi Pat - this is now the timeline - BMW have now diagnosed a new engine! - So not had a great experience with my i8 - 10/09/23 - Vehicle broke down on motorway with engine overheat issue 11/09/23 - Vehicle was taken to BMW for diagnosis and repair - this was diagnosed as a faulty belt and tensioner , resulting in the coolant system not working correctly 21/09/23 -Fault was diagnosed as an auxiliary belt tensioner 27/09/23 - part was replaced at cost of £xxxx 24/12/23 - Vehicle broke down again with the same engine overheat issue 02/01/24 - Had to take matters into my own hands and pay for BMW assist to send a technician to diagnose / recover, which cost me £175. Technician cited issue as low coolant - topped up and signed off. 16/01/24 - Vehicle broke down again - with same engine overheat issue - vehicle was recovered to BMW. 17/01/24 - Vehicle was diagnosed with leaking radiator, at a cost of £xxxx 24/01/24 - Car was collected and with 30 ins of leaving BMW the vehicle broke down again with Engine overheat again 24/01/24 - After being stranded again for 5 hours - vehicle was recovered to BMW 25/01/24 - BMW confirm the issue was an airlock in the coolant system following the repair. 29/01/24 - Vehicle was returned to me 30/01/24 - Started driving and about 5 mins from home and vehicle went into fault and broke down again- Engine Overheat Amber warning / managed to get back home when the red engine overheat appeared. The car was practically on fire and i have video evidence taken of the vehicle smoking heavily - this undoubtedly caused severe engine damage. 31/01/21 - Vehicle was recovered for further diagnostics at BMW 02/02/24 - Received a phone call from manager at BMW stating that they now suspect the pump as being the issue / however I would need to pay £450 just to carry out a diagnosis / and even then this may not be the fault. 12/02/24 - Received email from Chester now saying they suspect its a faulty thermostat / pump - and this would need to be replaced at customers cost - £1411.27. Also informed if this does not solve the issue - i would be liable for more repair costs. 28/02/24 - Received an email from BMW stating that they now suspect the engine is damaged (consequential damage) and will require a new engine and turbo at a cost of £20,300. By the way - they suspect and would not confirm it. I am now a couple of grand down - and my car is just a metal ornament, and BMW don't want own any liability. I feel like I'm going crazy! Just after some advice - as surely the damage was done during the use of the car in between the repairs?

@PatsGarageOnline 4 ай бұрын

@@paulmcnally4994 I believe the air in the coolant caused all of this. I would do whatever you can to get the car running and put it up for sale ASAP. BMW had no idea their design would cause these kinds of issues when they built the car. Now, we are at their mercy for repairs.

@paulmcnally4994 4 ай бұрын

@PatsGarageOnline Thanks Pat - to be honest they haven't even properly diagnosed the engine - I haven't seen any reports- basically they don't want to spend anymore time on it. I've seen your block test video / so may try that when they dump it on my drive this week. Is there anything else I should ask of them - as in test reports along the diagnosis? Thanks

@PatsGarageOnline 4 ай бұрын

@@paulmcnally4994 I don't have a u other suggestions at this point. I think just about every issue has been uncovered.

@academiaengineering5136 3 жыл бұрын

Nice video

@2boliviano 3 жыл бұрын

Hate to see more issues happening to you Pat. My 2015 is still holding up 🤞🏻

@zilolak.1733 3 жыл бұрын

hi Pat! what a great video! so glad that i found your channel. stay safe!

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@fritzwalter7603 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Pat this is again a great video. One learns a lot from you Thank you Is the low temperature circuit related to the air conditioning system in any way? After replacing the evaporator because it was leaking, antifreeze was added to the low temperature tank. The low temperature tank was filled up 1.5 cm above the mark. Why is more filled in than necessary?

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! The low temperature circuit is not related to the air conditioning. However, the technician needs to remove the low temperature coolant expansion tank in order to make room to replace the evaporator. It is OK if the tank is filled 1.5cm above. It's not enough to cause a problem.

@kelimak96 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Pat, I would like to ask is there any difference between i8 2014/2015 and 2016/2017. What do you prefer cause I still can’t decide .

@Claymore_83 10 ай бұрын

Can you do the water pump bleed (heat up and accelerator pedal down for 10 seconds to switch on the water pump) after filling up with coolant rather than the vacuum method?

@teletubbypo318 3 жыл бұрын

Hey pat ive been watching your videos for a while and today I bought my own BMW i8! Just wondering what mpg do you get with yours driving it in sport mode all the time?

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Sport mode should yield 29MPG

@marekgunar9171 2 ай бұрын

hello, I've been following you for a long time and I don't know much about cars, and when I listen to you, I think you're probably the only one in the world who knows something about the BMW I8. There could certainly be more reasons, but for a month now I don't understand why the petrol 3 cylinder is out of order, when I was waiting for my son in the garage so that he could drive the car, then let the son drive by himself, when the engine was working as it should all the time. But my son immediately started the petrol engine when it was completely dead. I bought petrol. Today when I tried to disable the car, I'm sorry, it seems the rear motor seized up. I'm going to have the liquid cooler done as you say, but this week I heard something coming from a dirty exhaust

@PatsGarageOnline 2 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear about these issues. You would need to get to a service center to have this diagnosed. Many things could be causing issues and without diagnosis, it would only be a guess

@markymark_prod 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Pat I've had my i8 for about a year now and I'm experiencing the A/C compressor issue that you talked about in another video. I have CPO for my car so it's covered and they're fixing it. I had a question about extending the CPO. BMW told me they only could extend my CPO for 2 more years for $6300 after my current CPO ends which is in July of 2021. Is it worth paying $6300 to have my CPO coverage extended? especially if something goes wrong with my car that is not covered under the CPO and then I have to turn around and come out of pocket for the repair on top already giving them $6300 to extend it.

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

I extended my CPO 2 years and negotiated to save $800 less than they quoted you. I think it's worth it because the car is high tech and what would be normally an inexpensive repair on any other car can cost thousands just to get the i8 working again. A friend of mine's i8 is in the shop for a month and he wants to sell it, but it just can't be driven right now. So, he has to pay thousands when it's done, just to put it on the market. CPO will save you when you need it the most.

@crashwrench 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, Would it help to " Raise the Front End " To a Height Equal Or a Little Higher than the engine ? Still do the Recommended BMW - Procedures , to move that air pocket ? Is / Are There any Other " Air Bleeder Fittings , Screws " In the Coolant " Systems " ????? ThankYou , Mark

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

It's a great idea, and I wish it would be helpful. The coolant lines are still lower than the top of the water jacket in the engine, unfortunately. Unlike a small block V8, in contrast, there's no coolant flowing via the top of the engine. Everything on the i8 is on the side. So, it's a real pain. There are no other bleeders on the system.

@arizonagolfresort5249 3 жыл бұрын

So Pat I just got a low level coolant on my 2015 .... take it in is basically what u recommend?

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Yes. Self diagnosis on coolant issues is nothing but a headache.

@theadventurousnurse7346 3 жыл бұрын

I had a low engine coolant alarm that came on 5 days ago, brought it in to bmw to get topped off, and have the alarm going off again today. Any thoughts?

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

I think you have a leak. The shop will need to diagnose this problem a little more.

@vidaspetrosiuspetrosius6784 8 ай бұрын

how realy good ,get off air from coolant system after change termostat

@starting5524 5 ай бұрын

What happens if the tank cap was taken off and placed back on? Will the tank pressure escape?

@PatsGarageOnline 5 ай бұрын

Chances are it would equalize the pressure and an air bubble could come in at the point where the coolant was leaking. If that rises to the engine, you run the risk of overheating

@joeyguzman7412 3 жыл бұрын

I just bought a bmw i8 and ac only throwing hot and the drive train warning on what can I do plz help

@performanceod1043 2 ай бұрын

Did you figure it out? If so what was it?

@fritzwalter7603 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Pat, unfortunately bad news, but I think you already know. InfoTis has been closed, I could only reach the Russian site, but there is no I8 listed here, do you know an alternative? Best regards

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, there is no alternative other than trying to get a copy of ISTA. emanualonline dot come has ISTA available but it requires you to install VBox and run it as a virtual machine on your computer. They do offer instructions on how to do that, but it's slow.

@AaronRadfords 3 жыл бұрын

@@PatsGarageOnline I have ISTA+ and ISTA-p (for e61). Runs on windows 10, no VM needed.

@MrSabaDap 3 жыл бұрын

Best fix is to get another vehicle. Preferable not a bmw

@eefneleman9564 3 жыл бұрын

Why so surprised by an electrically aided thermostat? They've been around for the last 10 years. So has using a vacuum filler to fill dual or triple temperature cooling systems.

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

I never had this on any of the cars I've owned and as a guy that likes cars to be reliable, this bothers me. More complicated components, more likely to break.

@eefneleman9564 3 жыл бұрын

@@PatsGarageOnline unfortunately, that's what's called progress these days. Most of this trickery stems from trying to comply with more and more strict emissions regulations. Let's be honest, 90% of electronics on a combustion engine are emissions related. And these are usually the things that go wrong nowadays.

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Truth. Out goes the primary philosophy of keeping the engine cool to prevent losing the whole powerplant, and make that just secondary to emissions.

@eefneleman9564 3 жыл бұрын

@@PatsGarageOnline the brand I work has had these thermostats for about ten years, but they've been fooling drivers even longer, making conventional thermostats open at 105°C (used to be 80-90), but letting the instruments show a steady 90°C... All in the name of better thermal efficiency.

@ro63rto 3 жыл бұрын

Maybe you should contact Samcrac and solve his overheating issue.

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

I've been in touch. Thank you!

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

I just released a video on my thoughts about Samcrac's BMW i8 problems: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/edNkfqh2ybClppc.html

@rashad9014 3 жыл бұрын

Its a German..Mid engine...hyprid....exotic....and on top of all ...a BMW What do you expect after hearing all that in terms of reliability!!!

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

I don't have any expectations, but folks who have never owned a mid engine hybrid, exotic BMW need to understand what they're getting into when they buy it. There are a lot of folks who can afford only the payment on these cars and I think it's important that they know what they're getting into.

@rashad9014 3 жыл бұрын

@@PatsGarageOnline Agree with you Pat)

@TechItOut 3 жыл бұрын

Have a chat with #Samcrac. He has major problems with i8 overheating on hs KZfaq channel.

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

We've been in touch. Thanks!

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

I just released a video on my thoughts about Samcrac's BMW i8 problems: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/edNkfqh2ybClppc.html

@kerryeff407 3 жыл бұрын

@samcrac

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I just released a video on my thoughts about Samcrac's BMW i8 problems: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/edNkfqh2ybClppc.html

@javidgunraj1500 3 жыл бұрын

@samcracc

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I just released a video on my thoughts about Samcrac's BMW i8 problems: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/edNkfqh2ybClppc.html

@javidgunraj1500 3 жыл бұрын

@@PatsGarageOnline nice! Ill be sure to check out

@fredturner7079 3 жыл бұрын

You couldn't pay me enough to get a BMW.

@bizisback 3 жыл бұрын

Damn Pat I didn't know you were friends with RichRebuilds! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r8yeqtyqs8fIj4k.html

@PatsGarageOnline 3 жыл бұрын

Yep! He's a great guy! Glad to know another automotive enthusiast who is also a KZfaqr. Even if we weren't doing KZfaq, we could spend hours talking about cars and mods.

@snaplash 3 жыл бұрын

Note to self: NEVER get an i8, no matter what the price.

@nomayor1 3 жыл бұрын

Go and buy yourself a GM product. You know, the brand whose people were being killed on the roads for ten successive years due to their infamous ignition switch, and yet for ten successive years it refused to pay for a recall to replace the switch.