My check engine light came on, so I put some.

TERRI B

MEMBER
2004 BMW 330CI
127,800 MILES

My check engine light came on, so I put some coolant in and the light went off. About two days later the light came back on and I started smelling a burning smell and saw light white smoke. I think took the car to check the oil and discovered there was an oil leak and very little oil in car. So, I had the oil changed but the check engine light is still on and I still have the burning smell and light smoke.

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012 AT 5:19 PM

3 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

You need to retrieve the trouble code to understand which component circuitry is causing the problem.

If it is the coolant indicator light that is showing, recheck the coolant level. If level is low, you have a leak in the system and would need to verify the source which might require a pressure test.

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Tuesday, October 16th, 2012 AT 5:22 PM

EXOVCDS

MECHANIC
1,883 POSTS

You need to have the Engine Computer scanned for stored fault codes. There are 50+ reasons
why that light could be on, ranging from a loose gas cap to a faulty sensor in the engine.

The low coolant & oil might not be related to the reason why the check engine light is on.

Thomas

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Tuesday, October 16th, 2012 AT 5:23 PM

DOCHAGERTY

MECHANIC
9,603 POSTS

You need to proceed with caution here, at that age and when overheated, those motors have a strong tendency to have catastrophic internal damage, and the problem can hide for a long time, especially if you just take it on short hops. It might start with splitting the seam on the expansion tank, and then you have a choice. Just saying.

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Thursday, October 18th, 2012 AT 5:49 AM