Before I could get out of the door to lend a hand, the car''s owner emerged from the steam cloud and sprinted for the office. Breathless and clearly shaken, the driver yelled as he came through the door, "Man, you got to help me! I think my Beemer is on fire. There is so much smoke, I can''t even see the engine." "Calm down." I said. "It''s only steam. You have a coolant leak. Why don''t you have a seat and we''ll let it cool down a little before we take a look at it."He seemed comforted by the fact that his car wasn''t going to burn to the ground. While the steam cloud was dissipating, I got all the necessary information from him and then went out to push the car into the shop for a detailed inspection.There was coolant all over the engine compartment, so at first, it was hard to pinpoint where the leak was coming from. We began filling the radiator and before it was full, water began to leak out of a hole in the upper radiator hose.

Before I could get out of the door to lend a hand, the car''s owner emerged from the steam cloud and sprinted for the office. Breathless and clearly shaken, the driver yelled as he came through the door, "Man, you got to help me! I think my Beemer is on fire. There is so much smoke, I can''t even see the engine." "Calm down." I said. "It''s only steam. You have a coolant leak. Why don''t you have a seat and we''ll let it cool down a little before we take a look at it."He seemed comforted by the fact that his car wasn''t going to burn to the ground. While the steam cloud was dissipating, I got all the necessary information from him and then went out to push the car into the shop for a detailed inspection.There was coolant all over the engine compartment, so at first, it was hard to pinpoint where the leak was coming from. We began filling the radiator and before it was full, water began to leak out of a hole in the upper radiator hose.

Visually inspect the upper radiator hose for pressure marks and traces of rubbing at the closest point of contact to the oil filter housing cast boss (see illustration). If traces of rubbing are found, the upper radiator hose must be replaced with the new style hose (See Parts Information).NOTE: A modified hose was used in production from approximately mid-November 1995 through June 1996, which included an extra rubber pad attached to the outside of the hose in the critical area. If traces of rubbing are found on the rubber pad area airgooloilers of this type of hose, it must also be replaced with the new style hose. Visually inspect the oil filter housing for any sharp edges or burrs on the casting boss. If a sharp edge or casting burr is found on the boss, it must be removed using sand paper or a fine file.