M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: EN318isPDX on July 31, 2008, 12:52:16 PM
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Ok so my radiator has 250k on it and it leaks out the drain plug a little and out the expansion tank. So instead of caking it in sealant i am planning on buying a new BEHR radiator. Anyone have experience with them?
I've also heard that you are suppose to not use non bmw coolant in our car.. I've always used just normal green coolant. Should i spend the 20 dollars a gallon to get the bmw shit or should i keep running what i normally run?
I'll try and do a write up on the install.. I plan on doing coolant sensors and the radiator.. already have new hoses and not going to do to water pump until i get new gaskets for the timing cover.
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I would try fixing the expansion tank first, but thats up to you.
http://www.m42club.com/forums/showpost.php?p=25156&postcount=23
Distilled water and regular green coolant works for me. Stay away from Dexcool (AKA death cool). Pretty much every coolant these days is aluminum safe. The type of coolant was more of an issue back in the 80s where aluminum heads were less common.
good luck
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If it was only the expansion tank leaking i would pull it apart and fix it but i believe its leaking in a few different spots. Good to know the guy at the import parts store tried to sell me on the BMW coolant
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For bmw's, you need distilled water and phosphate free coolant, so either the blue bmw one or the orange mercedes is fine. Right now I have the orange. They sell the orange one made by non-bmw, I believe by Prestone. The green one leaves residue behind which can build up over time due to the material and heat combo. This is what I have been told. So short term green is fine, but depending on age of engine or just to keep it clean and running cool, use blue or orange.
on the Radiator, I thought Behr is original equipment. That's what I had and replaced it with after I did engine rebuild. Have no issues.
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Why does my vehicle owner’s manual recommend a phosphate free antifreeze?
Some European car manufacturers recommend that phosphate free antifreeze be used in their vehicles. The reason is that the water in Europe has an extremely high mineral content. If you mixed an antifreeze containing phosphates, which are part of the corrosion inhibitor package, with the water they have in Europe, the phosphates in the antifreeze may “drop out” and form deposits in your cooling system that can lead to corrosion. However, this is not a major concern in North America, since our water is lower in mineral content, or softer, than European water.If you are interested in a phosphate-free antifreeze, Old World Industries offers PEAK® Global LifeTime™ Antifreeze and SIERRA®, the Safer Antifreeze.
http://www.peakantifreeze.com/faq.html#C
If you mix it 50/50 with distilled water, its a non issue. You really shouldn't be using anything other than distilled water anyway.
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That's TITS!
(http://picasaweb.google.com/ItotheAtotheN/MyCar/photo#5229564525762293570)
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If you are a BMWCCA card holder, you should be able to get at least a 10% discount from your local BMW Dealer when buying any parts or fluids (at least that's what I received when buying at my local Dealer).
Stay w/ the blue BMW coolant and the distilled water 50/50 mix is proper, but ifyou live in a warmer climate with no severe cold or winters, you can get away w/ a 70/30 mix (70 water - 30 coolant) - the higher percentage of water in the mix allows the coolant to be "cooler".
Also, step down to a cooler thermostat (might as well since you're going to be dealing w/ coolant anyway) - this is another good mod.
I even converted my 94 Cobra over to the BMW coolant - as after owning my prior 95 M3 and using the same coolant and seeing how it kept everything really clean internally, I decided to use the same in my Cobra.
I also purchase distilled water (PEAK sells such bottles and it's available in most parts stores).
Just flush the green stuff out of the system completely and once totally flushed, pour in your proper mix of blue. :)
Yes, BEHR is the OEM radiator for BMW's.
I think it was bimmerparts.com that used to sell radiator packages under a group buy (included water pump, water pump seal, thermostat, radiator and rad hoses) and the price was excellent - not sure if he's doing any such purchases now, but I guess it would not hurt to ask if a group buy could occur on just rads or a complete package deal...