bigger radiator

[grave77]

I know that this sounds strange somehow but when its 115F / 45C like it was today u will always think about having a better cooling system for the engine. what I wanted to ask is that can I have a bigger radiator installed on my car? does it work or not? if this is all not the case then whats the best thing to do to cool the engine for better performance? P.S. the heat meter is above the middle point most of the time at such weather.

[Rory535i]

I know that this sounds strange somehow but when its 115F / 45C like it was today u will always think about having a better cooling system for the engine. what I wanted to ask is that can I have a bigger radiator installed on my car? does it work or not? if this is all not the case then whats the best thing to do to cool the engine for better performance? P.S. the heat meter is above the middle point most of the time at such weather.

regarding the temp gauge: are u sure u have the right coolant mix?

[Tiger]

I would check this first... you should have more water than coolant... Also flush out your radiator fins... from engine compartment outward to get rid of bugs, sand, etc out of the radiator... air or water.

[Rory535i]

I would check this first... you should have more water than coolant... Also flush out your radiator fins... from engine compartment outward to get rid of bugs, sand, etc out of the radiator... air or water.

another thought maybe... take the rad out and take it to a radiator place and get them to flush it out for u. get any crud out of the inside.

[shogun]

Grave,
I can tell you from my car. That is original Japan version. We also have in summer +/- 40 degee Celsius. The engine oil of my 750 has 1 Liter more engine oil than the spec for Europe for example. There are also differen thermostats which open at different temperaures. For example the ones in Sweden have a different opening than the one for the tropical version.
The aircons are stronger to cope with subtropical or tropical climates.
In case of Dubai you need for sure the tropical specification.
Is that car from Europe exported?
Then maybe you check on the spare parts catalog for thermostats which open earlier and also maybe for a larger radiator (if that exists for the E34).
But as you say the temp indicator is in the usual position, there is actually nothing wrong.
What you maybe could easily do: install an additional oil cooler. That does not take so much space. In case of my 750 the oil cooler is integrated into the coolant system.

[winfred]

i have a 540 radiator in my 535, it's thicker and wider, it fits right in the car with the correct lower plastic mounts, if you have a auto tranny you need a external cooler (i am using a cooler from a e36 325 that bolts up to the radiator) which gets more heat out of the coolent, i had to wire the 535 fan shroud on as the 540 rad is almost 2" wider and the 540 shroud won't work with the 535 fan position, id show a picture but my web space is down at the moment. i've only gotten it warm once with it, sitting in line at the bank with the ac on for about a half hour, ambiant temp was well over 100* the outside temp on the obc was pegged at 125*, it got to around 3/4 so when i finally got moving i kept the rpm up and drove around a little to cool it off before shutting it down, the fan clutch was locked all the way past 3k rpm

[TheGeak]

What about that 'water wetter' stuff? I've never tried it, but I've heard good things from some people who have used it in non-BMW cars. Coolant Flush + distilled water + water wetter

[winfred]

it helped in the bosses old 88 m3, you still need a coolent mix for corrosion protection and higher boiling point, watter wetter does something to the surface tension of the water to help it absorb heat better. i run a leaner mix of af/water around 70/30 water/af as water cools better then af and it doesn't get below 0* here


What about that 'water wetter' stuff? I've never tried it, but I've heard good things from some people who have used it in non-BMW cars. Coolant Flush + distilled water + water wetter

[winfred]

i have a factory oil cooler from a e32 735 that bolts to the bottom of the radiator that i am going to install on my car when i get time



What you maybe could easily do: install an additional oil cooler. That does not take so much space. In case of my 750 the oil cooler is integrated into the coolant system.

[TheGeak]

Yeah, you can't run just straight water or you'd rust out everything ;) Also, what about an electric fan?

[grave77]

yes... i filled it at BMW agency since replaced the radiator there.

[grave77]

well I do that every week almost. but this is an old and very common problem in dubai. air temperature is hot already. I'm seeking an upgrade that copes with the exccessive heat

[grave77]

that was suggested and I will be looking forward for ur results. by the way can u imagine the engines heat after installing a turbo charger? I think I'll put the engine in danger.!!!

[grave77]

can u tell me the ratio for the best cooling? zero point is a dream here ..minimum is 18. any ideas?

[grave77]

well ur talking about my car, it's japanese spex. it has the oild gear cooled and better AC too. engine oil is not cooled I don't know how much this will affect my engines prformance.
thermostat was changes since I bought it .. 71C. I will describe the engines behaviour in hot weather afterwards when I get back on my pc at home ... I'm still on my pda and I cant really see all replies .... so excuse me for that :)

[grave77]

well I hope if u can send me the pics on my e-mail ... I would really make use of that as many techs told me that the 540 radiator won't fit especially that I have an auto tranny. i thought we only get to such temperature but seems u have my same weather sometimes. MarkD told me that he can write a chip that makes that car perform better in hot climate. maybe this will help the stall problem in summer.