Replacing radiator & water pump

[ElNormo]

I just got a phone call from my local indy shop. Apparently the coolant leak in my 1989 E34 535I is a little more involved than I'd hoped. They say to replace both the radiator and the water pump. I have no reason to doubt them, but their pricing ($1100) leaves me a little sticker-shocked.

So, I'm looking at a DIY job. In the past, I've replaced suspension (shocks + springs) and brakes, but never anything major "under the hood". Looking at the Bentley manual, it doesn't seem too involved. Drain the fluid, pop the fan off, disconnect everything and pull it out. Am I about to get myself in over my head?

What parts need replacing along with radiator & pump? Do I need to order new gaskets or hoses?

Thanks!

Norman

[Rus]

The radiator can be found for around $200 at places like bmaparts.com and autohausaz.com. Check with radiators.com for good deals too. The pump isn't terribly expensive either. If I were you, I would at least replace the main radiator hoses as well as the small U-hose that comes off of the pump. If you don't know when the heater hoses were last done, replace those as well. I just recently did a replacement of all hoses, thermostat, and pump in about 4 hours. The pump will come with a new gasket, so there really aren't any gaskets to buy. Change your thermostat if you're opening the cooling system. Its just cheap insurance. Before replacing the radiator, order new retaining clips that hold the radiator to the front bulkhead. You will probably break the ones that are holding your old one in. If you car is automatic, replace the o-rings for the auto tranny cooler lines. When I took mine apart, I found that someone had used some A/C line o-rings in there instead of the fancy BMW teflon-coated ones. Get the correct parts and save yourself the headache. :) Overall, the cooling system on the M30 isn't terribly hard to service, but you might need some patience with bleeding it. There are quite a few threads on this forum regarding the bleeding procedures and with experience you can cut down the time required quite a bit. Good luck and keep that 535i running :)

[ElNormo]

The radiator can be found for around $200 at places like bmaparts.com and autohausaz.com ... Good luck and keep that 535i running :)

Rus,

Thanks for the great post, I'm leaning more and more towards working on this myself. This site has been a terrific resource over the years!

If anyone else has any sage words of wisdom, I'm all ears,

Thanks again,

Norman

[e34.535i.sport]

Rus,

Thanks for the great post, I'm leaning more and more towards working on this myself. This site has been a terrific resource over the years!

If anyone else has any sage words of wisdom, I'm all ears,

Thanks again,

Norman

It's a PIECE OF PISS! (not sure where you're from exactly so that means - it's easy! LOL) :D Don't pay that kind of money for something so simple... I don't mean to be patronising in any way there because I'm no expert, it just seems like a ridiculous amount of money to pay out.

The radiator is a straightforward job, but prob worth replacing a variety of other things too while there depending on their condition. I.e do all these together: Radiator/Water pump/Coolant+hoses/Thermostat+housing if it's plastic/and maybe fan clutch.

This may seem a bit daunting if you've never done anything like it before, but
it's easy if you take you're time.

Have a look at this for the waterpum/coolant/thermo replacement: http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37409&highlight=water+pump+procedure

If I can do it anyone can, trust me! Haha.

Oh and you'll prob get all those parts and gaskets etc for less than half of that cost if you do it yourself, then you have peice of mind in terms of the cooling system for a long time... :) If you need more advice, just ask.

[BigKriss]

yeah no more needs to be said. drain the block as well as the radiator and bleeding it can be a real hassle also.

[BigKriss]

Do you have a part number for the a/t cooler o-rings

I had a look on realoem but didnt find anything

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD22&mospid=47382&btnr=17_0000&hg=17&fg=05

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD22&mospid=47382&btnr=17_0000&hg=17&fg=05


If you car is automatic, replace the o-rings for the auto tranny cooler lines. When I took mine apart, I found that someone had used some A/C line o-rings in there instead of the fancy BMW teflon-coated ones. Get the correct parts and save yourself the headache. :)

[Washburn]

Things I learned having just done this:

You can avoid disconnecting the AT tranny lines. Simply unfasten the transmission cooler from the front of the radiator. Get everything else disconnected, and pull the radiator back a couple inches to give yourself room. 2 top and 2 bottom screws using a #8 socket hold the tranny cooler in place. Simply detach and pull radiator away, leaving everything else connected.

A 1 1/4" wrench works to remove the fan. A sharp crack with a hammer loosened the nut without having to immobilize the engine.

I had recently had new coolant put in. Avoid loss of coolant from the block by pinching the upper and lower hoses before starting. I used a couple pieces of angle and a small wood clamp.

While the thin top tab broke on my hold down brackets, they are still use-able.

The rubber mounts will come out with the old radiator. don't forget to swap them onto the new one.

Coolant tastes like crap.

Look for a new plastic nut to install the level indicator sensor. Mine was taped to the inside of the packaging. The old one does not thread one correctly. It came with a new o-ring too.

Buy one that doesn't leak. After installing mine, I'm having another next day aired because the new one leaked!

[ElNormo]

Things I learned having just done this:

Thanks for the awesome tips. I'll keep them handy when I start on this little project.

Interesting, I had always heard coolant was sweet. Maybe they fixed it after people were putting it on ice cream.

Norman

[Kibokojoe]

It may be sweet but if you have a dog don't let him drink it. Unless of course you don't want him around anymore ;)

Thanks for the awesome tips. I'll keep them handy when I start on this little project.

Interesting, I had always heard coolant was sweet. Maybe they fixed it after people were putting it on ice cream.

Norman

[Rus]

Things I learned having just done this:

You can avoid disconnecting the AT tranny lines. Simply unfasten the transmission cooler from the front of the radiator. Get everything else disconnected, and pull the radiator back a couple inches to give yourself room. 2 top and 2 bottom screws using a #8 socket hold the tranny cooler in place. Simply detach and pull radiator away, leaving everything else connected.



The OP has a 535i. Those radiators have the A/T cooler built into the radiator itself. Different setup from a 525i. Just FYI ;)

[Asamaan]

I just did this on my car, and still bleeding the system. The tabs are not bad at all, just look at them when you are taking them off with a small screw driver, all you have to do is clear the small hook on the bottom from the body of the car and it is out.

I ordered mine from radiator.com. I was quoted ~$230, but was able to order it online for $130 (depends on your area I think) !!!! same exact one they would have delivered to me for ~$230 from the same warehouse. I even called them to try to get them to match the online price but they said we can't do the price online, but I ordered it anyway and they delivered it.

I also flushed the tranny fluid since I was going to have to refill it to make up for what was in the old oil cooler. It took about 5 quarts after the flush.

1 note though, the thermostat housing screws might be a pain, and I have read here that a few people broke the screws when taking them apart. When I started the short small screws came out with no problems but the long ones seemed that I would defiantly break so I drained the fluid, and took a heat gun right where the screw is and tapped it with a small hammer to loosen its hold. I was ready for them to break, but luckily they came apart without breaking. I cleaned their threads and rethreaded them a few times before assembly and put some anti seize on them.

I flushed the system once with Prestone flush with the thermostat out and heat on max for 10 min at operating temp. Left it to cool and Drained and flushed with water and ran again for 10 min at operating temp. Filled and bled the system maybe 3-4 times so far. Car runs slightly warm, but not overheating, so I am sure there is still some air in there.

The one thing I couldn't do was draining the block, for some dumb reason I couldn't get a good grip on the screw and put enough torque on it to take it off, so I said screw it.

Good luck. It is much easier than suspension work for sure.

Al
91 E34 535iA

[Rus]

Draining the block is pretty easy if you use a socket on the bolt. You flushed the system, so you're probably ok. I typically take my obligatory coolant bath under the block though :-p

[mzarifkar]

One of the hardest steps is to release the radiator mounting clips on top. Bleeding it is second hardest.

I once with the assumption of having bled the system, embarked on a 2 degree F night trip. After taking a steep inclined onramp, the car's shift in position dislodged an airbubble and overheated the engine. It took too much time at that temperature to continue bleeding the system, so make sure you do it right the first time :)

[blee]

I changed the pump on my car yesterday. The worst part of the job will be draining the old coolant. Get yourself a large drain pan (rectangular and as wide as the radiator is ideal), and lay down some plastic and newspaper under the car before you start. Even when the radiator stops flowing, you will probably spill more coolant when you replace the water pump and the hoses, not to mention the radiator itself.

You should be able to do everything for much less than $1100, but the parts can add up. Along with the hoses, take a look at the condition of your fan shroud. Mine was literally crumbling to pieces just by touch. I tried to re-use it, but ended up chucking the thing and am currently waiting for the brown truck to arrive with a replacement. :p