Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    San Diego, CA
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    2,785

    Cooling Refresh/Overhaul and Power Steering hoses

    Alright so I planned on doing the cooling overhaul, but I hadn't planned on doing it this soon. I've noticed a leak in the cooling system which is caused by a crack in the expansion tank (confirmed by the shop that did the pressure test). --losing enough coolant for me to top off every three days (roughly 65 miles).

    The shop said the parts are all original which I knew and they said they'd like to do a cooling system refresh (expansion tank, hoses, radiator) which would cost ~$1k. Without the radiator it would cost $666.51 (is it important to do the radiator?) and this does not include the water pump, etc that comes in the ecs kits.

    I'm planning on limping the car through the weekend by replacing coolant as it goes low since I need to drive to LA for the Christmas holiday. I'd like to know if you think I'm crazy for not taking care of the issue now or should I be ok to wait until after the holidays to do this myself?

    They also found 2 leaking power steering hoses they want to charge $320 to replace.

    The shop has great reviews, but I was looking forward to do this myself, but want peace of mind that my drive to LA and back will be safe for the car.

  2. #2
    I highly doubt you'll get many people to say that driving from Sacramento to LA with a failing expansion tank is "safe". So, if in a pinch, just have them do the expansion tank for now. The radiator seems to be the least prone for failure, and can probably keep going without it. Worse case scenario, buy the expansion tank now and bring it with you, along with a gallon of coolant. That way, if you take the trip without replacing the tank first, you at least have the part on hand if it detonates while on the road. The tank may only have a small leak now, but a ~6 hour drive might make it worse.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
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    Ocean County, NJ
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    7,273
    With each heating and cooling cycle, that crack will likely get worse.

    Hell of a risk.

    How many miles on your car? Just looking for the data point for the tank failure.

    Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.
    -Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
    ZHP Pre-Ride Briefing

    2005 ZHP, Alcantara, Silver Cube, Nav, Sharked, BMW Perf Intake, BMW Perf CF Strut Brace, CF Valve/Fuel Rail Covers,
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    San Diego, CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by kayger12 View Post
    With each hearing and cooling cycle, that crack will likely get worse.

    Hell of a risk.

    How many miles on your car? Just looking for the data point for the tank failure.

    Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.
    Yea it is a risk. I've decided to have them do the replacement since I'll be needing the car and would rather have peace of mind. I'm just not happy that it happened when I am extremely busy so I can't do it myself and must pay the price.

    There are 62,252 miles now. It seems like the cold weather that came to Sac was what started the crack (low, high, low, high).

    The progression:
    I drove 400 plus miles and the coolant was a little low so I filled it up.
    Cold weather came in and I noticed the light after about 100 miles (?!?!?!)
    Then this morning I noticed the light and had just filled the coolant on Saturday -- I've only driven ~30 miles max

    I knew I needed to have it looked at this morning since it had gotten out of control. Since the guys will be in the area already replacing the cooling system I'm having them replace the low pressure power steering hoses that are bleeding onto the lower expansion tank. I don't want this to ruin the new cooling system job.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
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    Ocean County, NJ
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    7,273
    Good plan.

    Sucks that you have to pay someone to do it, but I agree that it's the more prudent decision.
    -Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
    ZHP Pre-Ride Briefing

    2005 ZHP, Alcantara, Silver Cube, Nav, Sharked, BMW Perf Intake, BMW Perf CF Strut Brace, CF Valve/Fuel Rail Covers,
    Shadowline Grills, CF Splitters, Fog Light Inserts, Euro-mirrors, CDV Delete, Beisan vanos, GAS DISA, BP Coded

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    San Diego, CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by kayger12 View Post
    Good plan.

    Sucks that you have to pay someone to do it, but I agree that it's the more prudent decision.
    I went against everything that I said I would do. I paid to have the power steering hoses done since I didn't want to tear those apart (thought it was the high pressure hoses -- it was the low pressure hoses). I told the shop not to do the expansion tank because I'd do it - finally got around to it this morning since I didn't have work.

    Little did I know that expansion tank is a b**** to get off. I finally got it off without breaking the part blow the expansion tank. It is really hard to put jack stands under the car when all you have to work with is the trunk jack LOL. I've replaced it for now and will do the rest of it later once the new year comes. Now I'm just waiting to see if any other leaks spring up. ugh //rant.

  7. #7
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    Aug 2011
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    And a big thank you to everyone on this forum for all the DIY articles and help!!! I hope everyone has a happy new year.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Long island, New York
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    1,493
    Pip, you need to invest in a half decent floor jack to make your life a lot easier. That expansion tank can be a real bitch to get off. I got underneath and used a 36mm socket and mallet and tapped the bottom until it came off. The hoses, therm, and water pump are not that hard and it is really a good idea to do it sooner than later. Also I would replace the sensors, and expansion tank cap. Hope you replaced the fluid with BMW coolant. The jackass that owned my e36 before me replaced the coolant with some nasty green shit that almost ruined everything. Speaking of the e36, I just did the power steering hoses on my e36 and it was pretty easy but a bit of a mess to clean up all the grime everywhere.

  9. #9
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    Call Me Dane l 2/2004 330i ZHP l 18x8 ET45 BBS CK's wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ @ 245-40-18 l KW V1 Coilovers in front l KW V1 springs w/ Bilstein B8 dampeners in rear l BMW Performance Rotors l UUC StrutBarbarian l Racing Dynamics Rear Strut Bar l Jim Conforti Shark Injector l Light Birch Interior Trim l Bimmian Celly Mount l M3 Trunk Mat l l e90 Performance E-Brake & Shift Knob l M3 Tri-Stitched Boots l AL Headlight Retrofit with ZKW Lenses l CobyWheel Wrap w/M3 Stitching l LCM sw 4.5 triple blink and rear fogs l Maple Interior Trim

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Martinez, CA
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    Autozone.com
    Quote Originally Posted by Pip View Post
    I went against everything that I said I would do. I paid to have the power steering hoses done since I didn't want to tear those apart (thought it was the high pressure hoses -- it was the low pressure hoses). I told the shop not to do the expansion tank because I'd do it - finally got around to it this morning since I didn't have work.

    Little did I know that expansion tank is a b**** to get off. I finally got it off without breaking the part blow the expansion tank. It is really hard to put jack stands under the car when all you have to work with is the trunk jack LOL. I've replaced it for now and will do the rest of it later once the new year comes. Now I'm just waiting to see if any other leaks spring up. ugh //rant.
    First off-Don't EVER get under your car again using just the trunk jack. EVER! The money you didn't spend on getting the right jack and stands are not, are NOT worth your life.

    Second-Glad your DIY went well.

    Third-Because of the way the cooling system was designed (a lot of plastic), you may have leaks. When you fit new parts onto old parts, they don't quite fit as if you put new onto new. You will find many threads that talk about replacing the lower hose and using the old temp sensor only to find that they have a leak because the old parts and the new parts don't play well together.

    Fourth-When you do the rest of the repair, do the entire system-water pump, both hoses, pulleys, belts. The radiator I believe can go longer. But, others with other experience may want to chime in.

    Johnny
    2004 Imola Red over Black Leather. 6-MT, Navigation, Cold Weather Pkg (the wife loves them seat warmers!), 3.46 Diff, UUC Short-Shift Kit, Tranny Mounts, CDV Delete and iPod mount.

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