Cooling System Refresh

[Kimber]

Hi guys! I am thinking its time to do my cooling system (the only thing I haven't refreshed yet since buying the car 2 years ago) and although I found some threads they all seem to be pretty old so I thought I would post a new thread and see if people can chime in on helping me get this done correctly.

'06 ZHP convertible with 98k miles auto trans

I picked up a UUC underdrive pulley/belt kit and the GAS 1.2 bar coolant cap but need some advice on what's best for the rest of the parts.

I don't track the car, but enjoy spirited driving, and only put about 5k miles a year on the car and have no plans on selling it.

What do you guys recommend? (I want to do it right the first time, but also don't need OEM parts if I can save some money on equal quality parts)

Is everyone replacing the radiator?

Upgrading to Mishimoto hoses worth it or just for looks?

What about fan delete on my auto trans car?

Thanks so much guys, and hopefully this will help others with a more recent thread about this maintenance project.


EDIT: Consensus of the thread

I'll be doing a new Behr radiator for piece of mind and because I will have everything apart already. If yours has low miles and is in good shape then most people say it can go a bit longer if need be.

From most things I have read and researched stay away from Mishimoto hoses. They tend to leak and customer service is nonexistent. I'll be using Rein as most everyone else has.

I did not put the water pump (11517527910) in the list because that is going to be a personal preference decision on which brand to buy. Stewart is awesome, but at $200 I can't justify it for what I do with my car. Maybe if I wasn't doing my radiator, I would have gone Stewart, but I'm right around $700 in parts with everything on my list, and the Stewart would have taken that to $850. I personally am going with GEBA, as it is cast steel rather than welded and many people use them with success.


EDIT: LIST OF COMPLETE PARTS

17119071519 Radiator for Auto Trans - Behr
17117573781 Expansion Tank - Modine at FCP
17117639022 Expansion Tank Cap - Genuine BMW (I'm using the 1.2bar cap from G.A.S.)
11531436408 Radiator Hose lower - Rein
17127510952 Radiator Hose Upper _ Rein
11531436410 Expansion tank to lower hose - Rein
11537509227 Thermostat Assembly -Wahler
13621433077 AUXiliary Fan Switch - OEM
07119963200 Coolant drain crush washer at engine -block - BMW
17137553919 Fluid Level sensor _ OEM
82141467704 1 gallon of Coolant - BMW
07119904524 water pump pulley hex bolts (need 4)
07129904553 water pump - need 4 nuts
17111712963 Fan Shroud Clip - Genuine BMW (in case you break them)

17111707777 Expansion tank mounting clamp (or you can use the original if in good shape)
17111436251 Expansion Tank Retainer (or you can use the original if in good shape)


If you have AUTO trans don't forget these:

17111437362 Auto trans Oil cooler thermostat - OEM at FCP
17111711987 Auto Trans cooler o-rings (need 2)


Check which pulley's and tensioner style you have to make sure you are getting correct parts (but for me they are below). You can also get complete kits but they are more money and most likely you can reuse your original bolts and washers (and you can even choose to just do the pulley itself if your tensioner is in good shape):

11287841228 Drive Belt Idler Pulley - INA
11281730349 Pulley Protection Cap - Genuine BMW
07119904677 Idler Pulley Securing Bolt - Genuine BMW

07119904115 wave washer for short bolt
07119906650 short bolt
07119904533 Medium bolt- reuse washer
07119904532 Long bolt - reuse washer and cap
07129905534 Fillister Head Screw BMW
11281748131 Hydraulic Alternator Belt Tensioner Roller INA
11281727159 Tensioner Pulley Dust Cap BMW
11281730532 Tensioner Pulley Mud Cap BMW
11287838797 Accessory Belt Tensioner Assembly - INA

Check which A/C tensioner style you have and also what rib belt you have to make sure you are getting correct parts (for me they are below):

4PK863 A/C Belt - Contitech
11287512758 A/C Belt Tensioner and pulley kit - INA


You should also get the main belt and a "metal water pump pulley" as well, but since I will be installing my underdrive water and power steering pump pulleys, I am using the belt and pulley's that came with that kit from UUC.


If your an AUTO trans and going to do the "fan delete = 2 for 1 fan mod" then you will need the fan assembly from a manual trans, or you can take your stock AUX fan from the front of the radiator and put it in the manual housing. The housing part number is 17117511168. I couldn't find a new manual assembly for less than around $200, so to save some money, I will try using my stock fan and the $70 new manual housing.

[JohnnyGraphic]

Hi there! Congrats on tackling this relatively easy DIY.

First off on the fan. If you plan on doing a lot of DIY, it makes sense to replace. But, not necessary.

My first time, I went with aftermarket parts and I had one heck of a time with fitment. Some parts just did not want to snick into place like OEM. A lot of time spent messing with it.

The second time, I went all BMW OEM parts and it was night and day difference. Just my experience. Some don’t have any issues.

I DID have a metal impeller water pump self destruct on me. It was a Graf unit.



This was the first time I did the cooling system. The second time I went with an OEM BMW remanufactured unit.

I bought the full system refresh kit from ECS Tuning which included the radiator. You can get one without.

At your mileage, I don’t think a radiator is needed unless you had some extreme conditions/driving or you suspect the prior owner did something funky.

Google for Mike Millers Old School maintenance schedule. It’s pretty much the Bible for BMW DIYers.

[JohnnyGraphic]

Oh and happy wrenching!!!

And check out 50’s Kid YT channel. A lot of good DIY info. And if you’re starting out, check out the starter tool guide. No need to get crazy with impact tools, but the socket and torx tools suggestions are great.

[BMWCurves]

I’ve done the cooling system twice: once on my car with the Turner Motorsport cooling system refresh kit about 3 years ago, and again on my sister’s 330Xi picking parts individually.

If I had to do it again, I’d pick parts individually and stick to OEM. As the previous commenter said, OEM parts made the job a lot easier because of better fitment. I replaced the radiator in both cases because even though it’s not as big an issue on the M54, the radiator still has plastic inlets that can break. Since they had never been replaced and it had been 12+ years, I just did it for peace of mind.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[san]

Apart from proper fitment OEM parts also seem to last much longer based on member’s experiences.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[trancenation]

Hi there! Congrats on tackling this relatively easy DIY.

First off on the fan. If you plan on doing a lot of DIY, it makes sense to replace. But, not necessary.

My first time, I went with aftermarket parts and I had one heck of a time with fitment. Some parts just did not want to snick into place like OEM. A lot of time spent messing with it.

The second time, I went all BMW OEM parts and it was night and day difference. Just my experience. Some don’t have any issues.

I DID have a metal impeller water pump self destruct on me. It was a Graf unit.



This was the first time I did the cooling system. The second time I went with an OEM BMW remanufactured unit.

I bought the full system refresh kit from ECS Tuning which included the radiator. You can get one without.

At your mileage, I don’t think a radiator is needed unless you had some extreme conditions/driving or you suspect the prior owner did something funky.

Google for Mike Millers Old School maintenance schedule. It’s pretty much the Bible for BMW DIYers.

Yikes how many miles on that water pump and how did you know you needed to replace that one?

[JohnnyGraphic]

Yikes how many miles on that water pump and how did you know you needed to replace that one?

I did the first one at 70k and then the second time at 135k. The coolant had some pretty icky stuff in it and the WP had a very minor seepage problem. Nothing dramatic. Not sure how long it was like that as I didn’t hear anything or notice any difference in cooling.

One thing, the belts on the aftermarket kit did not last long at all! They were in bad shape after 50k. The originals didn’t show much wear at 70k.

[Dave1027]

What about fan delete on my auto trans car?

I did the fan delete/conversion on my car when I did the cooling system refresh plus belts and pulleys. It's quieter and and I don't have to worry about the mech fan self destructing and causing extensive damage. I'm hoping not having it doesn't cause my tranny to fail prematurely.

Here's the best way to bleed the cooling system when all done replacing parts. http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1124821

[Newjack]

I did the fan delete/conversion on my car when I did the cooling system refresh plus belts and pulleys. It's quieter and and I don't have to worry about the mech fan self destructing and causing extensive damage. I'm hoping not having it doesn't cause my tranny to fail prematurely.

Here's the best way to bleed the cooling system when all done replacing parts. http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1124821

I think another added bonus is how much easier the manual trans fan is to remove and put back in. No extra wrench required.

OP for the cooling system I would stick with OEM parts and try to get a bundle from ECS or somewhere to save money. You probably don't need to replace the radiator, but they do tend to get worse with age. I just replaced my original radiator at 144k, so they will last.

[Kimber]

Thanks guys keep it coming!

So no one is recommending the Mishimoto tubes at all? ($140 on amazon)

I am thinking about getting the Mishimoto pipes for the intake. (run about $100 for the set on Amazon) I got the AFE CAI stage 1 and I like it but it whistles at lower RPM, and I am thinking it might be the ridges on the stock intake pipes. Plus I figure this would be a once and done replacement and not ever have to worry about the stock pipes getting cracks, etc. years down the road. Thoughts?

I have a friend of a friend that is a BMW tech and is going to be helping me do the wrenching. Not that I don't think I could DIY, but he needs some extra cash and I figure two sets of hands its always easier! LOL He also has the shop and all the tools, so bonus! And he is going to check to see if he thinks I need to do a walnut cleaning and all that. He said he can do it pretty cheap, so I might get that done right away while I am there.