I was trawling the DC/MD/VA craigslist for a "cheap" BMW beater for a friend relocating back to the area. I was ~amazed~ at how many cars were advertised as "overheated" - like a dozen.
There are cars that tolerate deferred maintenance, and thems what don't.
bravenrace wrote: In reply to DukeOfUndersteer: So replace them when? As soon as you buy the car? Is it a lack of coolant due to failure of these parts that causes the overheating?
The general rule of thumb seems to be around the 80k mark. Many folks have run much longer than that, but, conversely, many have seen failures before then.
bravenrace wrote: In reply to DukeOfUndersteer: So replace them when? As soon as you buy the car? Is it a lack of coolant due to failure of these parts that causes the overheating?
between 80k - 110k.
Water pump, T-stat & housing, radiator and expansion tank.
The last two... keep an eye on. When the plastic starts to get brittle... it's time.
Total cost is not bad and it is a 1hr job to do it all. There are aluminum radiator replacements, housing, and stewart warner racing pumps at more cost if you go to the track or prefer to trade $ for permanent fixes.
most of these issues start small. you can usually smell the coolant when it is hot, and that is the time to take care of all of it ( if not sooner). I started with the thermostat on mine, few months later the expansion tank, few months later the rad and at that time did all the hoses as well as waterpump. I would have been better of just to replace it all at the first sign of issues. BTW that was at around 120k on my 3.0 X5.
Where's the best place to source the upgraded parts? My car has 57k on it, but it's also 12 years old, so I'm thinking sooner rather than later.
In reply to bravenrace:
I'd say ECS Tuning.
bravenrace wrote: Where's the best place to source the upgraded parts? My car has 57k on it, but it's also 12 years old, so I'm thinking sooner rather than later.
You can also try:
Turner Motorsports
Bimmerworld
Tischer (getbmwparts.com)
Yeah, full cooling system replacement is the only real fix. Figure every 10 years or 100k on the I6 cars, maybe every 8 years or 80k miles on the V8s (tighter packaging and higher underhood temps on the latter). In addition to the coolant-moving and -cooling parts, do not neglect the thermostatic fan clutch; if they fail they can lock up and overspeed the plastic fan, sending pieces flying through all sorts of things, including the hood (there's a thread on Bimmerforums with pictures - full sheet metal penetration). At ~ $600 and a few hours of leisurely labor, it's relatively cheap insurance.
Any special tools needed to pull a motor out?
Think the best way to do it is to pull the front clip apart. Just want to be prepared before I go in.
bravenrace wrote: Where's the best place to source the upgraded parts? My car has 57k on it, but it's also 12 years old, so I'm thinking sooner rather than later.
ECS or Turner Motorsport. I recommend the EMP Stewart water pump (kept my E46 cool for 6 hours of Road America laps at 92* last weekend). Unfortunately nobody makes an aluminum thermostat housing or radiator for non-M E46s yet, so just use quality OE supplier parts.
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