- Joined
- Mar 15, 2015
- Points
- 191
Radiator Explosion
- Thread starter Low Rider
- Start date
Crikey! That's not good.
It is a pressurized system (2bar).
Please get the right cap too (from BMW is cheap) as some caps are only for 1.4bar.
I'm talking about a 2.8 here not sure on others...
Makes me think that after having a cracked thermostat housing, viscous coupling and blades (x2), aux fan, 2 x water pumps that the expansion bottle and radiator should be my next job to prevent just this.
Over a decade of heating and cooling of plastic parts at pressure is bound to cause this eventually I guess.
Please get the right cap too (from BMW is cheap) as some caps are only for 1.4bar.
I'm talking about a 2.8 here not sure on others...
Makes me think that after having a cracked thermostat housing, viscous coupling and blades (x2), aux fan, 2 x water pumps that the expansion bottle and radiator should be my next job to prevent just this.
Over a decade of heating and cooling of plastic parts at pressure is bound to cause this eventually I guess.
Holy s#/t! Slight over pressurisation? Head gasket?
Not on my 318i, new radiator and all was good.
A badly distorted radiator on a late 90's to mid 00's BMW is far from an uncommon sight.
Tony.
Tony.
What do you think, just age plus pressure plus plastic = boom?
Ps it's weird seeing your new avatar..!
That would be my guess Dino, it's not so common on cars built after those sort of years to be fair so I think that BMW have taken heed of the problem. Only changed the avatar in the last few minutes.
Tony.
I thought it was about time Mike. Really liking the car, quite different from the 3, I still keep having a blast in it to keep the brakes clean and the battery topped up. If it had been a 3.0 I might not have changed it but hey the world turns eh?
Tony.
ps. It's fairly quick !!
Forwards and upwards bud......
I have told this story on here before but this is for the new guys.
When my rad blew, I was parked behind a Bentley at Amsterdam airport and the owner was loading his bags in the boot with his backside only inches from my bonnet.
When the steam cleared, his was laying in the boot on top of his bags.
I remember reading that mate, and it still makes me laugh, as I'm sure it does you.
Tony.
Tony.
Oh, we were p****** ourselves Tony, took my mind off the problem at that moment.
Tell you how tough these engines are (think the 318i was an M43) I could not stay where I was, so thinking it had had it. I drove it for about 2 KM to a petrol station. As I said above, new rad, all was good.
Tell you how tough these engines are (think the 318i was an M43) I could not stay where I was, so thinking it had had it. I drove it for about 2 KM to a petrol station. As I said above, new rad, all was good.
I can get that Mike, although a different engine, my old Eunos blew a heater hose two miles from home soon after I bought it and it was crackling with the dry heat in the engine when I got home. But, I put a new hose on the next day and it was as good as gold, bullet proof. Not bad for a rice burner. 
Tony.
Tony.
Now definitely back on my `to do' list - having read this lot.
Changed my expansion tank ~2 years ago due to leak at bottom seal. New unit was however faulty
problems getting a replacement quickly so I had to put old one back in with new seals. It's also good to be able to see the level without taking the cap off and shining a torch in