engine and drivetrain Replacing Radiator In 27 Minutes

[steve k.]

On the way to the SoCal Vintage BMW Meet the new to me car was overheating when reaching highway speeds. The drive was a bit painful with multiple stops to let the car cool and took forever since i had to keep the car at about 80km/h.  We didn't get to Santa Barbara until after 1am. Early morning and slow drive to Van Nuys followed.  

 

The plan for the show was to set up the tents, put the cars in place, and then find a suitable radiator.

 

By the time we made it to Woodley Park, Ray from Elefant Supply already had the canopies set up. We did a little rearrangement, unloaded 3 tourings and had the FAQ booth functioning.  Shirts, cars and tiny cars were on display, so it was time to find a radiator. Lucky for us Jack Fahuna had 3 at his shop, ProBimmer, about 5 minutes away. We were able to get the newly recored radiator, thermostat and a switch, just in case.

 

After some socializing and looking at cars it was time to finally get the radiator in place. The best way to get this done quickly is to have Jan and Alex Echeverri standing by.

 

Here are the photos of what happened between 1:00PM and 1:27PM

 

Removing clamps and disconnecting the hoses:

 

A well deserved drink

 

Removing the old radiator

 

Positioning the new radiator

 

4 bolts going in

 

 

Connecting the hoses

 

Termostat In

 

Installing the sensor

 

 

All done

 

Running the engine to get the water flowing. Heater is on.

 

Waiting for thermostat to open

 

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[walkinfool]

Wow, that's fast! Did you replace the thermostat with the new one or did you decide the existing one was working fine and stick with it? Nice write up and photo-documentation!

[John_in_VA]

Gook work.  It seems the newer BMWs require many owners to spend hours removing the fan/clutch to start the job!  The proper tools & experience are invaluable.

[KFunk]

Whoa, didn't realize that you got another 02 Steve!  I've been thinking for a while that you needed a stock-ish driver to go with the autocross monster. 

[austinmf]

Any idea why the first failed? What did you refill with?

[steve k.]

Did you replace the thermostat with the new one or did you decide the existing one was working fine and stick with it?

 

Installed a new thermostat just to make sure.

Any idea why the first failed? What did you refill with?

 

The car was sitting for years. Looks like the radiator got clogged after  flush. Too many things got loose.  Refilled it with 50/50 water/antifreeze.

 

steve k.

[OriginalOwner]

 this Radiator Repair thread is a perfect response to this thread:  http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/146567-why-do-we-all-do-it/

 

Cheers,

 

Carl