All metal radiators????

[brettski]

Well it looks like I will need a new radiator soon on my 2000 740iL. The plastic side tanks on the radiator itself are starting to weep.

I have been looking around for a manufacturer of an all metal / alloy radiators, and have only been able to locate the Zionsville Autosports product.

Has anyone had any experience with the Zionsville product, or is there another product that I should be lookng at?

While the radiator is out of the car, is there anything else that I should be considering changing at the same time? Car has done ~138,000km

[marti5]

Its wise to change the expansion tank at the same time.

You get this from Zionsville:

"Lifetime Warranty!
Zionsville Autosport guarantees our radiators for life to the original purchaser. Purchaser must provide proof of BMW coolant use at first installation and once every two years thereafter."

Which many radiator suppliers here in the UK only give you one year..

[brettski]

Originally Posted by marti5

Its wise to change the expansion tank at the same time.

You get this from Zionsville:

"Lifetime Warranty!
Zionsville Autosport guarantees our radiators for life to the original purchaser. Purchaser must provide proof of BMW coolant use at first installation and once every two years thereafter."

Which many radiator suppliers here in the UK only give you one year..

Zionsville have a complete kit which includes the expansion bottle, a shroud and an electric fan (to replace the factory fan which Zionsville say can experience catastrophic failure ( who would have throught that bits of hard plastic fan blades flying in every direction could be dangerous))

Now just need to figure out the cheapest way to get the kit to Australia. No one down here seems to know anything about a metal radiator for these cars, and at $1500 (AUS) for a genuine BMW unit, I sure as heck want something that is going to last longer than the fuel that is in the car when it is installed.

[marti5]

Sounds good to me, we in the UK are unable to get full metal rads for the E38, why somebody hasnt manufactured them is a mystery as they go all the time....but I suppose metal ones will last to long, so they just keep with the plastic bolstered ones so you keep buying them!!

[brettski]

So is there anything else that you'd suggest should be looked at / replaced while the radiator is out?

Have you heard of this fan blade seperation issue before?

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

Very common my friend had to replace his hood cause of it..... I would replce all the hoses the wwater pump and thermostat

[brettski]

Is the permanent removal of the factory fan and replacement with an Electric Fan as simple as removing the 4 bolts that hold the fan coupling and fan in place? It looks like the 4 bolts also keep the belt pulley in place, do I need to factor in some shorter bolts so that the excess thread (from coupling removal) doesn't interfere with the body of the water pump?

[marti5]

Fan blades normally go if the water pump goes, the water pump shaft starts to run out of true causing the blades to hit the shroud and other pulleys.....which breaks the blades off and bits fly everywhere.....the pump wont just go overnight...keep an eye out for coolant leakage around the pump etc, most pumps on this model seem to fail around 100-140,000 miles mark.....well to be honest most things on an E38 seem to fail around 100,000 Mark

[brettski]

Well I have a new radiator on its way to me from Zionsville, along with the super duty cooling kit and dual speed electric fan.
Zionsville Autosport: BMW E39 - E38 Super Duty Cooling Kit
The killer is the postage to australia.
I'll try to do a DYI photo log of the installation process, and post it here if its up to scratch (on Delmarco benchmark).

[witeshark]

Seems like a good plan. Cooling is everything.

[BimmerE39]

Good choice on the Zionsville radiator. I know a few people with them and they are a much better upgrade over the stock plastic-resin radiators that come stock on our cars. When my radiator ruptured a few years ago I remember being upset I couldn't scrape enough money together in time to buy the Zionsville unit. I bet your car is going to run cooler as well now that I think of it.

[brettski]

Hopefully it will all go in as its supposed to. I am planning to do this installation myself, so hopefully I don't encounter too many surprises.

As I am going to be replacing the coolant in this process, does anyone have any thoughts on these after market cooling products like Wetter Water or Purple Ice?

What coolant:water ratio do you all run with?
Do you all use demineralised water in the mix?

[BimmerE39]

I don't know how other coolants work with the Zionsville unit. I know that the OE radiator requires a very specific type of coolant as other types cause serious corrosion to the hoses and waterpump. If it was me I would stick with BMW specific coolant instead of potentially trying something else and getting questionable results.

I've done a 50/50 mix with distilled water. I believe that most BMW's require 8 liters to fill their cooling systems so you'll need 4 liters of coolant and 4 liters of distilled water.

[brettski]

Well today my shiny new radiator showed up, after just 3 (work) days in the post from the USA to Australia. Can't argue with that service.

It doesn't look like I'll get a chance to fit it this weekend, so I'll have to wait until next weekend to get down and dirty.

If anyone is in the neighbourhood feel free to drop around and give me a hand

[brettski]

I got the radiator installed without too many issues, but the old expansion bottle/radiator cap wouldn't seal on the alloy expansion tank, so I reverted back to the old expansion bottle wired into the position on the new radiator. I also have struck an issue undoing the thermal clutch to remove it and the fan and install the electric fan. I am turning the retaining bolt the right way (opposite to normal), but just can't break the thread lock. I tried removing the fan blades from the thermal clutch as well as the main serpentine belt to try and get better leverage on the water pump drive pully, but all I acheived was some skun knuckles, broken tools and several hours of frustration. I did learn how to reinstall the afore mentioned parts again, but that wasn't the purpose of the exercise. I think I'll call the local BMW mechanic and see if he has any better luck. Does anyone have any suggestions before I do that?