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Thread: DIY - e36 Aluminum rad in M50 e34

  1. #1
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    DIY - e36 Aluminum rad in M50 e34

    Parts required:
    Mishimoto e36 M3 Aluminum rad
    e36 coolant espansion tank
    hoses for e36 expansion tank - lower to T and overflow - found inside e36 fan shroud
    hose clamps and at least one joiner for 1/2" hose
    2 x e34 lower rad hoses

    Optional:
    Since you are doing this it may be wise to replace other parts while you have the system drained and things out of the way. I also replaced the water pump, t-stat, t-stat houseing (converted to aluminum), fan clutch and both drive belts

    OK, so here's a pic of the two rads side by side:

    Notice the new rad does not have the expansion tank, this was the part I had to figure out how to overcome. More on that later. As a result it is also a little smaller so it won't sit on the e34 rad mounts.

    Start by draining the system (drain plug on rad and on back of block).
    Remove the fan using 32mm wrench and mallet (pulley holder may be required if the mallet doesn't work).
    Remove the upper and lower rad hoses, lower overflow hose and the coolant level and temp sensor plugs
    Unclip the rad holders (they are old and brittle and may break, prob wise t have new ones handy) and remove the rad.

    Optional:
    If changing the rest of the above mentioned parts remove the drive belts (remove the cap on the tensioner pullies and use a torx bit on a socket wrench to loosen the tension), water pump pulley, water pump, t-stat housing.
    Old t-stat housing:


    You also have to remove the bolts for the engine hoist bracket to get the t-stat housing off.

    T-Stat housing removed:


    Use a prybar, or large screwdriver to pry out the old tstat. It will take some force and you should clean out the gunk with a pic or screwdriver. Be careful when prying or you WILL crack the wp pulley and/or housing for the CPS wire (ask me how I know).
    Old vs new water pump:
    The older one was a better model in my car, I kept it but did install the new one just because the bearing would be new.



    Install all the new parts, using new gaskets and o-rings where appropriate.

    Once new parts are in and belts back on, drop in the new rad. The rad should sit on the passenger mount. THe drivers side will rest the bottom of the rad on the lower rad support. ( I still have to figure out what mount I am gonna use on the drivers side). Should look something like this:
    Driver's side:


    Connect the hoses. Use the new e34 lower in the usual spot. Use another e34 lower for the upper rad hose. You will need to cut off about an inch and a half from both ends and it should match right up.

  2. #2
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    I'm probably missing something, but what's the point?

  3. #3
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    Very nice. Also interested in a full metal rad.

    Can't wait to see the external tank conversion ( will it be something like in the M5 or in the big engine e34 cars , no? )
    And what about bleeding ? Will it bleed itself (like the above) or manually ?

    Thanks.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeckman7 View Post
    I'm probably missing something, but what's the point?
    No more broken plastic upper rad hose mounts and theoritically better cooling efficiency

    Quote Originally Posted by warhammer23 View Post
    Very nice. Also interested in a full metal rad.

    Can't wait to see the external tank conversion ( will it be something like in the M5 or in the big engine e34 cars , no? )
    And what about bleeding ? Will it bleed itself (like the above) or manually ?

    Thanks.
    Used e36 tank, has built in bleed screw same as e34 just remote mount.

    Rest of DIY to follow.

    Upper rad hose with additional protection just in case it rubs on alternator cooling vent (which doesn't fit with the current rad hose being used, will find a hose that will let me put this back on):


    Run the e36 lower expansion tank hose under the rad and sneak it up around the lower rad hose:

    and on the drivers side cut it so it will meet up with the existing e34 lower expansion tank hose and connect them:


    Hook up the e36 exp tank lower and add protection to the lower rad hose and exp hose where they touch anything. (see above pics)

    Throw in the fan and e34 fan shroud and moutnt he shroud all the way over to the passenger side. (use a screw to hold it over on this side, the driver's side won't match up but it seems to stay in place very well without a screw.
    Notice my ghetto mount for the tank for now, I am going to get an aluminum exp tank at some point and mount it on the drivers side to eliminat ethe extra hose running under and over the rad):


    Make sure everything is buttoned up nice and tight, plug in the coolant temp sensor and it should look something like this:



    OK now fill the system, give it time to warm up and bleed the crap out of it. I am still bleeding mine. Check for leaks and you shouldbe good to go!!

    I still have to re-engineer my expansion tank. I have found a couple of aluminum ones that may work. Should be able to mount on drivers side as mentioned and eliminate the extra hoses. I don;t like the way it is now but it works. Car sits RIGHT at the halfway mark of the temp gauge as it always did. Have had it out for a few boots with no issue. Any questions feel free to PM me! ALways open to suggestions and questions!
    Last edited by cornflakecwl; 03-20-2011 at 01:27 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  5. #5
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    Make sure youre using OEM zip-ties
    Quote Originally Posted by pimped525 View Post
    Heater stays on and think water pump is. Leaking also smell of fuel after caneing it about any ideas guys

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeckman7 View Post
    I'm probably missing something, but what's the point?

  7. #7
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    could have used the m60/diesel expansion tank set up on the firewall for neatness
    Long time E34 owner
    Now E39 530D touring Sport Auto

  8. #8
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    Wont fit. M50sits different than m60. Right to the firewall and up higher.

    Sent from my X10a using BF.com

  9. #9
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    I am getting ready to do this on my touring. The water pump failed in spectacular fashion a couple of weeks ago and seems to have taken the stock overflow tank with it. I severely overheated my engine because I was stuck in slow traffic with no where to pull off the road. The coolant level sensor fell apart inside the tank and the O ring seal between the tank and the radiator seems to have failed also. I replaced the water pump with the Borg Warner HD unit and the engine keeps overheating. The fluid seems to be coming from the expansion tank O Ring. It only leaks under pressure while driving at > 25 mph. It will start and idle in my driveway all day long without overheating or leaking. The part I don't understand is that the cooling system holds pressure while sitting in my driveway. I wonder if there is also a head gasket leak internally that is only significant at driving speeds? Reaching for straws here but I don't fully understand what is going on. I have bled it repeatedly and this does not cure the problem.

    Anyway, I have the Mishimoto radiator and think I have identified an expansion tank option that will work and look good. It is somewhat expensive - I bought the Zionsville Autosport E36 aluminum shroud with Spal fan and aluminum expansion tank. I am sure this can be made to work with only minor mods. Down side is that the shroud with tank and fan is about $400.00 IIRC. I bought it over a year ago for my E36 but have decided to leave that car stock. The price does not include wiring kit for the fan. I will figure that out on my own. The shroud with expansion tank alone is $275.00.

    Here is my question. Have you mounted your aluminum expansion tank and have you figured out how to bleed the system once the stock bleeder screw is gone? The Zionsville kit mounts the expansion tank slightly higher than the radiator and I am guessing this takes care of the problem in an E36. In our cars, the tank will have to relocated a little lower to avoid hitting the hood. I am concerned that it will be much harder to get air out of the system. Have you finished yours and/or do you have any ideas about how to bleed the system when you are done?
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #10
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    I have the tank, but I haven't had it mounted yet. Just haven't had time. I still ave to take it to a friend's shop to get a hole drilled and a bung welded on for the level sensor. I was going to figure something out to put a bleed screw somewhere on the line from the rad to the tank. That's a good looking shroud and tank you got there but yeah a little more expensive than the $130 I paid for the tank alone. I'll be fiddling with it when I do my heater valve and heater core in Oct once I move into the house. Let me know if you figure something out and get that shroud mounted up as I may change my plans and go with that setup cause it looks clean.

  11. #11
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    Interesting....


  12. #12
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    I intend to try to test fit it this weekend weather permitting. I had just got the suspension dialed in nicely when the water pump failed. New poly subframe bushings and M5T Nurburgring rear bar made a huge difference in the fun factor. It is killing me to leave the touring parked right now.

    I wonder if the cheap bleed valves commonly used to change wastegate behavior on factory turbo cars would be a good way to go. It would be easy to put one in the line between the expansion tank and the radiator. The Zionsville shroud has a bracket there for routing the hose above the fan. It is also a great place to mount a bleed valve. The other thing I like about this approach is that the expansion tank already has a bung for the coolant level sensor.

    It might be worth mentioning that they also make a complete solution for our cars with radiator, fan, shroud, and expansion tank but it cost quite a bit more. The Mishimoto with their E36 shroud/fan is < half the cost of the dedicated E34 setup they sell. I like the way Zionsville does business and have purchased engines from them in the past but > $1000 for an all aluminum radiator and electric fan is more than I can justify right now. If someone has the cash and wants the best plug and play solution, they have it.

    I will take some pictures and post to this thread in a couple of days. Going to doc tomorrow for what should be minor surgery and may not be able to get to this right away. If things go well tomorrow, I may get some pics up by Thursday.

  13. #13
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    I'm sure this has been mentioned before but I cannot remember where. I'll just state it just in case. Was the e36 euro coolant reservoir looked at?

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by K1CKBAC View Post
    I'm sure this has been mentioned before but I cannot remember where. I'll just state it just in case. Was the e36 euro coolant reservoir looked at?
    I was not aware of the euro coolant reservoir being different. I am fairly committed to the Zionsville kit at this point because I already own it. I am still curious to know more about the euro option.

  15. #15
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    Take that new waterpump out and return it.... I had one of those fall apart and the steel ring welded to the fins on the pump managed to wear a hole in my front timing cover. Those pumps are the most retarded design ever. The old one you took out is the best design of water pump.

  16. #16
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    I'm sorry but looking how this is done, I'm not so convinced. All those zipties and that expansion tank... Looks messy to me.

    And if the original BEHR radiator with plastic ends works 15-25years without cracking, I don't see a point. Especially on a stock engine.
    Current rides: E65 730dA '04, F10 520dA '11, E34 520iA '91

    Old rides: E46 316Ti, E53 X5, E38 728iA, E39 528iA, E46 318i Touring, E38 730dA, E36 316i, E36 328iA Cabrio, E38 728i, E38 750i, E36/3 320i, E36 318i, E39 530dA Touring, E38 740i, E39 528iA, E34 525iA, E32 750iL, E32 730iL, E34/2 525TDS,
    E34 525i, E28 518i, E34 535i, E34/2 525iA, E30/5 325i, E34 535i, E28 520i https://www.instagram.com/zener__/

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by zener View Post
    I'm sorry but looking how this is done, I'm not so convinced. All those zipties and that expansion tank... Looks messy to me.

    And if the original BEHR radiator with plastic ends works 15-25years without cracking, I don't see a point. Especially on a stock engine.
    The zipties and expansion tank are temporary as I mentioned in the thread. I have an aluminum exp tank that will eliminate all of that I just haven't the time nor the location to work on the car until I move into my house in Oct. Trust me I agree, I hate the way it looks right now, but it works just fine, and when I DO finish it properly it will be clean and very nicely done.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by zener View Post
    if the original BEHR radiator with plastic ends works 15-25years without cracking, I don't see a point. Especially on a stock engine.
    The original BEHR plastic radiator is not typically going to last for 15-25 years. I have owned 3 E34's and one E36 over the past 11 years. In my experience, any mileage over 50K on one of these radiators is borrowed time. Even with a regular maintenance schedule, I have had two of them fail catastrophically and strand me. The filler neck broke on one with ~ 50K miles and this last failure seems to be related to how far I drove the car in an overheated condition due to water pump failure. It also had slightly less than 50K miles on it. I installed it 2 1/2 years ago. I keep my cars a long time and put serious mileage on them. The touring is at 199K and my E36 vert has ~162K. Not selling either one soon. It is worth it to me to find a more permanent solution to the cooling system problems. YMMV but for some of us it makes perfect sense.

    Quote Originally Posted by cornflakecwl View Post
    The zipties and expansion tank are temporary as I mentioned in the thread. I have an aluminum exp tank that will eliminate all of that I just haven't the time nor the location to work on the car until I move into my house in Oct. Trust me I agree, I hate the way it looks right now, but it works just fine, and when I DO finish it properly it will be clean and very nicely done.
    This is a situation I well understand. For many of us, life has other priorities that limit the time available to always finish a job properly. Sometimes, you just have to get the car back in service and take care of things like home and family until the opportunity comes to finish the job.
    Last edited by Mark185; 08-17-2011 at 09:46 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark185 View Post
    The original BEHR plastic radiator is not typically going to last for 15-25 years. I have owned 3 E34's and one E36 over the past 11 years. In my experience, any mileage over 50K on one of these radiators is borrowed time. Even with a regular maintenance schedule, I have had two of them fail catastrophically and strand me. The filler neck broke on one with ~ 50K miles and this last failure seems to be related to how far I drove the car in an overheated condition due to water pump failure. It also had slightly less than 50K miles on it. I installed it 2 1/2 years ago. I keep my cars a long time and put serious mileage on them. The touring is at 199K and my E36 vert has ~162K. Not selling either one soon. It is worth it to me to find a more permanent solution to the cooling system problems. YMMV but for some of us it makes perfect sense.
    I know the neck's are prone to brake, but I have only seen that to happen on 10+ year old radiators.

    Driving car at "overheated state", well that's no good for the car or the plastic end radiator, all should know that.
    Did you check your motor mounts? There are many occasions that motor mounts are worn and they take the radiator with them.

    I have had 6 E34's, 2 E32's, 2 E28's and 1 E30. Never have had problems with broken necks. On my '87 750iL I had to change the radiator, but necks didn't brake. It was leaking elsewhere.

    cornflakecwl: OK, I'll wait for finished product pictures then.
    Last edited by zener; 08-18-2011 at 12:42 AM.
    Current rides: E65 730dA '04, F10 520dA '11, E34 520iA '91

    Old rides: E46 316Ti, E53 X5, E38 728iA, E39 528iA, E46 318i Touring, E38 730dA, E36 316i, E36 328iA Cabrio, E38 728i, E38 750i, E36/3 320i, E36 318i, E39 530dA Touring, E38 740i, E39 528iA, E34 525iA, E32 750iL, E32 730iL, E34/2 525TDS,
    E34 525i, E28 518i, E34 535i, E34/2 525iA, E30/5 325i, E34 535i, E28 520i https://www.instagram.com/zener__/

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave V View Post
    Take that new waterpump out and return it.... I had one of those fall apart and the steel ring welded to the fins on the pump managed to wear a hole in my front timing cover. Those pumps are the most retarded design ever. The old one you took out is the best design of water pump.
    I agree with taking that spot welded impeller pump out but replace it with a Stewart pump and don't put an old used pump back in. Those Stewart pumps won't have any impeller problems and are know to last well over 100k miles.
    Cosmos Black/Black 1995 540iA M-Sport
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    Waiting for install is an adjustable lumbar support, & drivers side glove box...

  21. #21
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    This mod has influenced me so purchased a mishimoto e36 rad a month ago and attempted to put in (aka trouble shoot parts and install). I didn't have the right radiator mount and couldn't figure a good mounting point for the E36 expansion tank and finally the E34 525i shroud would have to be modified some how. That is why I trouble shooted and figured out what I needed for a clean install. A few weeks later I have the correct mount, I purchased an E36 shroud to fit the enpansion tank on there since I want it clean and factory looking. It looks pretty awesome just need to modify/ place my electrical fan on to the shroud, put radiator in, bled system and extend the wiring for the coolant sensor. I'll have mine done friday and will post pictures.

    Far as the plastic necks and plastic components on the stock radiator, the behr units work well but I think depending on climate, and how the product was made is a big deal. My stock unit lasted about 13years, second one lasted 6 years and Im now on my third. I have no idea where the stock and 2nd radiator where made but my third one is a behr made in South Africa, I guess location doesnt really matter but are these units getting made poorly now a days...you can't say for sure. Also since Im in Arizona where temps get to 110-120 heat conditions on these components are very high. In the past I replaced my aux fan with a spal electrical fan and each unit only lasted 2years since the plastic and heat did not work well and basically cracked where the blades all meet up. I have my stock aux fan back in since the cfm is good, the unit is strong/ durable and my main fan is a perma-cool aluminum blade electrical fan which works great in this heat and running a/c all day long. So seeing and experiencing these components crack and break and the fact I live in AZ made me feel comfortable buying an all aluminum radiator. Lifetime Warrenty, Cooling effectiveness, no plastic, nicely assembled unit and packaged really well and only 55$ more than the stock unit ($215 I paid for mine including shipping).

    lol long rant but my 2cents but hope to share my install as well as cornflakecwl install to help the 525i guys.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by AZDinanE34 View Post
    I didn't have the right radiator mount and couldn't figure a good mounting point for the E36 expansion tank and finally the E34 525i shroud would have to be modified some how. That is why I trouble shooted and figured out what I needed for a clean install. A few weeks later I have the correct mount, I purchased an E36 shroud to fit the enpansion tank on there since I want it clean and factory looking. It looks pretty awesome just need to modify/ place my electrical fan on to the shroud, put radiator in, bled system and extend the wiring for the coolant sensor. I'll have mine done friday and will post pictures.

    Far as the plastic necks and plastic components on the stock radiator, the behr units work well but I think depending on climate, and how the product was made is a big deal. My stock unit lasted about 13years, second one lasted 6 years and Im now on my third. I have no idea where the stock and 2nd radiator where made but my third one is a behr made in South Africa, I guess location doesnt really matter but are these units getting made poorly now a days...you can't say for sure. Also since Im in Arizona where temps get to 110-120 heat conditions on these components are very high. In the past I replaced my aux fan with a spal electrical fan and each unit only lasted 2years since the plastic and heat did not work well and basically cracked where the blades all meet up. I have my stock aux fan back in since the cfm is good, the unit is strong/ durable and my main fan is a perma-cool aluminum blade electrical fan which works great in this heat and running a/c all day long. So seeing and experiencing these components crack and break and the fact I live in AZ made me feel comfortable buying an all aluminum radiator. Lifetime Warrenty, Cooling effectiveness, no plastic, nicely assembled unit and packaged really well and only 55$ more than the stock unit ($215 I paid for mine including shipping).

    lol long rant but my 2cents but hope to share my install as well as cornflakecwl install to help the 525i guys.
    I am very interested in which radiator mount you used. I haven't sorted that out on mine yet. Agree with you that plastic radiator parts are more failure prone with newer parts than the original ones BMW installed. Also agree that climate probably has something to do with when the plastic fails. All of mine failed during hottest part of the summer. Not happy to hear that the SPAL fan failed after 2 years. That is what I bought for the aluminum shroud I am using. Can't wait to see your next post with pictures and details.

    FWIW, I also own a Celica All Trac turbo and that came with a plastic tank radiator from the factory. Guess what failed on that OEM radiator? I now have an all metal one installed but not aluminum. Tanks are steel. Works great and no issues in 100K miles. Turbos are even hotter under the hood.

    Here are pictures of the Zionsville fan and shroud with radiator. First one shows shround/fan assembly laid on top of the radiator. Close up of right side shows the outlet (black cap) that gets plumbed to the stock connection from the overflow tank and the threaded bung for the level sensor with blue cap on it. Third pic shows the expansion tank with 28-32 lb radiator cap that came with it. The first pic also shows the aluminum trays that are pop riveted on to the shroud for routing the overflow hose on top and outlet hose on bottom. Looking at the first pic, notice that the expansion tank extends above the top of the radiator assembly by about 2-3". I am pretty sure this is going to hit the hood on the E34. This is easily fixed by drilling 3 new mounting holes for the tank assembly to move it down. The unanswered question is how to bleed the system once the tank is no longer the highest point in the system? Probably need to insert some kind of bleed valve in the hose that will run between the left side 1/4" outlet and the expansion tank on the right side. I am using left and right in my descriptions only in reference to the pictures here. I realize that right and left when installed in the car refer to driver side and passenger side respectively.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Mark185; 08-21-2011 at 03:55 PM.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark185 View Post
    The original BEHR plastic radiator is not typically going to last for 15-25 years. I have owned 3 E34's and one E36 over the past 11 years. In my experience, any mileage over 50K on one of these radiators is borrowed time. Even with a regular maintenance schedule, I have had two of them fail catastrophically and strand me. The filler neck broke on one with ~ 50K miles and this last failure seems to be related to how far I drove the car in an overheated condition due to water pump failure. It also had slightly less than 50K miles on it. I installed it 2 1/2 years ago. I keep my cars a long time and put serious mileage on them. The touring is at 199K and my E36 vert has ~162K. Not selling either one soon. It is worth it to me to find a more permanent solution to the cooling system problems. YMMV but for some of us it makes perfect sense.



    This is a situation I well understand. For many of us, life has other priorities that limit the time available to always finish a job properly. Sometimes, you just have to get the car back in service and take care of things like home and family until the opportunity comes to finish the job.
    Thanks mark, that's pretty much it. I'll get it done this fall once I am in the house for sure, [rob at the same tim eI do the heater core and heater valve.

    Quote Originally Posted by zener View Post
    I know the neck's are prone to brake, but I have only seen that to happen on 10+ year old radiators.

    Driving car at "overheated state", well that's no good for the car or the plastic end radiator, all should know that.
    Did you check your motor mounts? There are many occasions that motor mounts are worn and they take the radiator with them.

    I have had 6 E34's, 2 E32's, 2 E28's and 1 E30. Never have had problems with broken necks. On my '87 750iL I had to change the radiator, but necks didn't brake. It was leaking elsewhere.

    cornflakecwl: OK, I'll wait for finished product pictures then.
    And you won't be disappointed, trust me!

    Quote Originally Posted by bubba966 View Post
    I agree with taking that spot welded impeller pump out but replace it with a Stewart pump and don't put an old used pump back in. Those Stewart pumps won't have any impeller problems and are know to last well over 100k miles.
    I tooke OUT a stewart pump and replaced it with the spot welded one when I did the rad install in March. I have been considerig putting the Stewart one back in, only problem is I don't know how old it is...I may just order a new one next spring. The Stweart one is DEFINATELY worth the extra money, sooo solid.

    Quote Originally Posted by AZDinanE34 View Post
    This mod has influenced me so purchased a mishimoto e36 rad a month ago and attempted to put in (aka trouble shoot parts and install). I didn't have the right radiator mount and couldn't figure a good mounting point for the E36 expansion tank and finally the E34 525i shroud would have to be modified some how. That is why I trouble shooted and figured out what I needed for a clean install. A few weeks later I have the correct mount, I purchased an E36 shroud to fit the enpansion tank on there since I want it clean and factory looking. It looks pretty awesome just need to modify/ place my electrical fan on to the shroud, put radiator in, bled system and extend the wiring for the coolant sensor. I'll have mine done friday and will post pictures.

    Far as the plastic necks and plastic components on the stock radiator, the behr units work well but I think depending on climate, and how the product was made is a big deal. My stock unit lasted about 13years, second one lasted 6 years and Im now on my third. I have no idea where the stock and 2nd radiator where made but my third one is a behr made in South Africa, I guess location doesnt really matter but are these units getting made poorly now a days...you can't say for sure. Also since Im in Arizona where temps get to 110-120 heat conditions on these components are very high. In the past I replaced my aux fan with a spal electrical fan and each unit only lasted 2years since the plastic and heat did not work well and basically cracked where the blades all meet up. I have my stock aux fan back in since the cfm is good, the unit is strong/ durable and my main fan is a perma-cool aluminum blade electrical fan which works great in this heat and running a/c all day long. So seeing and experiencing these components crack and break and the fact I live in AZ made me feel comfortable buying an all aluminum radiator. Lifetime Warrenty, Cooling effectiveness, no plastic, nicely assembled unit and packaged really well and only 55$ more than the stock unit ($215 I paid for mine including shipping).

    lol long rant but my 2cents but hope to share my install as well as cornflakecwl install to help the 525i guys.
    Sounds good, look forward to seeing your install pics! My rad is still not sitting on a mount on the driver's side (the fins on the bottom bracket are sitting on the rad support on rubber, not ideal but working for now). What mount did you get and where did you get it, please!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark185 View Post
    I am very interested in which radiator mount you used. I haven't sorted that out on mine yet. Agree with you that plastic radiator parts are more failure prone with newer parts than the original ones BMW installed. Also agree that climate probably has something to do with when the plastic fails. All of mine failed during hottest part of the summer. Not happy to hear that the SPAL fan failed after 2 years. That is what I bought for the aluminum shroud I am using. Can't wait to see your next post with pictures and details.

    FWIW, I also own a Celica All Trac turbo and that came with a plastic tank radiator from the factory. Guess what failed on that OEM radiator? I now have an all metal one installed but not aluminum. Tanks are steel. Works great and no issues in 100K miles. Turbos are even hotter under the hood.

    Here are pictures of the Zionsville fan and shroud with radiator. First one shows shround/fan assembly laid on top of the radiator. Close up of right side shows the outlet (black cap) that gets plumbed to the stock connection from the overflow tank and the threaded bung for the level sensor with blue cap on it. Third pic shows the expansion tank with 28-32 lb radiator cap that came with it. The first pic also shows the aluminum trays that are pop riveted on to the shroud for routing the overflow hose on top and outlet hose on bottom. Looking at the first pic, notice that the expansion tank extends above the top of the radiator assembly by about 2-3". I am pretty sure this is going to hit the hood on the E34. This is easily fixed by drilling 3 new mounting holes for the tank assembly to move it down. The unanswered question is how to bleed the system once the tank is no longer the highest point in the system? Probably need to insert some kind of bleed valve in the hose that will run between the left side 1/4" outlet and the expansion tank on the right side. I am using left and right in my descriptions only in reference to the pictures here. I realize that right and left when installed in the car refer to driver side and passenger side respectively.
    Nice looking piece...!!!

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    1,209
    My Cars
    03 540i M Sport/95 525iT
    cornflakecwl, you said you used E34 lower radiator hose on both top and bottom with the Mishimoto. I worked on installing mine after work today and had ordered new hoses. I find the fit of the stock E34 hose on the Mishimoto radiator is very loose. I cut up a hose from my old 535iM that was still in good shape to make a top hose that fits well. I am not comfortable using the stock E34 lower radiator hose on the bottom connection. Was yours also loose and did you just crank down the hose clamp to successfully seal the connection?

    I also wonder if it might work better if we just use the stock E36 upper and lower radiator hoses?

    What is the diameter of the coupling you used to join the stock E34 hose that normally goes to the expansion tank? I ran out of daylight before getting the chance to measure mine today.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Toronto
    Posts
    212
    My Cars
    1995 BMW 532i/sc
    I'm planning on doing this too soon along with my S52 swap. How did that expansion tank issue get resolved? Would love to see this setup in person.

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