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Thread: URGENT: is this a drain hole or a mounting hole on the airco radiator version.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
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    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325i

    URGENT: is this a drain hole or a mounting hole on the airco radiator version.

    Hi,

    Im starting with preventative replacement of some parts of the cooling system that have not been replaced yet (belt,pulleys,fan clutch,radiator,2hoses, some o-rings).

    My question is about the radiator:

    Nissens NS 60623A
    BMW part number: 17111728907

    Now ive just received my radiator and im a bit confused what this thing does:

    nissensradiator.JPG
    When i take out the blue drain plug it seems the drain plug is blocking another hole. When the plug is removed the water can flow out this hole to black pipe marked with the red arrow.

    So i assume that this is just a drain hole.
    Can somebody confirm this?

    I need to be sure that i have the right radiator and that nothing needs to be mounted on that black pipe because im going to do this work at a rented car lift and if im stuck its going to cost a lot of money and ofcourse i cant use my car then until i have a new radiator.

    See also: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...5#post30060155

    PS: This is a european style airco radiator version. Not the tropical (uses in North America) or non airco radiator.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Tenerife, Spain
    Posts
    628
    My Cars
    1997 BMW E36 323i
    Never seen this before.. But I'm quite certain it's just a drain pipe, that will only open if you unscrew the blue screw next to it.. It's nice to have a drain pipe like that, because otherwise the water tends to disperse in all directions, while emptying the radiator.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Tenerife, Spain
    Posts
    628
    My Cars
    1997 BMW E36 323i
    Update: Actually, even my Van Wezel radiator has it, but I probably didn't notice it when I installed it a few weeks ago.. See photo here: https://www.autodoc.es/van-wezel/7147962 . It's the same OEM part number as your radiator. It mounts on the rubbers below the reservoir and below the cold side pipe and the two mounts on top.. Exactly identical to your old radiator, except this one extends a bit lower below the mounting points. Don't forget to transplant the rubbers from the old one to the new one.

    By the way you won't need to rent a car lift for this job. I just did it in the parking lot. Just be sure you catch all the coolant coming out (bring wide and good catch cans). It's a piece-of-cake job. No lift needed whatsoever. Best to not do it in a public parking space, because the cops might not like it and may fine you.. If you don't have a driveway yourself, ask a neighbor, friend or family member if you can use his. I believe you have great weather now in the Netherlands, so I wouldn't waste my money on the expensive rental garages.

    When refilling the new radiator, leave the upper big hose, passenger side, disconnected from the radiator. Then fill the radiator completely. Then, fill directly into the engine using the upper big radiator hose.. Let the coolant level drop, and refill, and repeat. Then, at the last fill, fill as much as you can in the hose and then connect it to the radiator. Best to also have the cabin heater on, at highest heat, but at low-medium fan speed (to not drain battery).

    Then make sure all the hoses are securely connected, and start engine. With radiator cap off, check if you see a small flow of water into the reservoir. Probably need to increase rpm to 2000-2500 rpm to see this. If you can see this, then you're almost done. Add more coolant if needed, probably couple of times. If it seems stable, take it for a small drive, and add more coolant if needed. Be careful when opening radiator cap while engine is still hot. Best to leave it to cool a little.. But if you open the cap very slowly, such that it can release the pressure slowly, then you're probably fine.. Disclaimer: own responsability. be careful with hot water/steam.

    Also, buy original BMW coolant at BMW dealer, one 1.5 liter bottle should be enough and then add distilled water. Then you're sure you have the correct chemicals that won't harm your engine.
    Last edited by ed323i; 07-16-2018 at 01:00 PM.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    200
    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325i
    Quote Originally Posted by ed323i View Post
    Update: Actually, even my Van Wezel radiator has it, but I probably didn't notice it when I installed it a few weeks ago.. See photo here: https://www.autodoc.es/van-wezel/7147962 . It's the same OEM part number as your radiator. It mounts on the rubbers below the reservoir and below the cold side pipe and the two mounts on top.. Exactly identical to your old radiator, except this one extends a bit lower below the mounting points. Don't forget to transplant the rubbers from the old one to the new one.

    By the way you won't need to rent a car lift for this job. I just did it in the parking lot. Just be sure you catch all the coolant coming out (bring wide and good catch cans). It's a piece-of-cake job. No lift needed whatsoever. Best to not do it in a public parking space, because the cops might not like it and may fine you.. If you don't have a driveway yourself, ask a neighbor, friend or family member if you can use his. I believe you have great weather now in the Netherlands, so I wouldn't waste my money on the expensive rental garages.

    When refilling the new radiator, leave the upper big hose, passenger side, disconnected from the radiator. Then fill the radiator completely. Then, fill directly into the engine using the upper big radiator hose.. Let the coolant level drop, and refill, and repeat. Then, at the last fill, fill as much as you can in the hose and then connect it to the radiator. Best to also have the cabin heater on, at highest heat, but at low-medium fan speed (to not drain battery).

    Then make sure all the hoses are securely connected, and start engine. With radiator cap off, check if you see a small flow of water into the reservoir. Probably need to increase rpm to 2000-2500 rpm to see this. If you can see this, then you're almost done. Add more coolant if needed, probably couple of times. If it seems stable, take it for a small drive, and add more coolant if needed. Be careful when opening radiator cap while engine is still hot. Best to leave it to cool a little.. But if you open the cap very slowly, such that it can release the pressure slowly, then you're probably fine.. Disclaimer: own responsability. be careful with hot water/steam.

    Also, buy original BMW coolant at BMW dealer, one 1.5 liter bottle should be enough and then add distilled water. Then you're sure you have the correct chemicals that won't harm your engine.
    Hi,
    Thanks for your help!

    Im replacing more then just the radiator, also hoses etc. (belt,pulleys,fan clutch,radiator,2hoses, some o-rings)
    Yes, i figured its possible to do on the parking lot.. but any non public parking i can use is to far away and i dont want to kill any cats with radiator fluid .

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Tenerife, Spain
    Posts
    628
    My Cars
    1997 BMW E36 323i
    OK.. Cool.

    You won't need a lift, so perhaps you can go for a cheaper garage without lift.. I've replaced all the stuff listed myself recently.

    P.S. Replace 1.5 bottle with "50% coolant, 50% distilled water mix".. Here on the Island, where it's 18-24 degrees C all year long, the BMW dealer said 1 bottle (1.5 liter) of coolant suffices, but in the Netherlands, where the winters can get quite cold, better to use the 50-50% mix.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    229
    My Cars
    1995 318ic
    I just put the same radiator (minus the extra drain) in my 318. Working great as of now. That has to be just some kind of cleaner way to drain your fluids. Maybe if you just back the blue drain plug out slightly, it will start opening that drain first? I wish mine came with one of those now lol those radiators are a mess to empty out.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    9,079
    My Cars
    1997 328i
    All you would have to do is blow into the hole! DUH!
    Attn. NEWBIES: Use the search feature, 98% has already been discussed.
    Click the search button, select "search single content type", select the "e36 sub forum" specifically, try the "search titles" then try the "search entire posts".

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Central Wisconsin
    Posts
    640
    My Cars
    '94 325i, '93 325is
    You can stick a piece of tubing on the nipple and back the blue screw out. Do not remove the blue screw all of the way or coolant will come out that hole too making a mess.
    '94 325i Sedan, Arctic Gray: UUC LTW FW, EVO 3 and DSSR, +.020 Maxsil pistons, ASC delete, Eibach shocks/springs, 16" contour reps 238k
    '93 325is Coupe, Schwarz, work beater 299k
    '89 325i Vert, Alpine White: 5spd swapped. Sold
    '04 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited AWD, In progress swapping to M50/G250, http://www.wibimmers.com/board/index...nna-25i-build/
    '05 Volvo V70 R, 6mt, mostly stock, kid hauler 200k Sold
    '85 Toyota LandCruiser: Lifted, gas hog. 205k

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    11,751
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    98 328IS 03 325xi
    Your radiator reminds me of the set up on e46 radiators but they use different drain plugs depending on the transmission type. But the e46 system is slightly different from the e36, tank on the opposite side and the bleed screw is in the upper hose.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

    Gave away my BMWs, driving a VW and an Audi now.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    NJ
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    229
    My Cars
    1995 318ic
    Looking at my old OEM BMW rad, it actually has that drain too. Dont know how I never noticed but the new nissens unit did not have that. Interesting


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
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    The Netherlands
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    686
    My Cars
    2011 E90 325xi

    URGENT: is this a drain hole or a mounting hole on the airco radiator version.

    Just a drainage
    Last edited by ultimatetester; 07-18-2018 at 08:04 AM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    The Netherlands
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    My Cars
    1994 BMW 325i
    Installed the radiator (and all the other things). Was indeed a drain hole.

    Radiator fitted perfectly:

    Nissens NS 60623ABMW part number: 17111728907
    (airco version)

    Old/removed radiator:

    BMW part number: 17111712982
    This was a Behr non airco radiator, not sure what the Behr number was for it but it was made in 1994, installed by BMW, and has been on the car for 150.000km.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Eric93se View Post
    All you would have to do is blow into the hole! DUH!
    Shit, so simple, why didnt i think of that !!!

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