Complete E39 M54 cooling system overhaul

[rickadootrd]

Question for all of the DIY'ers on here. When doing a complete cooling system overhaul, do you find it less expensive to piece all the parts together from different vendors to potentially save money, or buy a complete kit that includes all of the parts? These cooling systems are the biggest/most common failure points on these cars as you know, even though just noticed I'm leaking a bit of coolant from the WP/Tstat housing, I'm replacing everything for peace of mind. Plus just hit 180,000 and don't have records of any cooling system work from the previous owner. <br>Complete kit wise I'm thinking&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assembled-by-ecs-parts/ecs-cooling-maintenance-kit-level-3/ecse391153~6kt/
Anyone know of Comparable/less expensive COMPLETE kits?...
Thanks in advance.

[Barrman]

That is a pretty complete kit. ECS and FCP are normally neck and neck once you add up all the parts. I redid my cooling system last November. The kit you linked didn’t exist then. If it did, I couldn’t find it. I went FCP instead. Which worked out in my favor. Because a week later a suicidal raccoon ran in front of me. Radiator, lower expansion tank hoses, belts and a few other things trashed. FCP warranty replaced it all for the price of shipping. $30.00 in my case. either vendor sells good parts and has great customer service in my experience.

There are a number of coolant hoses and pipes not in the linked kit. To and from the heater core. To and from the heater control valve. Plus the almost guaranteed never replaced pipes under the intake manifold. The manifold needs to be removed to access them. If you are going to do the cooling system. You might as well do it all.

[rickadootrd]

I hear ya about all the other odds and ends.. I feel the same. All but the Plastic Fan and fan clutch.. That Damn fan clutch is pricey/ yet pretty important..

[jclausen]

One thing I would do is install the e39 m5 radiator it's direct fit and the core is thicker, I did it on my 525

[rickadootrd]

One thing I would do is install the e39 m5 radiator it's direct fit and the core is thicker, I did it on my 525

Lol, My 2.5L is just fine with the stock radiator.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

.... For the time being, he's right about the M5 radiator. Better yet, I went full aluminum Mishimoto on one of my E39's, M5 on my other two.

[jclausen]

Thicker core is better and means you have more cooling headroom, but do what you want and the funny thing is it looks no different than the stock radiator when installed.

[StephenVA]

I would recommend buying the M5 Rad from ECS and all the other parts I would go with OE, as this kit has lots of items you will not need so buy missing ones you will need and save some $$. You can reuse the bolts. Buy the expansion tank from Mahle-Behr or BMW only. As there are a few out there that are truly Chinese junk.

Brand: [https://www.ecstuning.com/b-mahle_be...111436381~ber/
Mfg#: 17111436062
Add to your shopping list

Cooling Systems	O Ring Aux Fan Switch	Lower hose	CSS 091159010	1	$0.79
Cooling	W/P Pulley		11511436590	1	$29.33
Cooling	Radiator Fan Clutch	Hella/Behr Service	376732111	1	$74.78
Cooling	Fan	D=420MM	11521712058	1	$57.69

Replace everything at one time:

• Geba Water Pump with metal impeller
• ECS Aluminum Water pump pulley (Cracks in your OE one? Problem solver)
• Fan Switch seal only
• Thermostat & Housing
• Sealing Gaskets
• Expansion Tank with level sensor and clamp
• Pressure Cap
• 1 Gallon Coolant
• Upper & Lower Radiator Hoses
• Accessory Drive Belts - Continental only
• Radiator Drain Plug
• Behr Radiator
• Idler Pulley
• Hydraulic Tensioner and Pulley
• A/C Belt Tensioner Assembly
• Need part numbers? Use this site as it is interactive http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/

[rickadootrd]

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback from everyone.

[rickadootrd]

Damn, all my parts arrived today and now I'm debating ordering the "other" pain in the ass to replace Coolant hoses, just to play it safe... No records of them ever being changed. 180,xxx miles.. Should I bother? What would you do?

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Dude, what were you thinking about? Order all of them, change it all out.

[rickadootrd]

Dude, what were you thinking about? Order all of them, change it all out.

Yeah, Better safe than sorry... I've never tackled these hidden hoses, and can't seem to find a tutorial/video. Might as well order a new alternator also while everything is out of the way ...I typically prefer foresight over hindsight.

[StephenVA]

Good plan. If it is a keeper, you will enjoy it. While you are at it, what about the oil separator?

[rickadootrd]

Good plan. If it is a keeper, you will enjoy it. While you are at it, what about the oil separator?

Any write ups that you know of that explain steps in replacing said "other" hoses? Or just a complete cooling system overhaul on M54

Haven't thought about the oil separator.. Expensive part? difficult?

[StephenVA]

All is easy.

Hoses are listed here: Replace only the rubber ones

[rickadootrd]

Guess I gotta pull the manifold for cooling hose access? Thanks for the quick response

[StephenVA]

No	Description	Supp.	Qty	From	Up To	Part Number
i	Additional water pump f water valve -		E39 face lift cooling system.png
						11531435808
8	Heater inlet pipe		1			11531705210
9	Hex bolt with washer	M8X20-U1-8.8	3			7119904992
10	Hex nut with plate	AM6-8-ZNNIV SI	1			7129904553
11	Water hose		1			11531438632
12	Clamp	D=28/6,4	1			11531267334
13	Hex head screw	ST6,3X22-C-Z1	1			7119916969
14	Hose clamp	D=18/D=25	1			12511309471
15	Cable tie		1			64218375369
16	Water hose		1			11531438633
21	Temperature sensor, coolant		1			13621433077

- - - Updated - - -

more here https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=64_0930

[StephenVA]

No you can work under it. Lots of images on Real OEM that will help. They are hidden all over the site....

Engine > Engine cooling> Rad
Engine > Engine cooling> Water Pump
Heater and Air Conditioning > Water pump, valve, hoses

TIPS: Throw away your fan blades and fan clutch. USE OEM blades only and a Beher clutch, check the pulley also as the crack. Two choices here plastic OE or ECS metal one. Your choice. Fan blades break as soon as the clutch locks up and will take out the rad and hood at hwy speeds when it happens.

PM me as I can offer some tips and tricks on this one DIY.

[rickadootrd]

Bought OE Fan, BEHR fan clutch, Behr Radiator/ Expansion tank, Geba water pump, OE hoses/ T-stat housing, ECS pulley, Conti belts, All OE pulleys/ tensioner. and some other pricey goodies I cant think of right now.

Spent much more than I wanted to by not going with the ECS stage 3 refresh Kit, and buying each part individually, but this Texas heat is NO JOKE! I think I made the wise decision...

[StephenVA]

on the right path! You have what you will need other than the small hoses near the water control valve and the firewall heater hose connections. Check them for age and ozone deterioration (hard and brittle or soft as old jello). Replace them as it is always painful to do this job when the engine is hot on the side of the road.

[effduration]

Yeah, Better safe than sorry... I've never tackled these hidden hoses, and can't seem to find a tutorial/video. Might as well order a new alternator also while everything is out of the way ...I typically prefer foresight over hindsight.

Not too tough, although you do need to remove manifold to access the two hard coolant pipes. Once you get in there, both pipes will likely break off where they enter the head and block leaving pieces in each inlet hole.

Tips:
-Use a curved pick tool to pull out the broken pieces - try to prevent pushing them in
-reassemble the broken pieces to make sure you got it all- compare to new pipes
- use brake clean, rags, emery cloth (lightly) and other mild abrasive to gingerly clean aluminum bore- get it clean
- use only OEM or Rein pipes as replacements-many of the cheap aftermarket pipes don't fit.

Even if you use OEM pipes, there is a risk they will leak - usually due to a rolled-over o-ring. You DO NOT want to discover the leak after you reinstalled the intake manifold.

Here is what I do.

-I use a dab of silicone grease on o-rings when installing them
-After I install both pipes and before I reinstall intake, I hook up all cooling hoses and water pump so system is closed.
-I take an old thermostat housing and gut the thermostat, leaving just the housing with gasket
-I install the gutted thermostat and fill cooling system with distilled water - don't worry about bleeding.
-I then pressurize the cooling system to <20 psi and look for leaks - particularly where cooling pipes enter the head/block
-I use a fitting that adapts my compressor to the bleed screw, but you could borrow a coolant pressure tester from Autozone and do the same thing thru the expansion tank cap
-All this is done with Intake manifold off and battery disconnected.
-Drain distilled water and do a proper fill and bleed after everything is connected.

[rickadootrd]

Thanks for the tips!

[rickadootrd]

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/199986

Step 11 on this Overhaul guide is a new one to me... I've never done this on my couple E36 s52 Cooling system overhauls on the various 2nd gen M3's I've owned. Turn the heat on high, and run a hose to flush out the block? Obviously the car isn't going to be running. This works?
Sorry if this makes me sound foolish, I've just always left the residual coolant in the block I suppose..
Thoughts?

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I never bother with that, but then again, my coolant is clean as hell as I always change it every year, distilled water and BMW coolant.

[rlordjr]

I have looked up the specs for the regular e39 rad and the M5 version but see conflicts. Is the M5 core 42mm (1 5/8) thick? Some stock rads show that same thickness...

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