Cooling Overhaul - Overkill or not?

[kw740735]

Hi all,

I am new to the thread, just picked up the car a couple of weeks ago, everything is going great. I want to re-do the whole cooling system to have a rock solid reliability as I daily drive the car atleast 50miles per day. I have read tons of reviews/threads/complaints about some OEM or aftermarket parts made with plastics that tend to end up having hairline cracks after a while. I have also read the exact same complaints about circulation/functional issues with metal aftermarket counterparts like mishimoto's ET.

I am about to order some parts, and the parts include the Stewart WP, the CSF Aluminum radiator kit + pipes, the OEM ET, Zionsville thermostat + belts and pulleys. I am wondering if anyone had any reviews on running similar setup for similar situations and whether if its actually overkill to spend close to 1k on a cooling overhaul when other kits sell it for about half the price.

(I am pretty set on the stewart pump, opened to anything else.)

PS: I plan on DD the car in Socal, weekend canyon visits, occasional track visits.

[Vas]

Personally it is overkill and the Stewart pump is not worth the extra money.

If you want a kit, get the one from FCP Euro or something similar.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-mango-e46-cooling-system-overhaul-kit-mangocoolkit1

And then add the additional items they recommend.

The E46 cooling system is pretty robust if parts are replaced in a group and alot of people that track their cars have no issues with the factory parts. Spend the extra money on other mods or maintenance. (brakes,tires,etc)

[papa_g]

How many miles on the car? If it is relatively low i.e. you can see your self doing another overhaul during your ownership somewhere down the line, then you could just buy OE parts from FCP euro, and replace them for free when/if it comes to it. That is kind of the route I went with a lot of my preventative maintenance items.

[kw740735]

The car has about 170k miles, the PO did the overhaul around 30-40k miles ago, and the ET cracked recently so it was recently replaced.

How does FCP euro's return work? Is it just lifetime warranty on the parts?

[az3579]

I actually get more peace of mind replacing all my cooling system parts every 120k-ish miles, so found that upgrading to the Stewart pump or an all-aluminum radiator isn't worth the price for me personally. My 120k-ish mile interval comes in about 4 years. After tracking the car and daily driving about 30k a year, the cooling system always seems to hold up pretty well as long as I replace it around that 120k mark.

Since I buy all my stuff from FCP, I don't have to pay for cooling system components anymore. My last refresh was mostly all free due to the lifetime warranty.



How does FCP euro's return work? Is it just lifetime warranty on the parts?

Every single part they sell is lifetime warrantied. Parts don't necessary have to fail to utilize the warranty. They understand some components need to be replaced preventatively, so they take even non-failed but worn items back as well.

[papa_g]

Funny thing is they used to only replace non-performance parts, but within the last year they changed the policy to EVERYTING they sell

[johnrando]

GL. A few SoCals around, including me. Where abouts? I bought a Stewart at a discounted price but have not yet installed it. I also went with silicon hoses and of course, the expansion tank which is the weak link.

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[kw740735]

Got it, thanks for all your responses! I am located downtown but am on the west side alot! Hit me up @johnrando!

[johnrando]

A couple of us in the South Bay.

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[JohnnyGraphic]

My first time I went all aftermarket. Had poor fitting parts etc. part failure. Second time I went all OEM. Everything fit perfectly and time spent NOT hassling with poor fitting parts and headaches like before made up for the added cost.

Go OEM if you have the coin. Just my one experience.

[DeathTrap]

I got the Stewart and the GAS cap. I don't ever plan on having an issue. 40k miles so far. Almost time for a coolant flush actually.

[BMWCurves]

My first time I went all aftermarket. Had poor fitting parts etc. part failure. Second time I went all OEM. Everything fit perfectly and time spent NOT hassling with poor fitting parts and headaches like before made up for the added cost.

Go OEM if you have the coin. Just my one experience.

I share this sentiment. I did my car through Turner which used one or two non-OEM parts. Difficult as hell to get the upper hoses to attach to the thermostat. I bought all OEM for my sister's car and it went together like it was made to fit (who woulda thunk?)

[JohnnyGraphic]

I share this sentiment. I did my car through Turner which used one or two non-OEM parts. Difficult as hell to get the upper hoses to attach to the thermostat. I bought all OEM for my sister's car and it went together like it was made to fit (who woulda thunk?)

Yup, the hose on the aftermarket kit was extremely difficult to get on. And, the metal clip wouldn’t engage properly.

The water pump impeller also self-destructed on the graf(?) unit.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181025/07bddcb1d9135da41fc8f57afb40e378.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181025/a506f8965677fef1e33a0f6959320994.jpg

My wonderful wife (who wrenches with me) found this piece sitting just inside the WP housing!!!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181025/cd17cf58941f09d2f21924c46f286cbb.jpg

I have no idea if there are other bits inside my engine anywhere or not. I had no cooling problems or noises because of it. At 145k now.

[Sockethead]

That's a metal impeller pump. Looks like the bearing failed and started wobbling in there. The composite impeller is completely different looking. I've had both the OEM and a Bosch metal impeller. The Bosch pump lasted about 40K. The bearing went and started making a racket. I replaced with an OEM pump and it's still going strong.
There's a big following on the internet that the composite impeller fails. This is just not true. Parts suppliers hype it up to sell parts. Composite impellers are impervious to erosion in low PH environments and the are lighter weight which puts less stress on the bearing. My whole cooling system is OEM. At 145K miles, some of the parts are still original like the lower hose and radiator.
My car is super charged and my water pump is under driven and I live in SC where it's hot as hell.... never have had any over heating issue... not even close

[ZHPizza]

There's a big following on the internet that the composite impeller fails. This is just not true. Parts suppliers hype it up to sell parts. Composite impellers are impervious to erosion in low PH environments and the are lighter weight which puts less stress on the bearing. My whole cooling system is OEM. At 145K miles, some of the parts are still original like the lower hose and radiator.
My car is super charged and my water pump is under driven and I live in SC where it's hot as hell.... never have had any over heating issue... not even close

P R E A C H

BMW IS STUPID FOR USING A COMPOSITE MATERIAL IN A HIGHLY CORROSIVE ENVIRONMENT Y'ALL TRUST ME I'M IN HIGH SCHOOL AND KNOW A LOT MORE THAN GERMAN ENGINEERS

[JohnnyGraphic]

That's a metal impeller pump. Looks like the bearing failed and started wobbling in there. The composite impeller is completely different looking. I've had both the OEM and a Bosch metal impeller. The Bosch pump lasted about 40K. The bearing went and started making a racket. I replaced with an OEM pump and it's still going strong.
There's a big following on the internet that the composite impeller fails. This is just not true. Parts suppliers hype it up to sell parts. Composite impellers are impervious to erosion in low PH environments and the are lighter weight which puts less stress on the bearing. My whole cooling system is OEM. At 145K miles, some of the parts are still original like the lower hose and radiator.
My car is super charged and my water pump is under driven and I live in SC where it's hot as hell.... never have had any over heating issue... not even close

Yes, that’s my aftermarket “highly improved” metal impeller WP. Sigh...

Now I’m running an OEM BMW WP.

[Sockethead]

Yep, I learned my lesson too.. glad I caught mine before it grenaded itself like yours. I should of known better having worked on pumps for 15 years back in the day... I got sucked into the hype

[PetesZ]

+1 on the OEM water pump.

Just replace in at the standard intervals