Cooling Refresh/Overhaul and Power Steering hoses

[Pip]

Alright so I planned on doing the cooling overhaul, but I hadn't planned on doing it this soon. I've noticed a leak in the cooling system which is caused by a crack in the expansion tank (confirmed by the shop that did the pressure test). --losing enough coolant for me to top off every three days (roughly 65 miles).

The shop said the parts are all original which I knew and they said they'd like to do a cooling system refresh (expansion tank, hoses, radiator) which would cost ~$1k. Without the radiator it would cost $666.51 (is it important to do the radiator?) and this does not include the water pump, etc that comes in the ecs kits.

I'm planning on limping the car through the weekend by replacing coolant as it goes low since I need to drive to LA for the Christmas holiday. I'd like to know if you think I'm crazy for not taking care of the issue now or should I be ok to wait until after the holidays to do this myself?

They also found 2 leaking power steering hoses they want to charge $320 to replace.

The shop has great reviews, but I was looking forward to do this myself, but want peace of mind that my drive to LA and back will be safe for the car.

[telijah]

I highly doubt you'll get many people to say that driving from Sacramento to LA with a failing expansion tank is "safe". So, if in a pinch, just have them do the expansion tank for now. The radiator seems to be the least prone for failure, and can probably keep going without it. Worse case scenario, buy the expansion tank now and bring it with you, along with a gallon of coolant. That way, if you take the trip without replacing the tank first, you at least have the part on hand if it detonates while on the road. The tank may only have a small leak now, but a ~6 hour drive might make it worse.

[kayger12]

With each heating and cooling cycle, that crack will likely get worse.

Hell of a risk.

How many miles on your car? Just looking for the data point for the tank failure.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[Pip]

With each hearing and cooling cycle, that crack will likely get worse.

Hell of a risk.

How many miles on your car? Just looking for the data point for the tank failure.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

Yea it is a risk. I've decided to have them do the replacement since I'll be needing the car and would rather have peace of mind. I'm just not happy that it happened when I am extremely busy so I can't do it myself and must pay the price.

There are 62,252 miles now. It seems like the cold weather that came to Sac was what started the crack (low, high, low, high).

The progression:
I drove 400 plus miles and the coolant was a little low so I filled it up.
Cold weather came in and I noticed the light after about 100 miles (?!?!?!)
Then this morning I noticed the light and had just filled the coolant on Saturday -- I've only driven ~30 miles max :(

I knew I needed to have it looked at this morning since it had gotten out of control. Since the guys will be in the area already replacing the cooling system I'm having them replace the low pressure power steering hoses that are bleeding onto the lower expansion tank. I don't want this to ruin the new cooling system job.

[kayger12]

Good plan.

Sucks that you have to pay someone to do it, but I agree that it's the more prudent decision.

[Pip]

Good plan.

Sucks that you have to pay someone to do it, but I agree that it's the more prudent decision.

I went against everything that I said I would do. I paid to have the power steering hoses done since I didn't want to tear those apart (thought it was the high pressure hoses -- it was the low pressure hoses). I told the shop not to do the expansion tank because I'd do it - finally got around to it this morning since I didn't have work.

Little did I know that expansion tank is a b**** to get off. I finally got it off without breaking the part blow the expansion tank. It is really hard to put jack stands under the car when all you have to work with is the trunk jack LOL. I've replaced it for now and will do the rest of it later once the new year comes. Now I'm just waiting to see if any other leaks spring up. ugh //rant.

[Pip]

And a big thank you to everyone on this forum for all the DIY articles and help!!! I hope everyone has a happy new year.

[echo46]

Pip, you need to invest in a half decent floor jack to make your life a lot easier. That expansion tank can be a real bitch to get off. I got underneath and used a 36mm socket and mallet and tapped the bottom until it came off. The hoses, therm, and water pump are not that hard and it is really a good idea to do it sooner than later. Also I would replace the sensors, and expansion tank cap. Hope you replaced the fluid with BMW coolant:). The jackass that owned my e36 before me replaced the coolant with some nasty green shit that almost ruined everything. Speaking of the e36, I just did the power steering hoses on my e36 and it was pretty easy but a bit of a mess to clean up all the grime everywhere.

[danewilson77]

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?5738-BMW-E46-330i-ZHP-Expansion-Tank-Removal-Made-Easy

:shifty

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[JohnnyGraphic]

I went against everything that I said I would do. I paid to have the power steering hoses done since I didn't want to tear those apart (thought it was the high pressure hoses -- it was the low pressure hoses). I told the shop not to do the expansion tank because I'd do it - finally got around to it this morning since I didn't have work.

Little did I know that expansion tank is a b**** to get off. I finally got it off without breaking the part blow the expansion tank. It is really hard to put jack stands under the car when all you have to work with is the trunk jack LOL. I've replaced it for now and will do the rest of it later once the new year comes. Now I'm just waiting to see if any other leaks spring up. ugh //rant.

First off-Don't EVER get under your car again using just the trunk jack. EVER! The money you didn't spend on getting the right jack and stands are not, are NOT worth your life.

Second-Glad your DIY went well.

Third-Because of the way the cooling system was designed (a lot of plastic), you may have leaks. When you fit new parts onto old parts, they don't quite fit as if you put new onto new. You will find many threads that talk about replacing the lower hose and using the old temp sensor only to find that they have a leak because the old parts and the new parts don't play well together.

Fourth-When you do the rest of the repair, do the entire system-water pump, both hoses, pulleys, belts. The radiator I believe can go longer. But, others with other experience may want to chime in.

Johnny

[Pip]

First off-Don't EVER get under your car again using just the trunk jack. EVER! The money you didn't spend on getting the right jack and stands are not, are NOT worth your life.

Second-Glad your DIY went well.

Third-Because of the way the cooling system was designed (a lot of plastic), you may have leaks. When you fit new parts onto old parts, they don't quite fit as if you put new onto new. You will find many threads that talk about replacing the lower hose and using the old temp sensor only to find that they have a leak because the old parts and the new parts don't play well together.

Fourth-When you do the rest of the repair, do the entire system-water pump, both hoses, pulleys, belts. The radiator I believe can go longer. But, others with other experience may want to chime in.

Johnny

Thanks Johnny I will definitely get a regular floor jack before attempting any more work on the car. Quick question -- Where do you jack up the car to put it on the jack stands (safely)? I would think the middle jack pad if I had a floor jack because it does not look extremely sturdy anywhere else unless I used the jack pad near the front tires and put it on jack ramps instead of jack stands.

Thanks,

Sean

[MrMaico]

Thanks Johnny I will definitely get a regular floor jack before attempting any more work on the car. Quick question -- Where do you jack up the car to put it on the jack stands (safely)? I would think the middle jack pad if I had a floor jack because it does not look extremely sturdy anywhere else unless I used the jack pad near the front tires and put it on jack ramps instead of jack stands.

Thanks,

Sean

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=348089

Check out that thread to get an idea of safe jack points. There isn't any good central point at the front to lift from. You can use the frame rails and then put your jackstands at the jack points. Unless you have a need to remove the front wheels, driving onto Rhino ramps work just fine for lifting the front and then you use the u shaped support in front of the rear diff to lift the back. You do need to place a couple of 15" or so pieces of 2X6 wood (or 4 pieces of 2X4) in front of the ramps to lift the car a bit first otherwise your bumper will hit the ramps.

This is a decent jack that will allow you to reach the diff support from the rear without having to lift from the side first like the guy in the thread had to do. You can find it on sale now and then for $130.

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-4193730-10810933 Item # 68051