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      08-04-2020, 09:20 PM   #1
Erik-AA
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Plastic cooling system woes?

Some BMW models are notorious for failures of plastic parts in the cooling system. And I have experienced similar problems with Volvos I have owned. Our cars seem to be better than some.... but not perfect.

On one hand nobody wants to spend a ton of money when not needed. On the other hand I'd far rather spend $500 or even $1000 in parts and a pleasant day working in the shop, than risk being stranded on the side of the road in a cloud of steam.

So what parts should be replaced at what mileage or age?

My specifics: 2010 128i, 163k miles on it. Powertrain is stock. Daily driver, spirited use. I'm the third owner and I have service records. Nothing has been replaced in the cooling system AFAIK. This car has been super reliable and fun, best car I've ever owned. I would be happy to put some money and time into preventative maintenance, I just want to be smart and do the most critical items first.

What do you recommend?
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      08-05-2020, 03:42 AM   #2
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Water pump
Thermostat
Coolant reservoir
Plastic tube that feeds the coolant reservoir
Oil filter housing gasket
Oil cooler housing gasket
Genuine BMW coolant


Start with the gaskets as they are the cheapest but also known to fail the most
Then move on to the water pump and thermostat
Then the rest

If the car has non genuine fluids it take a lot of water to flush them old fluid out.
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      08-05-2020, 10:02 AM   #3
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Thanks for the tip. Mine is a '12 128i with 96K miles, now. Preparing for the same plan, I was able to find an all-metal pump, the thermostat and the appropriate bolts. Will consider the other parts as well.

It seems the 128i's fare better than the 135i's, supposedly due to lower temps. Haven't seen anything conclusive, but 163K sounds like the upper end of when to expect inevitable failure of the original items.
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      08-05-2020, 10:49 AM   #4
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I posted this a while back...



Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunderguts View Post
I replaced a few things on the ol' N52 this weekend...

The tensioner and belt were a breeze. The N52 is surprisingly easy to work on for many things. You've got much more room to work than a FWD car.

As for the hoses, nothing was too complicated, but the two quick release fittings going to the radiator were stuck on there pretty good. I cut part of them off with a Dremel rather than risk breaking the radiator neck. The thermostat and water pump proved a little easier than I expected, but the hardest part was getting the clamp on the hose from the engine block to the thermostat.

For anyone who cares, the total cost of hoses was $340. I used two BMW hoses and the rest were Rein. In retrospect, I don't think I'd replace most of them again. None of them were in bad shape. Oh well, I plan to keep this car for a long time and I'll probably never need to replace any of them again.

The only downside to everything is that I mistakenly tried to remove the radiator control sleeve rather than the drain plug and it automatically destroys itself when you do. Now I need to wait until Monday to get the replacement and fill it back up with coolant.
With 81K miles, everything was in good shape. A few of the connectors were hard to separate, but the all the coolant gaskets were in pretty good condition and probably didn't need to be replaced. With 163k miles, I would probably replace everything because you're nearing the end of those hoses' lifespans. Eventually one will go and you'll be stranded. They weren't particularly difficult to replace.

One word of warning: the connectors on the radiator were the toughest ones to remove. You must be careful with these or you will snap the neck off the radiator. I really wish they would use metal necks, even if the radiator is plastic. That plastic is going to be brittle after that many heat cycles.
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      08-05-2020, 09:50 PM   #5
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CAN CONFIRM I cracked my upper radiator neck trying to get the hose off
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      08-06-2020, 09:24 PM   #6
Erik-AA
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Thanks all!
I haven't priced it yet but I'm not adverse to replacing the radiator prophylactically. The fact that several folks have snapped off a fitting when working on it tells me the plastic is getting brittle. I've had several plastic tank radiators fail on other European cars, it's not fun.

Agree completely re replacing water pump and thermostat if it is plastic. Where should I look for metal replacements for water pump and thermostat?

Gaskets, I'll inspect carefully but I'm kinda adverse to replacing a gasket that looks healthy, between parts i don't have to otherwise disturb. Tell me if there is something I'm not aware of here please.

I've already done the belt, tensioner, idler.

Wow there are a lot of hoses! Remember when there used to be always just two coolant hoses under the hood? Or four if you count the heater hoses. Anyway that's a tough one, if it feels good and looks good from the outside, to replace or not? Are there any that are particularly known for trouble?
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      08-06-2020, 09:39 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Erik-AA View Post
Thanks all!
I haven't priced it yet but I'm not adverse to replacing the radiator prophylactically. The fact that several folks have snapped off a fitting when working on it tells me the plastic is getting brittle. I've had several plastic tank radiators fail on other European cars, it's not fun.

Agree completely re replacing water pump and thermostat if it is plastic. Where should I look for metal replacements for water pump and thermostat?

Gaskets, I'll inspect carefully but I'm kinda adverse to replacing a gasket that looks healthy, between parts i don't have to otherwise disturb. Tell me if there is something I'm not aware of here please.

I've already done the belt, tensioner, idler.

Wow there are a lot of hoses! Remember when there used to be always just two coolant hoses under the hood? Or four if you count the heater hoses. Anyway that's a tough one, if it feels good and looks good from the outside, to replace or not? Are there any that are particularly known for trouble?
"prophylactically"

pro·phy·lac·tic (prō′fə-lăk′tĭk, prŏf′ə-)
adj.
Acting to defend against or prevent something, especially disease; protective.
n.
1. A prophylactic agent, device, or measure, such as a vaccine or drug.
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      08-06-2020, 10:54 PM   #8
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Or...
proactively
pro·ac·tive·ly /prōˈaktivlē/
adverb
By taking action to control a situation rather than just responding to it after it has happened.
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      08-07-2020, 04:29 PM   #9
fotontom
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I managed to the all-metal pump from the dealer. The variety of different pumps available can be found here. https://www.carid.com/2012-bmw-1-ser...er=1&sub-model[Liter][]=3.0L
I've heard that the all-metal version was intended as an improvement to the original, and then it was determined that the bearings might seize prematurely. And then that supposedly led to an improved plastic pump being designed. But I could not say which is which. I gave the dealer the part number and the metal pump is what I got. Cannot say if there is an all-metal thermostat available. I will make certain to get all the related hoses as long as I'm going this deep. Thanks for that tip!
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      08-07-2020, 08:56 PM   #10
Erik-AA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimVonBaden View Post
"prophylactically"

pro·phy·lac·tic (prō′fə-lăk′tĭk, prŏf′ə-)
adj.
Acting to defend against or prevent something, especially disease; protective.
n.
1. A prophylactic agent, device, or measure, such as a vaccine or drug.
Yes, that's exactly what I meant. Your point?
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      08-09-2020, 01:59 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Edrift View Post
Water pump
Thermostat
Coolant reservoir
Plastic tube that feeds the coolant reservoir
Oil filter housing gasket
Oil cooler housing gasket
Genuine BMW coolant


Start with the gaskets as they are the cheapest but also known to fail the most
Then move on to the water pump and thermostat
Then the rest

If the car has non genuine fluids it take a lot of water to flush them old fluid out.
I would agree with all the above +. At your mileage I'd add a radiator, stock units are not that expensive.If it's a "forever" car you could consider a CSF Aluminum rad.(CSF7001). Very close look at all your hoses. BMW O.E. hoses are very good but that's a lot of miles and you're already in there. There's also an Aluminum Coolant Hose Flange by Rein (CRP-CHC0609) to replace the O.E. plastic one that often breaks (about $17.50 from FCP Euro). Also, as pointed out above, only BMW O.E. coolant mixed 50/50 with distilled water.
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      08-12-2020, 10:16 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Olgeezer1 View Post
I would agree with all the above +. At your mileage I'd add a radiator, stock units are not that expensive.If it's a "forever" car you could consider a CSF Aluminum rad.(CSF7001). Very close look at all your hoses. BMW O.E. hoses are very good but that's a lot of miles and you're already in there. There's also an Aluminum Coolant Hose Flange by Rein (CRP-CHC0609) to replace the O.E. plastic one that often breaks (about $17.50 from FCP Euro). Also, as pointed out above, only BMW O.E. coolant mixed 50/50 with distilled water.
I did the CSF aluminum high performance radiator after the original cracked and started leaking. Also did the aluminum coolant hose flange.

The shop that installed the CSF radiator didnt manage the lines around it though so it ended up rubbing a trans oil line and damaging that... which had to be replaced and arranged so it wouldn't rub again.
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