Hi there i have the same prob on mine ,,renowned to bowing in middle and causing a slight leak..mine is still ok looses half a cup a week if that Or yeah drain replace rad and refill and bleed correctly....:thumbsup

 

Is it the original radiator that is in the car? If it is then it could be that it has bowed over time.

Have you considered getting the cooling system pressure tested?

 

considering a used rad off ebay is only about £20 is it worth pressure testing or just replacing? shouldn't I be able to see the bowing from the underneath of the car with the plastic tray off?

 

You should be able to see the bowing from underneath yes... Can be hard to see though.

Pressure testing it will tell you whether it is that leak you suspect or something else. Fair bit of hassle replacing the rad to find out it could be something else....

The choice is yours though...

 

don`t buy a used radiator as your not sure if that will have ahole in you can buy a new one for £66 thats including delivery and has a 2 year warranty

 

go to ebay and type in the search 280656977650 and that will give you the radiator that you need for £66 including next day delivery by DHL

 

Thanks for the ebay link - I will check it out, I took the radiator out and flushed it through. Could not see any signs of bowing or any holes - a few fins bent out on the side it was leaking from but not hugely bowed out. After I put the rad back in it leaked for a bit and then stopped after about half a cup of leaked water. Im not sure if I have filled it up properly - I put in about 2 and half jugs of water and kept filling it till there wasn't any air bubbles from the bleed screw hole. Will it need more water after the it has ran through the system?
I left the car running for a good 15 mins and it started to overheat - I took it for a drive an it cooled back down but when sat for more than 10 mins it overheats. I did have this problem before when in heavy traffic and thought it could be the fan not spinning fast enough? Something to do with the clutch system?

 

If your rad is leaking replace it :confused you cant keep filling it up. Eventually all the antifreeze will have leaked out and all you will have is water in the system. Ok for the summer but when the winter kicks in :jaw-dropping. Also, if their is a leak it will probably get worse as the system is under constant pressure.

If the car is overheating then you could cause yourself some serious damage if you dont get it sorted out mate.

If you insist their is no leak and the car is still overheating... Thermostat is probably a good place to start....

I had loads of problems with my cooling system of late. Check out my threads and you will find it. There was a guy on there posting comments (cant remember his name) who was also going through the same thing as me. I reckon if you check out those threads it will help you :thumbsup

 

thought it was e46 rad that bowed

 

Check out this link and picture ....

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f18/1999-e36-323i-white-gunge-t68707/

 

need to bleed the system properly there is a how to on this forum

 

I have just done the water pump, top and bottom hose, heater valve, thermostat on mine. Fortunately it had a new rad 6 months ago before I got the car.

You need anti-freeze in there as well as water as the anti-freeze also works as a coolant in the hotter weather, prevents rust and limescale build ups which will end up blocking water ways. Well worth doing the rad, although I didn't do it on this car in the past its not been a terrible job (except the Pug 406 with it's conrad connections )

 

BMW e46 316i radiator drain

My BMW e46 316i radiator I want to drain it and put new coolant in but dose my one have a drain bolt and I can't seem to find a hose that has a clip that you squeeze with pliers help please my BMW is a 2001

 

My BMW e46 316i radiator I want to drain it and put new coolant in but dose my one have a drain bolt and I can't seem to find a hose that has a clip that you squeeze with pliers help please my BMW is a 2001

In order to get more focus on your problem I would start a new thread in the right section of the forum. That is assuming you havent located the answer your were looking for in this thread or others you searched for?

 

johnboy



well iv got a bmw E36 316i auto, i also had the same problem but i thought it was the expasion tank itself so i changned that first, got it up to pressure
and it was still leaking, so i got a radiator from BMW spares and its all sorted now, just replace all your seals and it should go fine!!!