IMPORTANT: Two plastic cooling system parts that WILL break.

[DustenT]

I've seen way too many threads asking about these parts, so I'll create a new thread and make it a sticky.

Please note: If you haven't replaced these parts, they will crack and blow coolant everywhere. If you drive your car while this is happening, you will overheat it and warp the head. If you car overheats, DON'T DRIVE IT. PERIOD!!

#9 in this picture: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG73&mospid=47506&btnr=11_1561&hg=11&fg=15

#1 in this picture: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG73&mospid=47506&btnr=11_1558&hg=11&fg=10

[ATF]

I'm bored.. Parts are highlighted in Red :)

[tastade]

Just to add: the M42 engine only needs the part labeled as #1. The part labeled as #9 is not on the M42 as the hose goes directly into the head.

[CirrusSR22]

Here's pictures of the connector for the back of the head:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/Cooling/connector1a.jpg
--

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/Cooling/connector1b.jpg

And the side of the block:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/Cooling/coolant2a.jpg
--
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/Cooling/coolant2b.jpg

[Boxy]

I've had to replace both of those on my 96'. Number 1 just popped lately, and overheated.

Had to have the warped head machined and the valves reseated.
Part: 10$
Head job: 2,500$
Lesson: Priceless. :]

[cev12]

Are there metal replacements for these?

[mohaughn]

Nope. And I've still not found anybody with an M42 that had the longer pipe break. The really common failure is the Y shaped pipe on the M44. It breaks at the Y. Doesn't seem like the other one is as flimsy.. Needless to say, I still keep one in my box of spares..

But if you have an M44 you should replace both if you are going to do it.

[Boxy]

Nope. And I've still not found anybody with an M42 that had the longer pipe break. The really common failure is the Y shaped pipe on the M44. It breaks at the Y. Doesn't seem like the other one is as flimsy.. Needless to say, I still keep one in my box of spares..

But if you have an M44 you should replace both if you are going to do it.

Mohaughn, I just recently had the longer one break. The nipple sticking straight up completely broke off at the bottom ridge. As well as the Y shaped one broke off in the same manor nearly a year ago. :frown:

The upper intake manifold had to be removed to get to the the long one.

The Y shaped piece can be got to from the bottom of the car, but its pretty much working blind as theres not much room back there to see what your hand is doing.

[hotmilk400]

this is great!!!

how do we go about replacing these? i know where to buy them, but what do we needa remove to get to these parts? is it easy? or am i removing alot of parts?

i was considering flushing my coolant soon, so i might as well do it then.

[jgrimm]

Well, I'm pretty sure that the longer of the two plastic pieces is the easier to put in. It sit on the driver side of the motor and I believe can be replaced if you remove the intake manifold....I did mine when I installed my super so I'm not 100% sure on this. The second smaller piece would be a ROYAL pain in the a** to replace because it sits on the back of the engine between the firewall. So if you dont have midjet hands I'm not sure how you could possibly replace it without some serious tear down.

I will be getting my head gasket seal replaced and I will be getting this smaller piece replaced aswell. Once it gets installed I'll ask my mechanic how you could do it yourself. I'm guessing that you would need to remove the top head of your engine just to fit any tools into the small space to remove and tighten the bolts. I'll let ya know in a few weeks once it gets done.

[hotmilk400]

yeah it would be great to know how to do yourself. that parts are like $30, but labor would be alot if u didnt do it yourself.. im getting alot done to my car right now, so might as well put that on the list if its easy to do. i work at sears, so my friends at the autocenter will lift it up when they arent busy, and they work on it under the table for $30 an hour (im giving them 3 times as much as there hourly wage, but its still cheaper then $100 an hour at the 2 places in this area that will even touch my car)

[rtbmw318]

He is 100% right about replacing that thing from experience mine cracked then some valve problem in the I-10 freeway while in traffic 2 years ago. I had to replace the whole radiator cause of this small problem.

[scoti49]

I have a E46 Australian model ,318ti 2003 2Lt engine ,67,000kms.
Is this applicable ?

[noga]

if i have a 98 ti wat model motor do i have?

[DaedHead8]

Noga, you should have the m44.

[applefan]

Guys, I replaced the Y connector on my 318i. It sure is a lot of work, but not that bad as it looks.

If you still haven't done, let me know, I can explain how I replaced mine

[Maverix]

Guys, I replaced the Y connector on my 318i. It sure is a lot of work, but not that bad as it looks.

If you still haven't done, let me know, I can explain how I replaced mine

How'd ya do it?

[ATF]

I have a E46 Australian model ,318ti 2003 2Lt engine ,67,000kms.
Is this applicable ?

Possibly. You have a different motor,

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.do?model=AU51&mospid=47653&hg=11&fg=35

Some of those pipes/fittings may be plastic and become brittle over time.

[cope]

I have 1999 318ti and am looking at having the head gasket replaced. Good to know about these parts. Is there a list on the site for all the parts needed when replacing the head gasket as well as parts you may as well replace (250,000 km)?
Thanks,
John Paul

[cday318TI]

Hi, I know this is an old post, but I was wondering if when this happened to your car, did it leak radiator fluid into your driver side interior, wetting the carpet? Just had this problem, and I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from.

[chicken]

hi, im new to this site. i actually dont even have my 318ti in yet haha. it just got loaded on the barge and is being shipped from California to Hawaii today. i asked the previous owner if he replaced this part but he said he hadnt. there was one owner before him so he wasnt sure if it was replaced. the car has 120,000miles and his mechanic says it is in perfect working condition, how can i check if the 2 connections have been replaced?

[dave45056]

what year is your car Chicken?
Without records it's hard to tell.
I have an m42 engine which only has the longer connection. I ended up breaking it myself when doing some engine work.
Search the Knowledge base. Cirrus did an excellent DIY on a cooling system rebuild.
I would consider doing that (maybe less the radiator) if I were you. Then you can sleep worry free about overheating your engine. The original stuff on the ti seems to last 130-160k miles I think.

[bob///M]

Hi, I know this is an old post, but I was wondering if when this happened to your car, did it leak radiator fluid into your driver side interior, wetting the carpet? Just had this problem, and I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from.

this problem will be the heater matrex would have burst as its thin alloy
cant remember if this was a easy in and out or a a full dash out job

[DustenT]

hi, im new to this site. i actually dont even have my 318ti in yet haha. it just got loaded on the barge and is being shipped from California to Hawaii today. i asked the previous owner if he replaced this part but he said he hadnt. there was one owner before him so he wasnt sure if it was replaced. the car has 120,000miles and his mechanic says it is in perfect working condition, how can i check if the 2 connections have been replaced?

chicken - it's best to just have them replaced proactively.

[tiFreak]

I have an m42 engine which only has the longer connection.

really? I didn't know that, does it have the one behind the block or under the intake?

[chicken]

mine is a 1998. how difficult is it to DIY? European car mechanics are hard to find here and pretty expensive. i have worked on a Ford engine but this is my first BMW. but i will definitely get the parts changed, better safe than sorry

[KRISP 808]

my 97 318i is overheating, steam came out of the number 1 thing...
just checked the DIY looks hard but very fun ;0

[chicken]

that sucks krispy. hey you dont have the red 318ti do you? i saw one in honolulu the other month.

what website sells the parts?

[pnosker]

Pelicanparts.com, www.getbmwparts.com

[KRISP 808]

that sucks krispy. hey you dont have the red 318ti do you? i saw one in honolulu the other month.

what website sells the parts?


Naw bro i got a Moreagrun 318i, the one in my avatar.

[chicken]

i am about to order the 2 connections but i was wondering if there is anything else i should replace while i am already under the hood. is the waterpump, timing belt etc easily accessible while replacing the connections?

[pnosker]

Waterpump should be replaced before 120k unless you hear a rattle. Replace the thermostat as well as all coolant hoses. Use RealOEM.com to help you. No timing belt as the ti has a timing chain. Thank God!

Waterpump is a 2-3 hour job. Make sure you have the proper bolts to pull it out. I suggest reading the PelicanParts.com article on it. The Y shaped coolant connector is a huge PITA. You need to remove the intake manifold and it helps if you can drop the engine off one mount slightly so that you have more room to work. Also, it helps to move the electrical harness box and cabin filter system. Other things to change while the intake manifold is off: all air lines. Especially the octopus fuel vac lines. You'll know what I'm talking about when you pull the upper IM off. Finally, the two fuel lines that connect to the rail should also probably be replaced. Once you do that, your car will be nice and reliable on the coolant/vacuum line side for years to come.

Maybe while you're at it, do brake fluid (ATE Super Blue), diff fluid (Redline), coolant (make sure you use BMW approved coolant as standard Prestone type [yellow] has electrolytes that aren't compatible and will create an electric gradient which will galvanize the metals) and trans fluid too (Redline lubricants makes good stuff). And recharge the A/C. And lube up the sunroof. hmm... anymore? Replace spark plugs (use anti-seize on the new ones!) and oil (I love my Mobil 1 0w40) and call it a year.

[chicken]

Oh wow. definitally very very helpful, thank you! that site realoem.com is very helpful too.

[chicken]

i was wondering what are the part numbers for the replacement hoses

[roadrash]

i was wondering what are the part numbers for the replacement hoses
Yep, realoem.com is your friend (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG73&mospid=47506&btnr=11_1567&hg=11&fg=35). :biggrin:

[chicken]

thank you. just having trouble with finding the airlines, "octopus fuel vac lines" and "2 fuel lines connected to rail"

[pnosker]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG73&mospid=47506&btnr=13_0416&hg=13&fg=15

PN #13531739618, item 2

13531433829
13531433830

items 13+16

[former ti owner]

Where can you buy the connector for the back of the head from? I cant find it on pelicanparts; I only found the side one.

[e36ti318]

I have a 95 ti what type of motor do I have?

[former ti owner]

You have a M42

[astrosquid]

Just had Y-pipe break.My guy doesnt even want to do it.Curious if there are any shortcuts you might have discovered.
Thanks,
Sam
98'Ti NYC

[bmvw]

Is there any aftermarket y-pipes? The BMW ones are so bad and sent far too many motors to f*ing hell. You'd think someone by now would cast them out of aluminum or something.

[pnosker]

Just remove the battery, box, and the wiring loom by the windshield and it's not really that bad.

[astrosquid]

Thanks very much.I had a feeling there was a simpler way to get back there.Now it just has to stop raining. . .
Sam NYC

[bovilexic]

I recently asked my (very expensive) regular BMW mechanic to give me an estimate on replacing the two plastic parts in question (I don't have a good place to work much on my car). He suggested that we look at replacing "all the plastic parts" in the cooling system. Not unreasonable as an idea, but he got back to me with an estimate of $1400-1500 (!). At the time, he may not have known that the previous owner had replaced the radiator, pump, etc. just earlier last year, so perhaps it might have been a bit less...

I've seen the tutorial on R&R-ing one's cooling system (http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18066). Of course, I don't need yet replace the radiator and water pump, but here's my question: is the list of parts given in the tutorial a complete list of what one ought to replace in one's cooling system? Without radiator and pump, it seems like a relatively small amount of money, leading me to assume that there's a lot of hours of work involved (hence the high estimate from my mechanic). Assuming an R&R without replacing radiator/pump, can someone who's done the work volunteer a ballpark estimate on the time needed to do the rest (assuming I'm moderately competent)?

Thanks! Any advice greatly appreciated...

[dave45056]

The parts really are not very expensive if you buy from getbmwparts.com, pelicanparts.com, or autohausaz. I cross shop them all... just remember the shipping is free on orders above different dollar amounts on the latter 2... the first one always charges shipping.

Any repair shop will charge you higher prices than these comapny's sell for on the parts, then they will charge you fixed prices for the job based on estimates in a book. Combining the repairs often saves time, but they may not pass that savings onto you. DIY is really the way to go on these cars.

The cooling system is not that bad to dive into. And if your car is a 95, then you won't have to deal with the PITA y connector on the back of the head

[pnosker]

I think there's only the two pieces mentioned here. If your car has 130k+ miles I would replace the pump as that's going to go very soon. I've seen radiators last over 300k miles in these cars though so don't replace that till it's shot.

[bovilexic]

The parts really are not very expensive if you buy from getbmwparts.com, pelicanparts.com, or autohausaz. I cross shop them all... just remember the shipping is free on orders above different dollar amounts on the latter 2... the first one always charges shipping.

Any repair shop will charge you higher prices than these comapny's sell for on the parts, then they will charge you fixed prices for the job based on estimates in a book. Combining the repairs often saves time, but they may not pass that savings onto you. DIY is really the way to go on these cars.

The cooling system is not that bad to dive into. And if your car is a 95, then you won't have to deal with the PITA y connector on the back of the head

Thanks - as I said, the PO replaced the radiator, water pump, and pulley just last year, but I'll have to look on the service report to see what else might have been done (hoses, ?) Anything other than what might have been replaced as part of that, I guess would be good to replace along with the infamous 2 plastic parts (my ti's a '98, so I do have the PITA y connector :-). I just gotta figure my mechanic's $1400 estimate included radiator, pump, and pulley even though I told them it had already been done...hmmm...

Seems to me that this more limited R&R effort should be just a Saturday's work, no?

[CirrusSR22]

Head's up when you buy these folks. I got this one from Pelican Parts and the entire thing is bent/warped. It was MTC brand which AutohausAZ also sells. Here's the new one (left) and older one (right) held flat against a fence post. You can see how the bad one is not a straight piece like it should be.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/connectorbad.jpg

So, when you bolt it to the two holes on the block the all-important seating face makes a huge gap! :mad:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/connectorbad2.jpg

I ended up reinstalling the old one which has about 30,000 miles on it, plus a new o-ring.

[CirrusSR22]

I heard back from PelicanParts. They are having so much trouble with this part (or manufacturer too) that they are getting them taken out of their system, so they say. They didn't even want my old one back as they have seen so many.

[cooljess76]

I heard back from PelicanParts. They are having so much trouble with this part (or manufacturer too) that they are getting them taken out of their system, so they say. They didn't even want my old one back as they have seen so many.

try getbmwparts.com (Tischer). They sell Genuine BMW parts.

[MPWR]

Gah!

Two weeks ago this would have been really useful to know. So this is the problem that causes leaks on the new parts? Mine was purchased from Pelican, so it might well have been MTC. Would never have occurred to me to check if the stalk was straight. I smeared the O-ring with a substantial layer of RTV, so maybe I'll get lucky....

[CirrusSR22]

I replaced both of these just two years ago and both leak when the car sits overnight in the cold (below 5F or so). That was my reason for replacing them again. Are others having leak issues?

I did use both a coating of P80 rubber mounting emulsion on the ring to get them to possibly seat better, plus a good coating of High-temp RTV silicone as well. Hopefully that does it.

[pnosker]

The ring is not the culprit, it is the glass filled plastic. It gets weak over many heat-cool cycles and fractures.

[CirrusSR22]

The ring is not the culprit, it is the glass filled plastic. It gets weak over many heat-cool cycles and fractures.

My very-cold-weather leak issue is not due to a fractured piece. I don't know what else I can do to keep it from leaking when it's below zero, other than use a sealer like RTV Silicone.

[pnosker]

Oh sorry, I meant the GFP was the culprit for the original post... obviously the o-ring thing sucks. I haven't had an issue with the O-ring but I would imagine a thin layer of high-temp RTV would be useful.

[CirrusSR22]

My new pipes don't leak at all after using RTV silicone, even below zero (F). I'd recommend using it.

[DataTraveler]

Sub Total $25.14
Tax $0.00
Shipping $8.96
Handling Fee $0.00
Total $34.10

Pretty inexpensive considering how much money they can cost you down the road :p

[ChItalian1027]

i'm going to put my car in the garage until it warms up then replace these parts w/ my dad

[PrimeTimeSlime]

I'm going to replace my valve cover gaskets this weekend, do you guys know if having the valve cover off will make that y-pipe easier to get to? Maybe I'll get it all done in one go.

[Mopho]

I remember changing the gaskets on the valve cover on my first ti, and it seemed to me it would be easier to get to the back Y fitting. For one thing, you need to remove battery and air vent above valve cover to make it easier anyway.,,,, I just had my water pump go out (146,000 miles on my '96 ti Friday) 3/5/10 and when I refilled it, I had air in it. Got all the air out of cooling system, but overheated the engine slightly, still runs good.
Then yesterday, drove about 50 miles, and heard a pow. Looks like fitting on rear of head is gone, or the hose popped off. I hope I didn't blow a head gasket...no coolant in oil, still runs good but wondering what to do now.

Check compression? Change rear coolant y pipe and hope for the best?

Crap. One thing after another...

:frown:

[pnosker]

Yes it does, makes it MUCH easier.

[PrimeTimeSlime]

Great, looks like more stuff for me to tackle this weekend then. Do I need to drain the cooling system or can I just take the part off? Also, if I remove the intake manifold, will I need a new gasket for it?

[Mopho]

By the way, did I mention my ole lady bought a '08 X3 Dec. 26th.
I went and found a white one with 22K miles on a returned lease car for her, and made sure they put the 100,000 bumper to bumper warranty on that punk so I don't have to work on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mopho]

Great, looks like more stuff for me to tackle this weekend then. Do I need to drain the cooling system or can I just take the part off? Also, if I remove the intake manifold, will I need a new gasket for it?
No and yes. I never drain the whole cooling system if I have good coolant in it. It would be better to drain it, flush the system, then refill with BMW coolant though, if you don't know what's in it. New gaskets are a must for intake.

[DataTraveler]

So... yeah... thanks for this thread. Bought the parts March 2nd.

Yesterday while sitting in the car idling in the lot at one of the sites I service, finishing a phone call I saw steam start coming out from under the hood. Glanced at the temp gauge, it had started rising. Killed the engine real quick, hopped out, popped the hood, saw the stream of coolant on the ground, called a tow truck.

Got it home and started tearing it apart. Didn't take pics as it's my DD and I was trying to get it done for work today (I didn't, it rained on and off all evening, my totally awesome neighbor knocked on my door at about 11pm with a set of keys for one of his spare cars, unasked. The guy is a saint.)

Attached is what I found :p Gonna go ahead and replace the other connector and a few hoses while I have the intake manifold off. Amusingly, FedEx showed up with more parts while I was working on the car. So I'll have a fun weekend... reconnecting that harness that goes thru the intake manifold is gonna be a bitch.

[PrimeTimeSlime]

So... yeah... thanks for this thread. Bought the parts March 2nd.

Yesterday while sitting in the car idling in the lot at one of the sites I service, finishing a phone call I saw steam start coming out from under the hood. Glanced at the temp gauge, it had started rising. Killed the engine real quick, hopped out, popped the hood, saw the stream of coolant on the ground, called a tow truck.

Got it home and started tearing it apart. Didn't take pics as it's my DD and I was trying to get it done for work today (I didn't, it rained on and off all evening, my totally awesome neighbor knocked on my door at about 11pm with a set of keys for one of his spare cars, unasked. The guy is a saint.)

Attached is what I found :p Gonna go ahead and replace the other connector and a few hoses while I have the intake manifold off. Amusingly, FedEx showed up with more parts while I was working on the car. So I'll have a fun weekend... reconnecting that harness that goes thru the intake manifold is gonna be a bitch.

Take notes and pics! there is a surprising lack of documentation on this repair. I'm doing it this weekend too so I'll be with you in spirit.

[Mopho]

Well, my rear y fitting definately broke, exactly like Datatraveler.
Being a retired bodyman, at least I have lots of tools, so I proceeded to take the cowl cover off, pulled the wiring harness back on top of the intake manifold, and it is a bitch to reach the y fitting, but last night, with the help of a 1/4" drive ratchet hanging from above the valve cover, I got the bolts out.
Jeese. I can only reach one hand in there. As good as I am, this is going to be a tough one to get the t-fitting on and get the bolts back in.
Yesterday, went to Weatherford BMW in Berkeley and got new hoses, clamps and the y fitting.
Now I will let you know if I can get the y-fitting on without either pulling the intake manifold or valve cover.
My car is a virign, never been apart, the valve cover is not leaking, but looks like easier to pull valve cover to reach y-fittiing than pulliing the intake. I am not changing the fitting on the block until I can get this thing running to see if I blew the head gasket.
Bummmer.....

[DataTraveler]

Take notes and pics! there is a surprising lack of documentation on this repair. I'm doing it this weekend too so I'll be with you in spirit.

what i should have done, and didn't, was label the the ends of that cursed wiring harness... i'm a bit angry at myself for not. the alternator/starter ones arent a problem. it's the 3 or 4 fittings that look identical that i'm hoping aren't identical :p

[Mopho]

Well, my rear y fitting definately broke, exactly like Datatraveler.
Being a retired bodyman, at least I have lots of tools, so I proceeded to take the cowl cover off, pulled the wiring harness back on top of the intake manifold, and it is a bitch to reach the y fitting, but last night, with the help of a 1/4" drive ratchet hanging from above the valve cover, I got the bolts out.
Jeese. I can only reach one hand in there. As good as I am, this is going to be a tough one to get the t-fitting on and get the bolts back in.
Yesterday, went to Weatherford BMW in Berkeley and got new hoses, clamps and the y fitting.
Now I will let you know if I can get the y-fitting on without either pulling the intake manifold or valve cover.
My car is a virign, never been apart, the valve cover is not leaking, but looks like easier to pull valve cover to reach y-fittiing than pulliing the intake. I am not changing the fitting on the block until I can get this thing running to see if I blew the head gasket.
Bummmer.....

Yep. I blew a head gasket.
Car runs fine, no water in oil, but so much pressure in cooling system, must be compression pushing the coolant out.
Crap.
Another project.
Anyone know a good inexpensive mechanic in the Berkeley East bay area?
:frown:

[madhatch]

why doesn't pelican parts or some others well part retailer just find someone to manufacturer these 2 plastic coolant hoses in aluminum...seems like a no brainer especially when cad is so easy now...

[PrimeTimeSlime]

why doesn't pelican parts or some others well part retailer just find someone to manufacturer these 2 plastic coolant hoses in aluminum...seems like a no brainer especially when cad is so easy now...

You might be on to something there

[roadrash]

How much would you pay for them in aluminum? I asked a guy in Nashville about these two parts and he said that they'd end up costing more than most people are likely to pay for them (probably around $50) and therefore it's not likely that anyone will manufacture them.

But, if you find someone who wants to make them, step right up and be a hero! :-D

[madhatch]

....depending on quantity of order & sales long term....the price could become very reasonable ...$20-$30 ...I would pay no problem... for permanent piece of mind..I 'd also pay the $50 but I know regular non car nuts wouldn't if their was a large price disparity.....these plastic coolant hoses break.... period.... it just a matter of when..they are both in a nasty place to readily change frequently.. all the BMW dealers, parts & service folks all know these are our achilles heal...but go to them with one of these hoses in 2 pieces & they all play DUMB & give you the BS transparent runaround..in realty BMW should have rectified this with aluminum ones by now....wish I did know somebody I'd love to be the hero who solves this mess...

[chudzikb]

Gruven parts, makes stuff for VW's. I will bet that they will do this as well. I sent them a pulley that had gone bad, they sent it back to me in aluminium as the prototype. They are good, very good...

http://www.gruvenparts.com/website/cart/

What type of demand could we expect from these if made? I suspect if we could get 20 or 30 to agree, we could get them to make them?

[PrimeTimeSlime]

I've got the CAD, if someone has the dough to have a mould built, we could be rich.

[spidertri]

I asked gruvenparts last year and he told me ~$140 to $160 for each piece. There have been several threads on this subject.

The plastic parts are only like $20 for both, they last at least 100,000 miles, really no reason to spend $120 extra dollars for it when the orings are just as likely to go bad on the aluminum as they are on the plastic. This is just a part that has to be replaced.

[chudzikb]

I asked gruvenparts last year and he told me ~$140 to $160 for each piece. There have been several threads on this subject.

The plastic parts are only like $20 for both, they last at least 100,000 miles, really no reason to spend $120 extra dollars for it when the orings are just as likely to go bad on the aluminum as they are on the plastic. This is just a part that has to be replaced.

That's kind of hard logic to argue with...I guess the moral is stay a head of it and all will be well?

[Mopho]

Gruven parts, makes stuff for VW's. I will bet that they will do this as well. I sent them a pulley that had gone bad, they sent it back to me in aluminium as the prototype. They are good, very good...

http://www.gruvenparts.com/website/cart/

What type of demand could we expect from these if made? I suspect if we could get 20 or 30 to agree, we could get them to make them?

Interesting idea. I think the problem would be that the stock ones in plastic do work, and are good for over 100K.
Mine had 146K on it, I overheated it with a leaky lower hose that was rubbing on the alternator belt (previous owner installation, dummy) and the water pump that went out the week before the head gasket finally blew the rear Y fitting off AND cracked the plastic tank on the radiator.
I just now found out all this from my mechanic buddy working on changing the head gasket and doing a valve job on it that they also had the wrong coolant in it, and it ate the Y fitting and weakened it.
I think like all mechanical things, one problem can cause another.
If I had the choice though, of using aluminum or stock, I would pay whatever the difference is (20-30 bucks more if necessary) just for the peace of mind.
I barely overheated mine, and ended up with a 2,000 bill. 20-30 bucks ain't s-!t.

[madhatch]

the higher $$ will only be initially as more sell price will go down alot ...the smaller plastic hose connector on the back of block cracked into 2 on my friends 1 owner super maintained low mile 70,000 ....it literally split into 2 like other have posted pics here..how can you say 100% that they last 100,000 mile the incident here alone disprove that fact..& we are only a very very small fraction of nutjob 318ti owners that actually post here in relation to the owners in general..& just for that small number their are alot of documented occurrences of 1 of these 2 plastic hoses cracking into 2..I really don't think it should be downplayed especially considered the $$$$ damage that could occur when they fail....btw...I found the easiest way to remove hose on back of head was from underneath with long socket extension & removing the cabin air filter section...if you do both their is plenty of room to remove & install.. its still a PITA though..which is why having had these in aluminum would have been great...I guess reality is our very unique E36 compacts are on mostly getting up there in mileage ..regardless I would still get a set

[spidertri]

I doubt the price would ever come down to anything considered reasonable. The only people who would know about the aluminum version would be those who are enthusiasts on this website. People who take their cars to the dealership will get the plastic version, and most people won't want to pay 5x the price of the plastic version. Not to mention the fact that we are talking about an engine that has been out of production for over 10 years now. The market just isn't there for this to be a volume seller.

I do agree that not having the part break randomly would be a huge plus, but it will still leak when the seals go. You'd also have to install these pieces before the plastic ones break to see any real protection. Most people only find out about the connectors after the coolant is dumping out.

[Mopho]

True dat.

[madhatch]

true their are alot reasons not to.. but IMHO catastrophic head gasket failure outweighs them all..their are plenty of examples of updated & improved parts in the muscle car & JDM classic world even though they are mostly obsolete our compacts are slowly becoming classics 2..not to mention zionsvilleautosport updated & upgraded E39 - E38 All Alloy Radiators for the 5 series..
"The plastic radiator tanks and expansion tanks are well known for failing. Glass reinforced nylon just doesn't hold up" ...yes they have higher temps than us but at least they have a solution option

..E39 guys buy these all the time (I did) even though they have high miles on their engines & the cost a bunch more..
http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/store/screen/prod/store_code/6134/product_code/E389SDCK.htm

its true if someone had the insight to do it like 5 yrs or more ago they would be standard & not to far in price from the plastic by now..oh well u know what they say... Hindsight is 20/20....:smile:

[spidertri]

That's true, it's unfortunate that no one did this years ago. I think it is awesome that zionsville offers an aluminum radiator for the M42/44 but at $937, it's something most people wouldn't pay for.

I spoke to Paul at Gruvenparts last year and he wanted me to send him the plastic pieces to give me a more accurate quote but I didn't have any spares to send him.

It certainly wouldn't be horrible if there was another option on the market, I just don't think it is realistic to say that the price will be anywhere near what the current plastic part prices are.

[CirrusSR22]

Earlier in the thread I posted pictures of the crappy "MTC" brand block connector I got at Pelican Parts. I'm working on another M44 and I decided to try the "Uro Parts" brand connector that Pelican now sells. Here's what I got. It's next to a good, straight genuine BMW part. Just as bad as the MTC brand, and it actually appears to be the same part. The molding lines and every single detail is exactly the same. Most likely came out of the same factory. Pelican gave me a $20 store credit on the MTC connector I bought earlier, so I actually MADE money trying both of these :)

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/URO.jpg

[CirrusSR22]

Now, some will say always go with OE. So I did, and here's what I received just today straight from the BMW dealer.

The one on the right is an old, genuine BMW connect that I took out. It's the same one pictured above with the Uro Parts connector; it is perfectly straight. The one on the left is the new, genuine BMW connector I got today. It's not as bad as the MTC or Uro Parts, but it's definitely off. I knew it the second the parts person handed it to me. I decided to bring it home to inspect it closer.

Bottom line is with MTC, Uro Parts AND Genuine BMW, you may still be getting crappy parts.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/OE.jpg

[blndweasel]

Bottom line is with MTC, Uro Parts AND Genuine BMW, you may still be getting crappy parts.

What is it that makes these parts crappy? This seems like it could be due to a slight angle on the inlet side of the connector (potentially excess casting flash?) -- the mounting tabs and brass inserts will properly position the connector on the block. As long as the gasket is new and the inner bore of the inlet on the block side has a clean surface, the part will work.

Since these are parts that you want to pro-actively replace anyways, it shouldn't make much of a difference. You would never really want to take the chance of pushing them past 100K miles, from what I understand.

Furthermore, Pelicanparts does a damn fine job of standing behind the products they offer. As you point out, they gave you store credit for the part that didn't meet your expectations. You shouldn't look at it like you "made money" off of them, you should look at it like they stood behind the products they offered you, and hooked you up in an effort to keep your business.

Sorry if I don't see what the big deal is.

tbw

[CirrusSR22]

What is it that makes these parts crappy? This seems like it could be due to a slight angle on the inlet side of the connector (potentially excess casting flash?) -- the mounting tabs and brass inserts will properly position the connector on the block. As long as the gasket is new and the inner bore of the inlet on the block side has a clean surface, the part will work.

Since these are parts that you want to pro-actively replace anyways, it shouldn't make much of a difference. You would never really want to take the chance of pushing them past 100K miles, from what I understand.

Furthermore, Pelicanparts does a damn fine job of standing behind the products they offer. As you point out, they gave you store credit for the part that didn't meet your expectations. You shouldn't look at it like you "made money" off of them, you should look at it like they stood behind the products they offered you, and hooked you up in an effort to keep your business.

Sorry if I don't see what the big deal is.

tbw

The big deal is that this happens. In person, without flash, this looked even worse.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/connectorbad2.jpg

If the seating face, and each of the two mounting tabs along the length of the connector are not in perfect alignment, the seating face will never be flush with the block. If the seating face is not flush, the o-ring will be in the bore crooked, potentially causing a leak. The perfectly-seated genuine BMW one in my car used to leak at temps below -15F. It needed silicone sealant to fix it. If a flush one leaks in the extreme cold, this stuff sure will.

Yes, Pelican does do a great job. That's why I've been ordering from them for many years. Sorry if it came off like I was ripping them. I was simply stating that they gave me $20 for my troubles.

[CirrusSR22]

Here's a better one I had stored on my computer. This is the piece bolted to the block and you can see right into the bore. This is not the way the part is designed to sit.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/vasa58/connector.jpg

[spidertri]

Yeah, I had the same problem as Cirrus. I bought the non BMW part and it was angled so that the face was not flush with the block. This resulted in leaking when it got cold out. I took everything apart and used RTV to fix it but didn't think to get a new (straight) pipe. Oh well.

[Mr.Squeelerz]

I didn't even waste time putting everything back together with URO version on. I order a genuine BMW part to do it right. Why waste the time doctoring the bad part when you can do it the right way and know it will function as it was engineered to?

[spidertri]

Unfortunately at the time I didn't have the luxury of waiting to get the right part plus I didn't realize anything was wrong. My OE one broke when I took it off. It looks like some of the BMW versions are screwed up too so there is no guarantee that getting the genuine part would have made a difference. I'll get a "good" one one of these days and swap it out when I have the time.

[blndweasel]

The big deal is that this happens.

WOW

OK, that's a big deal.

Are the generic brands really that much cheaper than OEM? I think I paid $15 for this part through tischer, OEM BMW.

tbw

[Mopho]

After blowing the fitting off the back of the head (by overheating on bay bridge to San Fran where I could not stop) from someone before me putting the lower radiator hose on backwards so it wore a hole in it, I wanted to fix my blown head gasket my self.
I did not have all the tools needed, so I thought I am retired, I'm not buying a bunch of tools for one job.

Went to a friend of a friends shop, he seemed to know what he is doing and he went to work on my head gasket change. I had already put a new water pump on and the rear Y fitting on the back of the head (never again, that was a bi#ch).

I told the mechanic to change the other plastic fitting while he had the intake and head off, but he didn't.
We got in a big as$ fight over it, and he threw my cashiers check for $2500 in my face.

A week later, (I took the car, I was paying for a rental for 3 weeks) he called me, I paid him, and he did not offer to change the block fitting.
I am hoping he is right about not changing it, as he has never had one fail.
So I just keep an eye on the temp guage....almost 150K on it now.

Freeking bummer...
That is why I have done every other job needed myself. You can't trust anyone.

Update: 2 1/2 months later, My car does run better since they resurfaced the head, did a valve job and tuned it up, and no oil leaks AT ALL !! I can park on my new driveway now.

:smile:

We'll wait to see what happens with the fitting you guys are talking about.
I may not have any problems with it, since we do not have the extreme temperatures you guys are talking about fittings leaking at -15 Degrees?
Never happen here...
http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/big2_cond/language/www/US/CA/Rodeo.gif

[spidertri]

The piece still gets heat cycled by driving the car and shutting it off. When I removed my original block connector it literally broke into pieces just from me pulling it off. You should really think about swapping it before it lets go. You already know the consequences.

[Mopho]

Is there a way to change it without taking the intake manifold back off?

I was really pissed at the mechanic. I told him " I thought you knew what you are doing on these cars".
I told him the rear fitting fell apart, part of the reason I was there spending $2500 on a top end rebuild. Why would you not change a cheap part like the fitting? He changed the radiator, which was iffey as needing to be replaced, it had been replaced when the previous owner changed all the belts and hoses (including the lower hose that was put on backwards that caused this whole mess). Crap. If you want anything done right, you HAVE to do it yourself.
This guy knew I was friends with the body shop next door (I used to work there) and all his neighbors, why did he not change it? All I would have to do is pass the word around that he does iffy work and he would be done (new shop).

[spidertri]

I'm pretty sure it's not possible to change the block connector without taking the intake manifold off. It does suck, I can't imagine the reasoning behind why the mechanic wouldn't change it, BMWs are notorious for the crappy plastic cooling parts.

[Mopho]

That's what I was afraid of. Maybe I should talk to the mechanic, and see what he would charge to change it. I would have to rent a car again or ride my Victory, which is not easy with my job.

Damn, if I had had time to go by there every day, I would have caught it.
Sigh, hindsight is 20-20.

Maybe I will be the first one to change it without removing the manifold. Damn sure wasn't easy changing the rear Y fitting with the intake manifold on....LOL

My problem is time to do it. I have a lot of tools collected over the years from being
a body and fender repairman. I just don't have the specialty BMW tools for major surgery..

[Mr.Squeelerz]

It doesn't take special tools to do the job, and if you are just changing the block fitting...you will want to take the intake assembly off. It doesn't take that long to do.

[blndweasel]

+1 -- removing the lower intake isn't that big of a deal. Before you remove the fuel rail, use a bicycle pump to force the fuel back into the gas tank, using the schroeder fitting on the rail itself. Of course, release the pressure in the rail before hooking up your bike pump, or the fuel will be sucked up into the pump.

make sure to use blue painters tape and a sharpie to mark every connector as it comes off, then you'll know how it all goes back together.

tbw

[CirrusSR22]

The piece still gets heat cycled by driving the car and shutting it off. When I removed my original block connector it literally broke into pieces just from me pulling it off. You should really think about swapping it before it lets go. You already know the consequences.

That's exactly what happened with my car. I removed the two bolts and lightly pulled on the block connector. A chunk of the connector (including the o-ring) just crumbled and stuck in the block. It sure wouldn't have lasted much longer in service! There's a picture of it in my cooling system DIY. http://318ti.org/forum/showpost.php?p=134325&postcount=5

[Mopho]

Thanks, you guys. I have never been one to start a job without finding out from someone with more experience how to do it. My Pappy used to say, "The only dumb question there is - is the one that is not asked".
I would have never known to pump the fuel back, makes sense to me...
And after running out and looking at it again, it looks like the original one. I know what you mean about crumbling when you take it off, the rear head Y fitting I changed without taking the manifold off actually left the inner part inside the head, according to my mechanic he had to fish it out.
Thanks again, everyone.

[E36Wes]

Hey, New member coming from a history of e30's.

Just bought a 1995 318Ti Sport and was looking at this thread. So if I have a 95, I will only need to replace the front peice? Part Number for the front please?

[E36Wes]

Also, According to many sources, the 1995 318ti came with the m42. My friend has a m42 in his e30 and mine does not look anything like it. It looks like an m44. I will post pics.

[CirrusSR22]

The M42 in the E30 had a different intake system. It did not have the DISA system, so the intake manifold looks totally different. Once the E36 came out they added the DISA intake to the M42 and it continued with the M44 which is partly why they look so similar.

And yes, from what I understand, the M42 only has the connector on the side of the engine block.

[E36Wes]

Ahh Very Interesting. So it is indeed an M42! Therefore I dont need the part that goes on the back of the motor.

I wonder how hard it is to get the manifold off...

[CirrusSR22]

Here's a picture of an E30 with the M42 engine.

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/M42

And the diagram w/ part number (11531714738) for the block connector.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG63&mospid=47505&btnr=11_1154&hg=11&fg=10

[E36Wes]

I see, I guess the vlave cover looks the same. I will be ripping my intake manifold out sending the injectors out to be cleaned and replace a ton of parts. Hopefully it will be running much smoother afterwards! Thanks for you help CirrusSr22

[geetarspaz]

looks like i've gotta replace the front one. my coolant is leaking pretty bad on my driveway.

[spidertri]

That's the thermostat, it's easy to swap out.

[geetarspaz]

Is that what you think Is leaking. My driveway has spots all over :/

[cooljess76]

looks like i've gotta replace the front one. my coolant is leaking pretty bad on my driveway.

FWIW as Dave mentioned, that's the thermostat, not one of the plastic fittings described in this thread. It would be wise to replace your water pump at the same time since you're going to be opening the coolant loop and will need to bleed the air out of the system afterwards. Especially since you already suspect your water pump bearing is going bad as noted in another thread:wink:

[cooljess76]

Is that what you think Is leaking.
You posted a picture of it. Do YOU think it's leaking?

[geetarspaz]

It IS leaking haha. I think that and the water pump noise are related ;)

[Mopho]

Just turned 160K, still have the old fitting on the side....I just can't take the time or afford a rental to have someone else do it... So I'll keep gambling... I don't drive that far from home, so I am just going to keep an eye on it.

[geetarspaz]

Jess may kill for posting another photo but this is really worth setting.

This stain was not here last night before I drove my car. Obviously I guess driving it with that minor coolant leak really screwed something up. Just took this now and it's like sprayed all over somehow? Wild!

[cooljess76]

How does your coolant level look? Reason I ask is because if coolant is coming out, then air is going in. Back when I had a cracked radiator, I was losing coolant like crazy, but couldn't tell where it was going. Everyone was telling me that I had a blown HG, but there was no evidence of such. One day I rigged up an old radiator cap to a bike pump and pressurized the system to about 5 psi. I did this in my garage with the engine off so I could hear hissing and find out where the coolant was leaking from. Turns out my radiator had a hairline crack that was covered by the expansion tank. You could try something similar, or you could just let the car run until it reaches operating temperature and try to see if you can find where it's leaking from.

Might just be a good time to replace the entire cooling system:redface:
http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18066

I know it sounds like a lot, but there's a couple other things you can do while you're at it that will make things easier and save you time and money later down the road. First, if you're replacing the two plastic coolant fittings described in this thread, you don't have to remove the intake manifold to access the octopus fitting on the driver's side of the engine block. A lot of people remove the intake manifold and end up with bigger problems than the one they were trying to address initially. Instead, remove the alternator and the oil filter housing. The reason I suggest this is because the oil filter housing has a paper gasket and two o-rings that are known to leak. Doing this will not only give you the opportunity to replace those items, it'll also give you access to the plastic coolant fitting without having to remove the intake manifold.

The other thing, if you're replacing the plastic "Y" fitting on the back of the head by the firewall, it's a good time to replace your valve cover gasket and spark plug seals. While you have the valve cover off, it's also a good idea to clean out the orifice towards the back that the CCV hose attaches to. Removing the valve cover will give you more room to fit your hand/tools behind the engine.

The cooling system on our cars is known to trap air. Especially when there's a leak or if you open the coolant loop to replace a part. Trapped air will work it's way into the radiator which will eventually cause vapor-lock(air-lock). Vapor-lock prevents coolant from circulating through the engine and heater core. It can cause all sorts of issues: fatigue/failure of plastic cooling system parts, fatigue/failure of the head gasket, damage to temp sensors, over pressurization/fatigue on hoses, damage to thermostat, damage to water pump, engine overheating ultimately resulting in a blown head gasket and possibly a warped or cracked head, damaged cylinder walls, pistons, valves etc.

That is why it is extremely important to PROPERLY bleed your cooling system any time you suspect there's air in the system. One symptom linked to air in the system is if the heater doesen't blow hot air. If it blows warm air, you probably have air in the system. if it only blows cold air, then you probably have complete vapor lock. When the engine is at operating temp, the heater should burn your hand if you hold it in front of the vent.

The entire cooling system including the radiator, hoses, water pump, thermostat, plastic fittings and other parts I mentioned could be purchased for under 400 bucks and swapped out over a weekend. This will give you peace of mind that your valve cover won't leak, spark plugs won't be submerged in oil, oil filter housing won't spray oil all over the front of your engine, and your car won't overheat. I'm one of those "while you're in there" "do it right the first time" kinda guys. I don't like doing things over and throwing random parts at a car hoping to fix the problem.

There's an oil filter housing writeup, a valve cover writeup and a cooling system bleed writeup in the knowledge base section.

[geetarspaz]

jess, for a short answer. the coolant seems to be going down, but its still pretty high. i'll check it during daylight tomorrow because i need to do this fix now. i dont drive it for the time being. thanks for the posts in helping me out with everything. time to get fixing

[Mopho]

jess, for a short answer. the coolant seems to be going down, but its still pretty high. i'll check it during daylight tomorrow because i need to do this fix now. i dont drive it for the time being. thanks for the posts in helping me out with everything. time to get fixing

I think you may have just a water pump problem, it's noisey right? The seal has gone south, so the bearing is exposed, thus, noisey water pump bearing.
That was the first thing I changed on my '96, along with the oil filter housing o-ring seals and gasket. I wish I had known about the block fitting under the intake manifold, I could have changed it then.
When my lower coolant hose went south is when I really opened the can of worms.
Now, I have the head gasket changed, valve job done while head off, and every thing new attached except the stuupid block fitting under the intake.
As posted before, I got in a fight with my mechanic friend that did the valve job for not changing it when he had the head off.
If you have your original radiator, belts or hoses, change them too.
Good on ya for not driving the car, overheating problems from loss of coolant is the only thing that can kill one of these engines. I have 160K and still doesnt use oil. It was never overheated for a long period.

[MOTORSPORTti]

i hope do not bother guys!!! i got a issue with mine since 2 months a go the temp is going normal when i drive ./ once i get traffic the temp gauge rise a little to 3/4 and later back to the center,(normal) that is a issue what i have to do?

[Mopho]

i hope do not bother guys!!! i got a issue with mine since 2 months a go the temp is going normal when i drive ./ once i get traffic the temp gauge rise a little to 3/4 and later back to the center,(normal) that is a issue what i have to do?
Sounds normal to me, just top off the coolant and when putting any coolant in a BMW be sure to buy the BMW coolant (or Mercedes) which is over 20 bucks a gallon, but you will have less problems in the long run.
:wink:

[MOTORSPORTti]

thanx i will

[vandergat]

I have the M44 engine and the part on the back of the engine has already been replaced.

But I need to get the longer one for the side of the engine.

whats the part number?

and a site that sells them?

[Mopho]

you can get the block fitting that goes under the intake manafold from many sources, but I would get it from BMW or someone that sells OEM parts. I have heard horror stories about aftermarket warped fittings...
:eek:

[Mr.Squeelerz]

I have the M44 engine and the part on the back of the engine has already been replaced.

But I need to get the longer one for the side of the engine.

whats the part number?

and a site that sells them?

The very first post points you to the part number.

getbmwparts, pelicanparts, ecstuning, tischer, etc.

It is HIGHLY suggested that you purchase a BMW manufactured side fitting unless you like wasting time and money.

Good luck!

[dangerous_goods]

I have a deposit down on a 1996 318ti Automatic with 153500km or 95380mils on the Odometer (verified by Carfax).
Anyway, I leave for in one week for a course that will involve me putting on over 5000km (3106miles) on the car this summer over the next two months.

My concern is that I don't know if the troublesome plastic parts of the cooling system have been replaced as there is no vehicle history past the last year with the current owner. So, I know you guys don't have a crystal ball but out of all your collective experience and from what I've read from this post I should be okay for the next few thousand kilometers or miles because most if not all the plastic component failures occured after 100,000 miles or 160,000 km right?

Is there anything I can do to try and prevent an early failure while away because I won't have any time while on course weekends or weekdays at all to do any kind of maintenance and a failure will really screw things up for me this summer.
I won't have any time to replace these parts before I leave but the car is in really good shape all things considered and I plan on doing the entire cooling system overhaul possibly minus the radiator as soon as I get back and have a free weekend.

Hoping to get some advice from you guys and thoughts on basically playing the odds and what my chances are? By the way, the mileage that I plan to put on over the next two months will all be highway.

Thanks!

[Mopho]

Well, DG ...
Since you got no advice, how did you do on your trip? We kinda flaked on ya, A?
(Spoken in my best Cannook accent).

[TroyAndEddie]

For a late FYI: I swapped mine out at 105k when my radiator died. The plastic pieces were in great shape, but it was false economy not to swap everything out. Like any rubber or plastic part, failure is a mix of usage and luck of the draw. Some parts are run ragged and last forever, and some give out when granny's driving.

[jca]

I have two e-36's, and both their radiators died at a little over 100K...like clockwork. The original plastic pipes I had changed out of the ti looked and felt OK, but who knows and who wants to take the chance.

[Mopho]

When I blew my rear plastic fitting and the water pump, ended up being from the lower radiator hose leaking and blowing the head gasket. Being a M-44, the rear fitting was totally destroyed and came apart in pieces, my mechanic told me when he took the head off part of the rear fitting was still in the head and he had to dig it out. So my plastic fittings along with the front one, were replaced along with the water pump I had already replaced...
I think if you do anything to the cooling system, all of these parts should be replaced to save time, labor and money including the radiator (my 96 ti had about 145,000 miles on it when the lower hose that had been replaced wrong blew).

[dangerous_goods]

Hi guys,

Thanks for replying. I bought the ti and love it. I forget who said it on this site but it IS like driving a road legal go-kart!
I'm on course with the military and haven't had to do as much driving so far as I was originally worried about but I still plan to have or possibly do the cooling system overhaul quite nicely detailed here when I get back in July/August. I appreciate the feedback and the history on your experiences, it makes me a little less concerned that I couldn't get to the overhaul before I left.
I'll keep you posted.

Jason

[hitchhike79]

The head y piece just broke as i was driving up to the house. Hope to hell the engine didnt overheat, heat was in the middle when i parked and the rest of the coolant poured out.
Just getting the hose clamps loose was a pain! I really am not looking forward to putting those back on. Its not bad to get to with the battery box out but getting tools in there is a different story.
Parts on order, we will see

[M-technik-3]

Just picked up a 93 318iS M42 has a leaking one. This year's lemon racer.

[Daffy]

Yer well, the one at the back of engine has just done me over... And i was on my way home from work on the freeway.
Got to about 5min from home and car started to die on me.. Looked down and temp was off the gauge. got off freeway and bang. car dies and nothing but steam from the engine bay. :( Anyway, head gone, and looks like i cracked it. No compression at all. All cycinders 0%. Had 215k on it. Anyway its at garage getting a new engine put in. I got 1 cheap with 104k on it with 3mths warry on it.
Hope to get it back next week. Damm cheap plastic parts :(

[pdxmotorhead]

Has anybody tried just threading the hole and putting a fitting in? I'd use a machined threaded bushing and a AN fitting... Fix it once... Of course I have a M42... :D

Dave

[NeoMishMoo]

I had my Y pipe burst, but I drove it about 10 miles after the fact because I was broke down in a very inconvenient place. Hopefully didn't warp the head :eek:

Anyway I also have an exhaust manifold leak so was wondering if it would be easier to lift the engine to do both jobs? It was a real PITA putting my headers on before (probably didn't do it right seeing as how my manifold leak returned).

Seeing as how I need to do two jobs in hard to reach areas. Maybe I could lift the engine a bit? Or would the transmission aspect be too much of a PITA itself?

[Michael_M]

Always put the point that swapping a 328i engine is sometimes if not not all cases seems the easiest and cheapest solutions if anything happened to the Engine.. I can't say I'm waiting for my engine to explode as I'm highly maintaining it but it is ridiculous to see people pay a lot of money to fix their engine and they can pay the same amount and replace the whole thing with a way better engine and save themselves the headache!

[NeoMishMoo]

I'm not paying anyone to fix it just going to garage DIY it, seeing as how both projects (exhaust manifold & coolant pipes) involve hard to reach bolts I was wondering if it would be better to lift my engine a bit to get to everything.

[julianmac1212]

Why there is no replacement of this plastic part. There must be some other solution or part. I am also looking for a solution of this problem.

[Mr.Squeelerz]

Why there is no replacement of this plastic part. There must be some other solution or part. I am also looking for a solution of this problem.

There is no other solution other than to replace it with factory or aftermarket plastics....unless you have a CNC machine or a 3D printer.

Chances are you will only have to replace it once anyways.

[SSpeedracer]

I swapped the block plastic on a '95 M42 with 150K miles and the piece broke apart in my hands.
I swapped the block and head plastic pieces on a '98 M44 with 330K miles and both were in great condition (other than o-rings being stiff).

The M42's use a higher temperature fan switch 91/99C vs the M44's 80/88. And in my case I found the M42's low speed fan circuit was not working. It was only cooling at 99C trigger point. 176F versus 210F.

In late '95 early '96 BMW decided to lower the fan switch for the 318Ti. Why? A lower temperature is less efficient, reduces fuel mileage, and increases wear/load on the alternator. There is no reason to reduce temp unless they found a pre-ignition problem and i doubt that was reason.

Perhaps BMW recognized the 318's cooling system weakness and tried to band aid it with a lower fan temperature.

Also, refurbishing the M42 cooling system is a little easier than the M44.

[racewater]

I am new to the site. I am looking at buying a to for my son. My question is why is this not an issue on the sedan or couple? Or am I missing something and they have the same issue. Thank you

[BlackBMWs]

It is the same issue for M44 318i Sedans. Basically a M42 (1 pipe) or M44 (2 pipes).

The 6 cyls dont have the same two failing water pipes. They just have one large failing plastic piece known as the radiator. :rolleyes:

[julianmac1212]

I have a 2002 BMW 318TI M Sport II .Is this applicable ?

[SSpeedracer]

I have a 2002 BMW 318TI M Sport II .Is this applicable ?

You've got an E46 body with N42 engine. I think that has a similar ABS flange 11537560130 on the block and a flange off the head also. It looks more robust than the M42 and M44 versions. But, it's still plastic attached directly to the block.

I'd only consider changing it at 300K km 10years unless I happened to have easy access to it beforehand.

[Walkers]

Does anyone know the torque specs for the bolts for these two pipes? In the process of changing them out now.

Thanks.

[Canadian]

Surely enough at 130k my y-pipe snapped within both hoses..can anyone help me find the hoses that go to the head connector? I'm going to replace them even though they look fine. Looking forward to throwing everything back together since I labeled squat.

[spidertri]

#11 & 12
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG73&mospid=47506&btnr=11_1567&hg=11&fg=35

[Canadian]

awesome thanks!

[Canadian]

Two weeks after replacing the connectors i had another major leak loosing about half my coolant. Leak came from under the manifold so I tore it all down and all the hoses leading to the connectors are fine. No signs of leaking. This fixture that leads a hose to the Y looks questionable but I have no idea what it is.


Any opinions would be great thanks!

[740isport]

Two weeks after replacing the connectors i had another major leak loosing about half my coolant. Leak came from under the manifold so I tore it all down and all the hoses leading to the connectors are fine. No signs of leaking. This fixture that leads a hose to the Y looks questionable but I have no idea what it is.


Any opinions would be great thanks!

It's been a while since you posted this, but that connector is for your heater valve. That plastic breaks too and will need to be replaced.

I've actually been tackling this job in sections and found that (since I don't have the automatic valve like you do) my heater core connection is broken too. Fortunately on the engine compartment side of the firewall, so that is another part to replace.

Just not looking forward to the squid re-assembly.

[markslc1]

I just tackled this job of replacing the two plastic pipes. Replaced all hoses, clamps, and the airhoses to the injectors too. I left the lower manifold on, which wasn't too bad given that I was replacing the oil filter housing gasket anyway.

It was the rear pipe that broke, but I knew that I should just do it all at once. Definitely take off the valve cover to get the rear pipe off. No way to do it otherwise. Its no wonder my Mechanic was going to charge $700 in labor to do all this. Just happy its all back together and running smooth.

[Peugeot]

Just did this job myself. Same as marslc1 except I didn't replace hose clamps. I cleaned every clamp and bolt thoroughly. A few things I learned and should share.

I was quoted $2,700 for this job. I did it all for $900 using 100% BMW factory parts and cleaning everything within an inch of its life. New wires, every hose, radiator, cabin filters, injectors cleaned and balanced. Taking my time to make sure everything went back exactly the way it came off I took the time and care no shop - no matter how good - can match. The economics of it just aren't there. Take advantage of the fact you can put in a few extra hours to do a perfect job.

I had a running list of each part I took off, how many bolts/nuts/clips it produced and what size wrench(es) were needed to take it off. Those fastiners went into a baggie with a post-it note with a brief description. I had some 3 pages of notes and 30 Ziploc sandwich bags. Plus a bunch of cellphone pictures.

What was tough:

1) I took off the lower intake manifold. There are two 'stays' that support the manifold. You can't see the rear one, but it's there with a 13mm bolt just like the front one.

2) Wire loom through the lower intake. You should label and take a picture of each connector. There are only like 6, but if you don't know which is which, it can get hairy.

3) Maneuvering around with the fuel rail. Fasten fuel feed line and return line before bolting the rail down with the 2 10mm bolts.

4) Parts. Autohausaz doesn't carry the oil squirter gasket (in the valve cover). You'll have to get that from Pelican or the dealer. Parts prices: I found local dealers wanting Bugatti prices for parts. Either list went through the roof or I just got the Royal treatment. I was quoted $4.50 ea for the valve cover bolt seals from Seattle BMW and Bellevue BMW. I went to autohausaz.com for 95% of the parts. Although I should have ordered up FelPro for the valve cover 'set' (which included all 15 bolt seals plus the squirter. FelPro is one brand I trust implicitly.

Valve cover must come off to get the rear pipe. You'll be working the lower bolt blind.

If you don't know first-hand the condition of the oil filter housing gasket and seal - just replace them. I had to go back 'for seconds' as that thing leaked like a sieve after I had started it up checking for leaks.

Alternator fixed nuts can be driven out in-place a few mms to make for easy alternator refitting. They'll snug back when you tighten the alternator.

Car runs perfectly. Thanks for this forum for the awesome pointers!

[Jsch]

Wow, glad I read this thread.

[mosabnet]

Glad i have looked at this topic today, am new to the M44 and had no idea what need to be replaced. am going to order those today, its best time to get them while my cylinder head is off.

[weste46]

I'm doing this change now. I unplugged all the wires underneath the lower intake manifold last week, and was held up until now to get back to putting everything together. Now I'm not completely sure that I know where all the wires go (specifically the wires that go on studs to the starter/alternator locations). Does anyone have some pictures that would help me see where these wires go?

I tried to use a Febi/Bilstein part for the larger tube below the intake manifold and it didn't line up, as suggested by someone earlier in this thread. I picked up a genuine BMW one from the dealership, will report if it fits properly.

I also had an issue with debris falling onto my valves (and possibly into the open cylinder #4) when I removed the intake manifold... I'm going to do my best to clean everything up, but I wish I pressure-washed the engine before removing the manifold. Even if I did, a lot of carbon buildup flaked off and fell in so I would have had to clean either way.
Our 318ti just clocked 100k miles and seems to be in very good health, so I want to give it the best chance it has at seeing 200k. That's why I'm changing these pipes now!

[Mopho]

Were the parts you replaced bad? Just curious.

[paul somlo]

I'm doing this change now. I unplugged all the wires underneath the lower intake manifold last week, and was held up until now to get back to putting everything together. Now I'm not completely sure that I know where all the wires go (specifically the wires that go on studs to the starter/alternator locations). Does anyone have some pictures that would help me see where these wires go?

I can't remember exactly, but there were three or four wires. Matching the size of the stud with the size of the lug will make it fairly obvious as to where they go.

[weste46]

Were the parts you replaced bad? Just curious.

They had yet to fail, but when I removed the one underneath the intake manifold it broke at the connector to the block as I have seen before.

I can't remember exactly, but there were three or four wires. Matching the size of the stud with the size of the lug will make it fairly obvious as to where they go.

This is what I ended up doing, hopefully they are in their original positions.

[Estii]

This **** just happened to me last night. Sitting on freeway off ramp, smell coolant, see temp gauge going up. Shut her off, pushed into first parking lot, popped hood and boom. Coolant covering everything under intake manifold. Crazy thing is just last month I had a BRAND NEW cylinder head installed. I suspect the stupid SOB mechanic reused 19 year old cooling components, onto the new head. Good news is it should all be covered on warranty. Bad news is its gunna be a pain to get him to admit it.


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[paul somlo]

This **** just happened to me last night. Sitting on freeway off ramp, smell coolant, see temp gauge going up. Shut her off, pushed into first parking lot, popped hood and boom. Coolant covering everything under intake manifold. Crazy thing is just last month I had a BRAND NEW cylinder head installed. I suspect the stupid SOB mechanic reused 19 year old cooling components, onto the new head. Good news is it should all be covered on warranty. Bad news is its gunna be a pain to get him to admit it.


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Or they didn't tighten up the hose clamps on one of the two hoses.

That's why I don't let anyone else touch my car.

[Estii]

Hoses coming off thermo to rad are nice and tight. Its coming from one of those 2 head mounted connections for sure. Hell maybe both.


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[BRADESTAR]

This **** just happened to me last night. Sitting on freeway off ramp, smell coolant, see temp gauge going up. Shut her off, pushed into first parking lot, popped hood and boom.


That's a bummer. Hopefully didn't run'er too hot.

That would be very surprising that a "Professional" mechanic would reuse those piecies. Like a lot of others experienced, one of mine broke coming out. So maybe it is just a lose connection. Though most pro's pressure test the whole system when finished.

Hopefully mechanic will back their work, maybe turn out to be another HG if it got run too hot. You probably don't want to touch it at this point, but I think those plastic parts are dated.


Good luck!

[Estii]

I could for sure do this job myself. Thing is I dont want to disturb anything that might void the warranty. Its covered, so Im better off giving him the chance to do the repair.


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[weste46]

Well I'm "done". Rear tube was easy enough without removing the valve cover, don't know why that was said to be needed.
The wires were fairly easy to figure out once I started looking around. They really only want to go back to where they came from.
I didn't properly bleed the system at first, so the car got hot (220F on my OBD scanner, was still at 12 o'clock on the cluster) so I turned it off and bled better.

I am STILL having issues with the radiator fan. The fan turns on with the AC, it turns on if you jump the connectors to the radiator fan sensor, but it does NOT turn on when the same connector is actually connected to a brand-new Facet radiator temp sensor, in a brand-new radiator. If anyone has an idea of what is happening there, please let me know.

Also found that the oil filter housing gasket has gotten way worse with the cold coming in, leaking like a sieve until the car warms up.

[weste46]

Also, I forgot to add that the water pump had already been done before, but it did not want to come out. I had to make a puller tool after I broke off both sides of the casting when trying to use the threaded holes to push the pump away from the block.

Attached is the tool I made out of an old prybar, with tapped 1/2" holes. It was flat when I made it, the water pump was really in there.

[Estii]

Good god that pump was in there TIGHT!


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[weste46]

Good god that pump was in there TIGHT!


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I was afraid I would need to end up drilling the pump out like others on here have done! thankfully the shaft stayed seated inside the pump body.

[weste46]

For those interested,
I had to go back in to replaced my oil filter housing o-rings/bush/gasket.

When I removed all of the parts up to the oil filter housing, it seemed to me that I could reach the pipe underneath the intake manifold. This seems like it may be an easier way to approach this project, and you don't have to remove the intake manifold risking debris entering the combustion chamber.
Someone in an earlier post mentioned removing the battery and battery tray to reach the rear pipe. New coolant hoses may fish through okay, I'm not sure.

If done this way, you wouldn't have to remove the cluster of wires that rest on top of the lower intake manifold which are a pain to disconnect/reconnect blindly as you have to do, you could leave the fuel lines and injectors hooked up, and both manifolds could remain in their factory position. It took very little time to get to this state, whereas the "normal" way to get to this pipe has a lot of steps.
It would be more difficult to get your hand in to change the parts, but I think it's doable and overall would take less time. Getting my hands in to connect the starter wires and a few other connectors from the top electrical connector box was a total pain for me.

[paul somlo]

When I removed all of the parts up to the oil filter housing, it seemed to me that I could reach the pipe underneath the intake manifold.
Can you reach all three hose clamps?

[weste46]

Can you reach all three hose clamps?

I think so. If not, I think you could remove the pipe with the two 10mm bolts and pull it toward you to get more room for the rearmost hose, or remove the hose from whatever else it connects to and pull the pipe and hose out together.

[lokister]

Not a 318ti owner, but a 318i owner. I had the y-connector cause me some pain this week.

Long story short, I installed a defective thermostat. Which led to an overheat in the system and although I didn't blow my HG (mechanic said my compression levels were "on the money" but there could be a pinhole leak), the y-connector burst clean off.

https://imgur.com/a/XX2xQEB

I don't have the stomach to replace it myself so I forked over $300 in labor for my local mechanic to do it.

So, I can't endorse this PSA enough: REPLACE THESE PARTS!