 » Site Navigation | | | | » Recent Threads | looove 04-16-2024 01:18 PM 04-16-2024 01:18 PM 0 Replies, 1,480 Views | | | |  |  |  |  10-22-2009, 09:40 PM | #1 | | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Elizabeth City, NC Posts: 3,877 |  Radiator Leak
So I bought a new radiator from the ebay guy AC Imports to complete my cooling system refresh. I got it installed easily enough, bled it and all was good. I then drove back to school (60 miles) and watched the temp needle like a hawk, no signs of overheating.
I drove to class the morning after and noticed the needle was slightly above center (half the needle was on the center tick mark and half was not) figured it needed to be bled again after the long drive and I'd wait until after class to do it when the engine was cool.
I got back to the car and popped the hood to find the level of coolant in the expansion tank about an inch and a half below the cold line. Looked under the car and saw a puddle on the passenger side of the radiator. Turned out the sensor that is on the passenger side was leaking.
The radiator came from AC with a plug and o-ring in there, the stock radiator didn't have the o-ring so I, mistakenly, opted not to use it. My reason was the threads on the sensor went all the way to the body whereas the threads on the plug did not.
I figured it wasn't a big deal though as I could pull out the sensor stick the o-ring on there and put it back in without loosing too much coolant. (I had a gallon of 50/50 in the hatch too.) I went to loosen the sensor and it just spun in the hole, I'm guessing the helicoil broke loose and now it just spins...
Obviously I could and should just get a new radiator but that is going to take about a week. Can you guys think of a way that I can seal this up in the mean time?
I was thinking about some JB weld or a silicone sealant but that would probably mean I would need to buy a new temp sensor along with a new radiator.
Any thoughts? Sorry for the novel. __________________ ~Dave~
98 328ti Morea Grun slicktop
11 128i space gray slicktop
13 JGC WK2 Deep Cherry
Search | RealOEM |  |  | | 10-22-2009, 09:57 PM | #2 | | Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 181 |
JB weld should hold it together well if everything is clean and dry when you apply it | | | | | 10-23-2009, 12:30 AM | #3 | | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Elizabeth City, NC Posts: 3,877 |
Yeah, it's dry. I was thinking that would probably be the best bet. Does anyone know what psi the cooling system pressurizes to? __________________ ~Dave~
98 328ti Morea Grun slicktop
11 128i space gray slicktop
13 JGC WK2 Deep Cherry
Search | RealOEM | | | | | 10-23-2009, 01:18 AM | #4 | | Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 181 |
Your radiator cap should be rated up to 2.0Bar which is around 30psi | | | | | 10-23-2009, 01:23 AM | #5 | | Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: norcal - 94590 Posts: 3,186 |
I can still send you my old one... __________________ James 95 active w/leather interior and sport interior conversion, Vaders, full M-Tech exterior conversion. Now m50 swapped* Eibach sway bars, D2 Coilovers, Depo's w/AE's, blacked-out sides and grills, LeatherZ console and door armrests, 1 series starter button mod, and custom finished Style 5's <--- in this color! Named "Roddy":  *M50 6 cyl. swap with fan delete, S50 cams and chip, AFE stage 2 intake, M3 clutch and 11.5 lb Fidanza flywheel, 3.15LSD, battery relocated to rear and complete custom exhaust. Sweet!  97 318ti sport, Alaska Blue, Contours, coilovers, Dove Vaders and custom black/grey interior named "Max" 95 318ti Active in Cosmos, S50 swap in progress... named "Pit" SUPPORT 318ti.org! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE! Hosting a forum like this is not free. 318ti.org is one of the best BMW forums on the web because it is member supported, not vendor supported. The cost to become a Supporter is a nominal $10.00... A YEAR! DO IT! NOW! | | | | | 10-23-2009, 03:34 AM | #6 | | Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Memphis, Tn Posts: 1,299 |
You can also try silicone to seal it. That may even stop the leak and eliminate you having to buy another radiator. __________________
custom dual exhaust,M3 front and rear bumper, 10.4 inch roof mount drop screen, Viper alarm system, DSII's rims, M3 Vader Seats, M3 Mirrors, Carbon Fiber CAI, Smoked Corners, Side Markers, Leatherz armrests, black grilles
225k miles and still the Ti goes on | | | | | 10-23-2009, 03:51 AM | #7 | | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Elizabeth City, NC Posts: 3,877 |
Yeah, I like the idea of silicone because I could get that off if I ever needed to. But I'm worried that it might not adhere strongly enough to the plastic/brass of the radiator/sensor.
If I could fix this one that would really be great, it was pretty disheartening to see that leak after I got all the way back to school. The whole time I was bleeding it after the install I kept checking for leaks and didn't see anything. I guess the long drive is what did it.
The AC imports radiator is awesome, just make sure to transfer that o-ring from the brass fitting. __________________ ~Dave~
98 328ti Morea Grun slicktop
11 128i space gray slicktop
13 JGC WK2 Deep Cherry
Search | RealOEM | | | | | 10-23-2009, 04:11 PM | #8 | | Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Memphis, Tn Posts: 1,299 |
Well man give the silicone a try and if it doesn't work then just peel it off. Best of luck to you. __________________
custom dual exhaust,M3 front and rear bumper, 10.4 inch roof mount drop screen, Viper alarm system, DSII's rims, M3 Vader Seats, M3 Mirrors, Carbon Fiber CAI, Smoked Corners, Side Markers, Leatherz armrests, black grilles
225k miles and still the Ti goes on | | | | |
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