Looks like a have an extremely small leak somewhere around the elbow on the top of radiator on the drivers side. It's sending droplets of coolant onto the hose and a bit around the area.......but it's tiny and I don't see any cracks or anything....but I haven't taken the fan shroud off just yet.

If it is the elbow thing, is there anyway to repair it till I have time to pull and replace the rad? There are no cracks or anything around the upper rad hose area......so is this something I need to panic over or can I wait a while till I have time to pull it?

The car has 75K on it.

75K miles... and have you changed the cooling system?

if not, you are a gambling man.

75K miles... and have you changed the cooling system?

if not, you are a gambling man.

It's a 528i.....so I have a few miles before I really need to worry about it. I'm looking at next year for the entire cooling system.

Found the following:

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/5858329-1.html

Looks like the valve can be changed and the rest left intact. In any case, not a catastrophic failure point. The rest of the rad looks fine. I'll be doing an inspection under the shroud sometime today to make sure. I've changed 5 or so radiators over the years.....so this isn't rocket science.....just finding the time to deal with it is a challenge these days (wedding and apartment overhaul going on right now).

My radiator on the 97-528 did last until I reached 133000 miles.
...and my wife's Infiniti has almost 124000 miles, still going.

So I replaced the vent valve today. The following site was much better then Bentley...even though it's for the 7 series....but everything was identical for getting the shroud out of the way so you can access the valve.:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/46816

On the old valve, the pieces on the end had already broken off and been in the rad for who knows how long. Since they are plastic and probably already decided on their permanent home.......not going to worry about it till I pull the rad.

The procedure is extremely easy and will take less then 10 minutes....once you know what to do. The only surprise was that BMW decided to use a crimp connector on the vent hose......not much fun and I had to drive to Autozone to get screw clamps. Make sure you have the clamps on hand for the change.....it will save you driving the car with twist ties or something else.

For anyone with decent miles on their car....check this valve....mine was toast at 75k.

You are asking to end up on the side of the road or worse. Do a total cooling system overhaul and rest easy knowing it is done.:alright

You are asking to end up on the side of the road or worse (cracked head due to catastrophic cooling system failure.) Do a total cooling system overhaul and rest easy knowing it is done.:alright

After performing the valve change today, I can see pulling the radiator out in under an hour without much of a problem. I have an appointment on August 4th to have my suspension ripped out with a mechanic I use. While he works on the suspension, I may just pull the rad and expansion tank. The fan is in good shape and the clutch is fine also.

My experience today just shows that the design is flawed both in materials and how complicated it is. It should be simplified (toss the vent valve on the radiator for example and use a rad cap like everyone else). There are failure points all over the place and it just doesn't seem to make any sense (preaching to the quire I'm sure).

Something else I need to check:

http://members.cox.net/rsm540i/E39ExpansionTank.htm

The one thing I would not gamble on is the cooling system. Get it replaced. You'll be glad you did.

I had a leak in that area on mine before and I thought it was only the neck, but it turned out the part below that was leaking and eventually coolant shot out in a violent manner. Make sure just the neck was leaking and not any other part of you might be in for a surprise. Replacing the radiator and hoses might not be a bad idea at all, since its only a matter of time before it explodes.

I had a leak in that area on mine before and I thought it was only the neck, but it turned out the part below that was leaking and eventually coolant shot out in a violent manner. Make sure just the neck was leaking and not any other part of you might be in for a surprise. Replacing the radiator and hoses might not be a bad idea at all, since its only a matter of time before it explodes.
+1 on the hoses. All of them!:)

My experience today just shows that the design is flawed both in materials and how complicated it is. It should be simplified (toss the vent valve on the radiator for example and use a rad cap like everyone else). There are failure points all over the place and it just doesn't seem to make any sense (preaching to the quire I'm sure).



+infinity. You don't even know how many cars come in for thermostats, expansion tanks, radiators, water pumps, hoses, etc.

I guess the cooling system was designed poorly and/or made with cheap components.

+infinity. You don't even know how many cars come in for thermostats, expansion tanks, radiators, water pumps, hoses, etc.

I guess the cooling system was designed poorly and/or made with cheap components.

Having done 5+ radiators all on different makes, the hoses are always the worst to replace. The new hoses are always tight and require muscle to get them back where they should be. Add in the fact that the only affordable replacements on the E39 are plastic radiators.....and it just adds to the fun factor (never liked forcing things on plastic).

I may set aside this Sunday to overhaul the rad stuff. I understand that the entire system is crap......but at 75k and the I6..........I don't want to pull the entire car apart just yet.

I understand the radiator can be pulled without removing the fan....anyone care to confirm that?

He could get the Zionsville, All-aluminum rad and be done with it.:cashwalle
http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/store/shop.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=6134&Product_Code=NP-ALLOYRAD39&Category_Code=AR1

He could get the Zionsville, All-aluminum rad and be done with it.:cashwalle
http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/store/shop.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=6134&Product_Code=NP-ALLOYRAD39&Category_Code=AR1

There is also the Ready-rad for 300:

http://www.innerauto.com/browse/make/bmw/528i/aftermarket/radiator/?ref=S1161368748W453914ac6fba6&label=Aftermarket+Radiator+-+BMW+528I+Aftermarket+Radiator

Remember, this is an I6.....so not quite the grenade of the V8 setup. I'll probably stick with plastic since I keep most cars 3 years before I change to something else.

Just keep a close eye on the cold coolant level/ temp guage and watch for leaks and run your existing gear, it may have another 50k miles in it yet. In the meantime save up about 500 dollars in the event you do need to overhaul the cooling system one weekend.

There is also the Ready-rad for 300:

http://www.innerauto.com/browse/make/bmw/528i/aftermarket/radiator/?ref=S1161368748W453914ac6fba6&label=Aftermarket+Radiator+-+BMW+528I+Aftermarket+Radiator

Remember, this is an I6.....so not quite the grenade of the V8 setup. I'll probably stick with plastic since I keep most cars 3 years before I change to something else.
That Radiator looks a lot smaller.?. Oh, I see. Image is not application specific. Never mind.
This is a way more affordable all-aluminum alternative to the zionsville. Thanks.

That Radiator looks a lot smaller.?.

One of the board members was about to buy one and report back.....I believe the post was here or on Bimmerfest. In any case, it's an alternative.

Seems the aftermarket companies are starting to take notice of the BMW rad issues and coming up with some metal solutions. Just hope the price comes down to the 150 point like most cars I've bought all-metal replacements for.

Looks like I have a hairline crack a few millimeters long on the radiator an inch or so up from the where the hose connection meets the tank. :mad

It's spraying coolant at a slow rate....but the rad is on it's way out.

I ordered a Behr radiator and hoses off Rockauto for around 200 shipped. I'm going to seal the leak tonight with some JB-Weld and hopefully it holds till next week when I have time to replace the damn thing.

Gotta love it.

Update:

Here is the great patch job using JB Weld. The vent tube (nipple) is also new and seems to have stopped the leaks.

Considering the patch area is at the crack off point in the OEM rad.....might be a good preventative maintenance to apply the weld in advance and paint it black if the look annoys you (couldn't care less myself.

Assuming the patch stays tight........it should give me sometime to replace it once the new one shows up.

dbruce -

our radiators think alike. :mad

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ecpatstone/RadiatorPinHole.jpg

I had the rad pulled this weekend and I helped. it's a royal PITA. Make sure to have a new fan clutch handy cause you will be removing the fan.....and might as well change it out.

Lasted 2 weeks of 90+ weather on JB-Weld without an issue. Guy that's my mechanic asked why even changed the rad out since JB will hold indefinitely.