The expansion tank on these cars gets stressed over time and eventually they either leak or burst like my first one did.
Expansion Tank Replacement and Coolant System Bleeding e46 BMW 325i
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Help!!! This might sound crazy but after replacing my expansion tank, I
cannot get my main hose that has the bleeder screw in it to connect back to
the radiator. I’m pulling with all my strength and it barely even moves.
All the other hoses connect fine. I checked the inside of the hose to see
if there was something in there but it looks just fine. Has anyone seen
this happen before? What do I do ?
CAUTION: don’t leave the bleed screw open for too long with engine running.
If you do don’t forget to let the engine cool before tightening your bleed
screw (I just broke mine off because it melted after leaving the engine
running with screw open to let air out)
Thanks Ed. I used your video to learn how to replace my expansion tank.
Everything is running fine now. You are right – you do have to pull really
hard.
Id say use a marine sealant putty if anything…Make sure you clean it very
well first. Sand it to roughen it up if possible.
i have a hairline crack on the expansion tank…can i use some special tape
from home depot to stop the leaking.?
You must replace the thermostat at the bottom of the expansion tank on
automatics, part #17111437362.
Hey Ed, can you explain the proper way to place the metal spring that sits
above the trans thermostat in the expansion tank? I think the big end is on
top, but does it seems to sit to one side in there due to some plastic
nubs. Any insights?
Very helpful video. I didn’t even take off the front air intake. Just the
air filter box. Its a good idea to change all o-rings while you have
everything apart. Thanks for the video!
Info: when pooling the tank up after disconnecting the switches at the
bottom, twist the tank side to side to loosen it up!!! A good video man
thanks for the info but I broke a couple of plastics cuz I couldn’t see any
shots of the bottom of the tank and what needed to be disconnected. Other
than that a helpful video.
i have no leaks but my light comes on randomly could it be the level sensor
Thanks
The worst thing is that the U joints are not interchangeable, so you have
to find a specialty shop that can rebuild the drive shaft. It all started
with a ticking under the center console and it got worse over time, till
the car is just not drivable
Oh well, radiator is not too difficult and expensive of a job, probably
with the age and mileage it is probably not at full efficiency anyway.
Might as well throw some new hoses on also. Always something!! Keep up the
great videos.
It never seems to fail….If its not too cold when the car breaks down, its
too hot! I’d still take the heat over the cold though. At least you can
still feel your fingers…LOL! Great work Ed! They sure do pack stuff into
those cars, eh??
Hi My dipstick thingy is at the bottom, and yet the coolant light hasn’t
come up on the dashboard yet!? Is it still safe to drive the car?
I used the green stuff mixed with distilled water.
my card is in garage. they told me there is a crack in the tank and it
needs to be replacement. along with this, they are saying there are other
parts which tend to break on e46. how much do you think is it reasonable to
get this job done? thanks a lot in advance.
You have to bleed the system. I showed how at the end of the video.
I fell in LOVE with a 2003 525i that actually had a manual trans a while
back…black outside, black inside, wow I wanted that car. Everything I
read on the internet pretty much said the entire cooling system has to be
replaced at some point, either by necessity or pre-emptively. You know you
are working on a Bimmer when you can wear shorts for pretty much any job 🙂
Nice work Ed, That O-ring kit you have there looks like a good one. Good
video Buddy!
I would add some coolant. You never know if your level sensor is bad.
The stuff I do at work with the juice machines, and water, they are all
sealed with O-Rings.. After a length of time, the O-Rings develope a “Flat”
all the way around them because they’ve been cramped in the same spot for a
while.. Once the flat wears a little, they will develope a slow drip..
Maybe you’ll get Lucky, and it will be a hose leak, rather than your
Radiator.. Good Video.. I feel on the floor laughing when you said you just
have to remove the front of the car.. LMAO.
Well in this case it was not bad lol They do get stressed and my first one
blew out at 120k miles. Thanks for watching!
What a coincidence, I just did this job last week at 167k miles… Drove
the car for a couple of days and the drive shaft’s carrier bearing went
out. I don’t know if the drive shaft is rubbing around the transmission
tunnel or the bearing housing, but it sure makes an awful noise. I have
scheduled a tow truck to transport my car to the BMW tech to get the job
done. I feel this job is too big for me to tackle on my garage floor.
Yep, it was going anyway… I just know it lol
The radiator job is next. Looks like it wont be too bad. Thanks for
watching!
This is a very common issue with these cars. I hope I don’t have issues
with my carrier bearing now! lol
No coment? What does coment mean? Thanks for watching!
Just a quick question , s
Hi! i get it out and now i have put everything back so now i have only to
bleed the airbubbles out of the system like you do at 5:57 -> so is the car
running at the same time and there is in the bottom of the tank one bleed
screw also (blue one), am i going to touch that to? or is it something
else? you change the o ring for that ?
lol Nope, no more spiders!
Ed, have you replaced ET without actually getting under the car (at all)
and without removing plastic skid plate/cover from under the engine? Thanks.
one addition to this when pulling the tank have a new ATT valve ready it
will probably break into pieces when pulling tank
the air in my truck isnt working good and all this stuff your doing is
scaring me . lol i was getting ready to recharge it like you did in last
video . but now you got me worried about this tank and stuff 😛 thumbs up
buddy
great video.. thank you so much for your help
lol It’s been a good car. It has 198k on it now, so things are starting to
go on it. I just need to keep up on it. Thanks Vic!!
lol you can’t get good camera help these days!!! Thanks for watching Buddy!
First things first… recharge the A/C then you can focus on the other
stuff that will break right after that lol Thanks 500!
Well, that’s a pretty job to replace that thank, it takes a little time.
Hi Ed, I had my expansion tank cracked so I bought a new one on ebay. I
just receive it but it has some ticking and clicking sound inside. I
grabbed the lever indicator stick with my left hand (to avoid it to move)
and with my right hand I tilted the tank and that noise appeared. I checked
with a lantern and it looks like two small metal pieces are loose inside.
Would that be part of the tank? or the tank is just broken or faulty?
Thanks for your help.
You can replace the upper rad hose without draining the coolant. You will
loose some fluid so you will need to add some after the replacement, and
you may not need to bleed the system. You should bleed anyway to be sure.
What kind of coolant to use in a 2003 325i e46? Do you have to use blue
bmw?
Thanks for the comment and for watching!
Brother . I have problem i chage .spancion tank trasmission termostat.new
radiator. water pump. Termostat water pump. All cooling sistem .i blead it.
Fans working good.bu the car still over heating. Please i need u
help…thanks..
Thanks for watching!
That didn’t look too bad. Worst part was getting everything out of the way.
Nice job!
Nice vid ed, yep shoot the camera man lol 🙂 Not easy working and filming,
shame the fix didnt work but you made that plug better than original so
perhaps not a waste of time, and we gained a smashing dissasembly video 🙂
Hi there wondering if anyone could help me out with an over heating problem
on my e46. Overheats after about 15 minutes and the heat inside dosent
work. replaced the therometer didnt do anything please help!
you find anymore of those big spiders? maybe festering in the bimmer,
please say no! 😛
hi ed next time you need cooling tester
did you have a problem with the coolent warning light??