In todays video we are diagnosing and repairing the cooling system on a 2002 BMW E46 325xi Touring!
I will show you how to inspect, diagnose with a cooling system pressure tester, identify the leak, and then im going to show you how to replace the radiator, radiator bracket, expansion tank, cap, upper radiator hose, lower radiator hose, the hose from the radiator to the water pipe, and the hose from the expansion tank to the heater core.
The reason for replacing all of these extra parts is that they are all connected to the failed radiator, and they look like they are absolutely ready to fail.
We turned this E46 touring back into a reliable driver with this budget cooling system overhaul, and I hope you get a lot of value out of this video!
Subscribe to the channel for more DIY BMW content, and I will link all the tools used down below!
Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoy this weeks video 🙂
BMW E46 GIVEAWAY SERIES PLAYLIST!!!
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TOOLS USED:
Heat Gun
https://amzn.to/4wzcgdg
Knipex Flush Cut Pliers
https://amzn.to/4wBT5zn
Radiator Hose Pick Tools
https://amzn.to/4cGAHy0
Cooling System Pressure Tester w/ Adapters
https://amzn.to/462XFf0
Sil Glyde
https://amzn.to/4hD9gsn
Silicone Spray
https://amzn.to/462Zs3I
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Another great walkthrough, Alec, thanks for taking the time to educate us and show us all the weird angles and tricks. Mann has it going on!
And oh man, that skunk encounter must have been awful! I've never been sprayed but have definitely smelled some from run-over skunks on the highway – woooof!
Great video, really informative.
The obvious question now comes as to why not replace the Thermostat housing… same bad plastic as part of the upper radiator hose….comes with Water pump…. And since we are talking about worn out plastic… what about the coolant pipes that run just under the intake plenum by the intake ports? 100% of this amount of work results in those pipes bursting within a year…. so if your doing those and the intake is off, replace the CCV system as well. Yes, all of it is expensive, but the car won't have any issues for the next 8-10 years. These are Systems and need to be treated like systems….because the weak point will break. And yes, I did these full systems 2 years ago… now my Manual 5spd 330i gets 30+mpg out on the highway and often 25.5mpg (calculated at the pump) as overall. These e46's are great, if maintained.
Leave your Hood up for a half hour after you park at home if possible. The plastics last much longer without the "cooking effect" that happens while parked Hot! Done this service dozens of times, 3x E46 + X5 3.0 in the family. I Need a Wagon like this!
Great Work a through job!
This is gold!
I had my mechanic do this job on a M52TU25b, also did the water pump/thermostat and every coolant system hose. It was one in a million car, it had an expansion tank with a 1998 date code, that tank came off in 2023! I sold the car not too long after sadly.
OEM or better if possible. Alex has the Honesty + Work ethic to be a Rare Role Model! Amazing recovery and success story. 50yrs of BMW ownership+ repairs allows me to Praise this Polite Gentleman! ROCK ON SUN!
BMW's basically need whole cooling system overhaul every 70k to 100k miles depending on what climate you live in
I usually buy oem replacement parts, but when it comes to coolant system parts, I try and find metal replacements (expansion tank, "Mickey mouse" flange, all aluminum radiator etc. I've been stranded 3 times due to plastic parts failing. It's worth spending the extra money