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03-19-2018, 07:08 PM | #1 |
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Upgrading expansion tank
I was watching a BMW channel and the guy had a M5 that needed a new coolant expansion tank. He upgraded to a metal tank because these are a known fail point. That got me to thinking if any of you have done this on your S54.
Would it be worth it? Is there a downside to a metal expansion tank? |
03-28-2018, 01:20 PM | #2 |
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Never seen it done on a Z, but there are several E46 threads out there experimenting this.
I believe Mishimoto was making an aluminum replacement but it was of poor fit/quality and was discontinued. There is however an outfit called Zionsville Autosport selling a comp radiator and expansion tank setup for E46; you might try contacting them about a solution for the E85/6 https://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/...g-kit-1999-05/ |
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03-28-2018, 08:01 PM | #4 |
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And don't forget about the plastic line.
I expect mine to shatter into a thousand pieces one of these days. Zionsville radiator and expansion tank and braided line would be the hot setup. Pun intended.
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03-29-2018, 11:56 AM | #5 |
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This doesn't seem to be a big problem with the Z4, at least not yet. On the E46, it's almost a right of passage to replace the entire cooling system. They also replace the exp tank cap with one that vents at a lower temp/pressure, as some think that something goes wrong and causes a pressure spike, and that is what causes the exp tank to fail. I actually have an exp tank, hoses, transmission thermostat, new water pump, etc. ready to go into my son's E46.
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04-01-2018, 06:54 AM | #6 |
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My tank showed no signs of leaking or loosing coolant last year, on a long drive out of state, coolant tank blew into pieces....had no choice to bring it to nearest stealership to get fixed. Preventative maintenance part.
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04-01-2018, 09:35 AM | #7 |
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I went a separate route and got rid of it - went to an old-school metal water bottle where the overflow just dumps into it. Couldn't believe the extra cost involved with a oem-replacement or even an 'upgraded' replacement.
I have images of it in my 2JZ build thread if your curious. May not be for everyone...
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04-01-2018, 09:57 AM | #8 |
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That sucks... how many miles at the time?
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04-01-2018, 10:23 AM | #9 | |
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04-01-2018, 11:59 PM | #10 |
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Thanks. Something new for me to worry about.
I sit in stop/go traffic in 100°F+ heat and have 173k miles. I can totally picture tank shards all over the place. Adding tank and line to my next bulk parts order. Can you believe I'm still on my original water pump?
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04-02-2018, 01:31 AM | #11 |
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04-02-2018, 04:21 AM | #12 |
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tbh these have lasted so long, i think during a service just drain coolant and replace with a new stock one, replacing these one every decade is reasonable imo.
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04-06-2018, 12:03 PM | #13 |
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I have gone through 2 expansion tanks in five years of ownership on my 3.0i. The first cracked and I ended up doing a cooling system overhaul a couple of years ago (thermostat was also cracked) and another just a few weeks ago.
To be fair, it is outside in the wild year round so it is subject to the crazy weather we have in the Chicago area, so I regard the expansion tank cracking as just part of the territory for me using a Z year round!
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04-06-2018, 12:35 PM | #14 |
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Oh man, yall quit posting these expansion tank failures. I thought we were immune to this blight that other BMWs suffer. I'm putting my head back in the sand.
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04-07-2018, 10:18 AM | #15 |
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Tank size/shape is unique to our cars. E46 S54 expansion tank won’t fit. Z3 S54 expansion tank will.
They’re not excessively expensive. I plan on doing mine this summer for peace of mind, but there are no direct bolt-on aluminum replacement units on the market so I’ll be replacing with OEM.
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