Hey guys!

Been a while since I've posted here, but I've had 84,000 rather trouble free miles (knock on wood!).

I pulled in too far to a parking spot and pinched my lower radiator hose on the passengers side and it now has a small puncture in the top. Does anyone have any pictures or a walkthrough to replacing it?

I'm ordering a new lower radiator hose online and would like to do it myself versus paying BMW an arm and a leg.

 

Get the front of the car up on jack stands, and loosen up the hose clamps, in order to remove the hose. The clamps may be difficult to deal with if you do not have the proper tool. You will need a large drain pan to catch all the coolant. Be sure to wear eye protection.
Once you have removed and replaced the hose, you will have to refill the system with coolant. There is a procedure you need to follow in order to fill it correctly.
Do some research before you undertake the job.

 

Clams aren't THAT hard to deal with - simple pliers will suffice for squeezing them open and sliding them off the mounting point. I just removed all of the coolant lines from my old engine with regular pliers as part of an engine swap (don't ask). The only ones that gave me a hard time where those connected to the auto-tranny heater exchange.

Here is the picture of what you are about to work on:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...93&hg=17&fg=30

I'm guessing you will be swapping the hose that comes out of the bottom of the radiator and goes to the t-stat. That hose actually has 3 pieces, so only buy the section that you need.

The only question in the back of my mind is access to the radiator side of the hose (if that's the section you need to replace). I don't remember what the access is without putting the bumper into "radiator service" position (google for that if access becomes a problem).

If you are really quick, or have a helper who doesn't mind getting dirty, you may be able to plug the open end of the hoses to minimize coolant loss. If not, of if your coolant is older than 3 years, drain and refill with 1 gallon of MINI coolant + distilled water.


a

 

Just noticed you are in Northern NJ - so am I, about 30 minutes north of you.

Fell free to ping me offline if you want to swing by my house of the job - for tools and encouragement ;-)

a