I already STFA and couldn't find much information about a "better" coolant expansion tank. Took my car on it's first big trip this weekend since owning it, and noticed the typical residue between the top and bottom sections after returning home. Does anyone make a better aftermarket coolant expansion tank? I'm a noob, so sorry if this has already been beaten to death.

 

Here's one:

http://www.waymotorworks.com/forge-a...-tank-r53.html

I believe there is at least on other brand, but can't find it at the moment.

I just replaced mine with the stock plastic one. Apparently the later makes are sealed better. We'll see...

 

Thank you. Not sure I want to spend $180 on a coolant tank. Seems cheaper to replace the OEM every few years.

 

The coolant tank leaking is a problem on the "s"....the R53, and "S" cabrio's.
On the Just-a-cooper, it is not pressurized (I'm 99% sure)....so they simply do not fail. On the S, the tank is run at the same pressure, as the rad....and they fail. It is likly the tank simply overflowed on your car, and it is fine. If you want a "better tank", the WMW are great...but mostly $$$, but they are nice, and will never fail.

 

Thank you.

 

My oem one lasted ~6 years, so hopefully this "better" oem one will last just as long.

 

I bought the Forge tank from Way and installed it last week when my OE tank failed. It was semi-expensive but I don't want to replace it again.......ever.

Sad that some OE engineer thought the design. and subsequent revisions, they came up with was good.....a pressurized tank with a seam in the middle joined by questionable means.

 

I went thru 3 on my 2002-S over the course of the years and just recently helped another change his leaking one out on his 03. That seam just seems prone to failure after 3 to 4 years.

I too wanted a better replacement but at $180 plus/minus, yes you can replace the plastic one many times. Replacement is about 10 minutes, it is held in place with one fastener and two hoses. Replace the hose clamps with screw types and speed things up for next time. You probably want to move the coil-pak when you change out the tank just to get room to move the tank out but that is just seconds too.....

 

To quantify "ever" in my above post, I bought my Mini for the sole purpose of commuting to clients within a 7 hour driving range. If you stay close to home, replacing every few years works. Fortunately for me, my OE tank failed in my garage. It is well worth the money spent on the Forge tank to know I won't have to source one of these while on the road......not every town has a Way Motor Works

I guess I could have bought a spare to carry around with me but space is already so limited.....

 

Fortunately they fail to a slow leak...not explosively!! I think most folks have them leak for several thousand miles before they notice them leaking....if you check your oil/fluid levels regularly, you will catch it sooner...heck, long before the system runs dry and overheats if you just glance under the hood while you check the oil weekly!!

 

In some scenarios maybe.....mine went from no leak to dumping half of its contents in my garage as it almost split in half.....not ideal......and I check my oil (and other things) twice a week- before I leave to go out of town and before I leave to come home.

 

my experience is if you watch what is happening in the engine compartment

this will NOT be a surprise

 

I'm thinking I want to replace mine just because. Plus I'm going on a 2 week driving trip fairly soon and want to eliminate any potential problems.

So, is the WMW tank the only option for my 06 JCW cabriolet?

How much hassle is it to disconnect the JCW front strut brace and reinstall it? And what should the bolts at the ends be torqued to?

Thanks!

 

Like I said, I check twice a week, and it was a TOTAL surprise

No weeping or slight leaks to suggest anything catastrophic was going to happen.......but it did, maybe I am the exception.

 

I had to remove my strut brace, the torque specs provided by GTT are 25 ft/lbs for the 3 strut bolts on either side.

 

I replaced mine with a CANTON coolant expansion tank and high pressure cap. Simple and not very expensive, I think the cap and tank came out to $150. You can see a picture of what it looks like here on DrPhilGhandini's photo:

 

Thanks, just Googled it.

 

I was thinking that I'd leave the plate in place and simply unbolt the brace from the plate. One bolt on either end of the brace. Will that work?

 

You could do that, but you would need the torque spec if you don't feel comfortable torquing it by feel- I don't have access to TIS today to look it up, maybe someone on here with the JCW brace or access to TIS can provide it.

 

Thanks for that. I was thinking the torque spec would be nice but not absolutely necessary. I've got a pretty well calibrated wrist from years of wrenching.

What I'm wondering most is if I pop the cross bar off, will the mounting hole centers on either side change enough to make it difficult to reinstall the cross brace? I suppose worst case, I could measure the cross brace from some good reference point with some calipers, loosen the adjusting nut, set it so that it goes into place properly, and then readjust the cross brace to the original setting.

Also, since I just confirmed I've got the newer, yellowish expansion tank, I may not do the new tank yet. The car is an 06 JCW cab with only 32,000 miles on it. And no signs of leakage from the tank. I think it will likely hold up fine for the trip.

I may spend the money and put a new battery in, though.

 

just watch the seam and the heat shield below the tank

if you begin to see residue around the seam, or on the heat shield below, that means it is seeping and the heat is cooking the coolant; you see crumbs ...

replace the tank - not expensive, very easy and my NEW tanks (plastic) are not much better then the one in my bought new 02 . . .

'explosive failure' - first time I've heard of this and I've been around here since the beginning (but changed my name a few years ago to protect the innocent)

 

Thanks for that.

'Got another question or two. I notice that the Canton tank requires the use of an aftermarket pressure cap rated at 30 psi. Is this the same as the stock Mini cap pressure rating? I thought most car systems ran in the range of 14 to 16 psi. I don't want to be using a much higher blow-off pressure than what the stock Mini system calls for.

Also, with the forged tank from WMW, I notice that the overflow hose connects to the side of the tank and it would seem that the stock system doesn't run under pressure. Or is the pressure valve in that overflow hose somewhere? If the stock system runs under pressure, what is the max and where is the blow off valve located? In the stock cap? And if that's where it is, how does the system build pressure if the overflow tube is open?

Lot's of unanswered questions......

 

No, it shouldn't and yes you can if it does. Your looking at an eight of a turn at most.
Don't you lift the passenger side to change the oil filter?

Hope this helps...

 

The stock tank, on a R53, is part of the pressurized cooling system.
It's an expansion tank not a recovery tank and overfilling the tank may cause the seams to split.
I don't know what the exact pressure is and I believe it vents the excess pressure past the gasket in the cap.
There is no relief valve that I know about. If I'm wrong about this someone will post the correct information.

Never fill more than the minimum mark, just above the fins, when cold.
When I stared doing this my leaks, at the cap, quit and I have had no coolant issues since.
I adjust the level once a year at most.

I just did the west coast route of MTTS from San Francisco to Denver and the return trip totaling 4760 miles
with no change in the coolant level or leakage around the cap.

Hope this helps...

 

Thanks. That helps some. What's curious is that there seems to be an small overflow hose off the side of the tank (as your looking at it in the car). If this hose is really vented to the atmosphere at the far end and simply plugs into the side of the tank with no pressure valve involved, I don't see how the system can build pressure. So, is there a pressure valve in that small hose line somewhere?

I really need to get a service manual. What's the best one out there?