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Your BMW Parts Source! |
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It’s easy to prevent a breakdown before it happens. |
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Your BMW cooling system is very important to keep maintained; it's easy once you understand it. If you don't understand your BMW cooling system, then here are just a few tips. We constantly ad to our tech data, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We get by with a little help from our friends!
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Your BMW cooling system, when in proper working order performs a very critical task. |
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Here we will show you some components of your BMW cooling system.
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Your BMW Water Pump is the heart so to speak it pumps vital fluids (Anti-Freeze) through your engine block and cylinder head. Most BMW cars have just one pump that is belt driven, on BMW 735iL E32, BMW 740iL E32, BMW 740iL E38 models they have an additional water pump. To make the pump last a long life it is recommended to drain and fill your system every two years. Your BMW water pump will last an average of 60,000 miles. We recommend replacing at this interval to prevent failure while traveling. When is the last time you replaced your water pump? Most often your BMW water pump will give you a sign when it is starting to fail, you usually here a slight growl in the engine area or you may notice coolant puddles under your car.The water pump uses centrifugal force to send coolant to the outside while it spins, causing coolant to be drawn from the center continuously. The inlet to the pump is located near the center so that coolant returning from the radiator hits the water pump vanes. The water pump flings the coolant to the outside of the water pump, where it can enter the motor. The coolant is pumped through the engine block and cylinder heads by the water pump to pick up heat along the way; the flow is controlled by the thermostat. After the fluid leaves the engine, it passes through a heat exchanger, or radiator, which transfers the heat from the fluid to the air blowing through the radiator. |
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The BMW Radiator and the Oil Cooler
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While you are replacing your BMW radiator, it would be a good idea to replace your coolant hoses, belts; thermostat and water pump if not replaced recently. Most modern cars use aluminum radiators. These radiators are made with aluminum fins that are flattened to aluminum tubes. The BMW antifreeze flows from the upper radiator neck to the outlet through these tubes mounted in a parallel arrangement. The radiator or heat exchanger fins conduct the heat from the tubes and transfer it to the air flowing through the radiator. Most BMW radiators are fitted with a Behr unit which is manufactured for BMW by Behr of Germany or. There are also quality aftermarket units made by Nissen’s which are manufactured in Denmark. Both are Quality units but the Behr is an O.E.M. radiator. To verify what I am saying just look on the top of your radiator and you will see the Behr stamp. In fact most BMW parts have the O.E.M. part number stamped into the part itself!
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The upper radiator neck is prone to breaking due to the heat or while removing the hose. Please be careful when removing and installing the upper and lower radiator hose as the neck is made of plastic. On cars with automatic transmission, there is usually a separate circuit for cooling the transmission fluid built into the radiator. The transmission oil is pumped by the transmission through a second oil cooler inside the radiator. Radiators usually have a tank on each side, and inside the tank is a transmission cooler. The transmission oil cooler is like a radiator within a radiator, except instead of exchanging heat with the air, the oil cooler exchanges heat with the coolant in the radiator
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The BMW fan clutch plays a vital role in keeping your engine running cool. Your fan clutch should lock up when your temperature reaches just over half on the temp gauge. Your fan clutch is located at the end of the water pump with the fan blade attached to it. Rule of thumb is your fan clutch loses 10% of its efficiency per year. There are generally two manufacturers of Bmw fan clutches. Both are OEM equipment made by either Sachs or Behr of Germany. |
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The thermostat is usually located where the BMW coolant leaves the engine. The hoses and or cooling pipes around the thermostat send the fluid back to the pump directly if the thermostat is closed. If it is open, the goes through the radiator first and then back to the pump. On modern cars with electronic control systems it is crucial to use the correct temperature thermostat. We only list one temperature thermostat in our BMW parts catalog for that reason. |
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The belts on your car should be inspected and replaced at regular intervals. While you are replacing any part in your cooling system why not replace the belts? They are an inexpensive alternative to road side assistance. If your car has a timing belt it should be replaced as recommended by your vehicles manufacturer The BMW models such as the1989 thru 90 525i, 325i, 528e and 325e from 1984 through 1992 all use a timing belt. Not changing your timing belt can lead to serious engine repair resulting in bent intake and exhaust valves or cylinder head replacement. |
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Heater Core
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The heater core is another part of your cars cooling system. When replacing your radiator hoses it is a good idea to replace the heater hoses also. These are attached to your BMW heater core as well as the heater valve. |
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