Unofficialbmw.com

[wtkill]

Hey everyone,

My 1993 325is gave me the low coolant warning the other day, and the expansion tank was pretty well dry. Car's been parked since then. I've owned the car since 2001 and have put around 80k on it. It received a new radiator and hoses shortly before I bought it. It was pretty well maintained by the previous owner.

I went to look under the hood this evening, and quickly found that one of the coolant hoses has a split right where it fastens into the t-stat housing. Thankfully, I found it now and not later...

Anyhow, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty and all that. But the BMW seems a much touchier beast than most of my other cars. I've never changed the coolant hoses on it before and want to make sure I don't make a mess of it.

At the risk of sounding stupid, what should I plan on buying? Do all the hoses need to be changed, including heater hoses and those hoses that go into the throttle body?

Which hose clamps should I use?

What should I buy and from where should I buy it?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you,
-Bill
_________________
-William K.
1993 BMW 325is

[PJK]

Hi Bill,

I think I am in the same boat as you. I can't remember if I changed the main radiator hoses or not but I know my e36 has not had all the coolant hoses replaced.

Once when I had the car at Dinan for something they offered to change all the hoses for a price which pretty much stunned me. I don't remember the price but when I regained my composure they explained that was something like eleven hoses total and some were difficult to get to. I checked in Bentley and could not figure out what the job entails. It is frustrating that Bentley is the best BMW information that ordinary mortals can afford.

At any rate it seems that it is time to do some research on this. If I find any thing of value I'll post it. If you get there first please do the same.

Phil

[mmaldin]

I have changed my upper and lower radiator hoses only. I will suggest buying OE hoses from a dealer. I've purchased aftermarket hoses for my BMW and Volvo that were supposed to be from OEM's. The fit and quality of the rubber hoses were not the same quality as the dealer branded product. I wound re-purchasing the hoses for the good BMW ones.
By the way, here are my definitions of OE, OEM, aftermarket.
OE-original equipment-only sold by BMW dealers, has BMW logo
OEM-Original Equipment Manufacturer- Supplier to BMW that sells the same products through other parts suppliers, Same parts as BMW without the logo, i.e. Bosch, Sachs, Lemforder.
Aftermarket-A manufacturer that copies parts made by OEM's. May be good, may be poor quality, depends on the aftermarket manufacturer.
_________________
Michael
94 325i, 178K miles, original owner

[rchachi]

I would buy the hoses from BMW or from pelicanparts.com. Pelican will have better prices. As for the hoseclamps I would buy thrones you tighten with a screw driver from Autozone or advance. Just take the new hoses there and match up the size you need. I would also change the ones that go to the throttle body and the one that goes to the intake if they feel brittle.

[paxcam]

For your age car, I would change all hoses and belts, anything rubber.

Also check your "bellows" air intake boot-- it cracks after a couple years and will start throwing check engine codes.

Hose clamps and coolant you can buy at NAPA .

Everything else, buy from Pelican parts. They also have a tech section with detailed pictures of how to DIY just about anything.

The work is quite simple, but you have to be willing to get greasy, dirty and probably a few busted knuckles.

I just changed my water pump and thermostat. I also changed hoses and belts while I was there. I believe in preventative maintenance, not patching after it breaks.

By the way, how old is your water pump?
_________________
1996 328i Alpine White

[yelcab1]

On the cheap, I would replace all the hoses touching the radiator. Leave the heater ones alone for a couple of years especially if they have been on a car that is in the garage. if the car lives outside in extreme climates (non california), I would replace all those other hoses too. Modern hoses do last a long time. My lexus with 200,000 miles have all the original hoses, although it is now time to change them all.

Buy from dealer, this is not a place to save a few bucks and ruin an engine.

[floridamary4]

thanks for sharing all your views
_________________
Heating Repairs