1989 E34 M20B20 - Radiator Leak

[lance]

Hi everybody,My '89 E34 M20B20 radiator started to leak on Raya 1st day while parked at IKEA, Damansara.Can't be sure, but look like it's from the lower hose area. It's completely drained the system after awhile.I waited until the engine was cool before adding tap water into the radiator. Didn't show any leakages at first.Then I started the engine and it started to leak a little and streamed out shortly after.AAM towed my car back to my house in Puchong that evening and just managed to send it to my mechanic this afternoon. Hope he can find out what's the problem.I read in a couple of websites on stuff to check; let me know if there are other things to look at ...1. Water pump2. Thermostat3. Hoses4. Main fan operation5. The radiator itself

 

[lance]

Hi guys,

Just to update. My mechanic just called. The whole radiator needs to be replace (crack in several places). It was a 2004 part; not sure why it failed so fast ...

Anyway ... a used unit is unreliable (RM600+), hence he recommend a new one (RM1,000+). Sigh ...

In the meantime, I asked him to check on the rest of the system and replace the hoses

 

[lance]

Hey guys,

The radiator has been replaced. He has removed and checked the Thermostat, Water pump, hoses and belting. All seem to be ok.

Quick question - how do we know if the cooling system is running ok? As usual, the top hose is hot and bottom is colder - this is normal throughout the operation of the engine, right?
How about the temperature gauge - at idling, it should be about half? If I run the engine idle for 30 mins and check the hoses and temp. gauge - what should be the feeling/reading? Same?

Another question, is it normal for the radiator cap to rattle during the above testing using pipe water?

Thanx guys.

 

[lance]

Just spoke with mechanic again. He is now reassembling back everything and doing a 2nd round full test. Will see if the temp. gauge spike to the red zone again!

If it does ... he will need to remove the top and have a look at the insides of the engine ... sad.