E90Post
 


Extreme Powerhouse
 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Mechanical Maintenance: Break-in / Oil & Fluids / Servicing / Warranty > N52 330i Upper Radiator Hose/Heater Core Inlet Hose Leak



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      12-05-2016, 04:18 PM   #1
noah.s
Lieutenant
94
Rep
447
Posts

Drives: 2011 335i M-Sport
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: FL

iTrader: (0)

N52 330i Upper Radiator Hose/Heater Core Inlet Hose Leak

Hey I was wondering if anyone has replaced the heater core inlet hose on a 2006 330i or maybe any e90/e92 with an N52 since they'll probably be similar. I haven't really found a DIY. Looks like I have a leak at where the heater core inlet hose tees into the underneath of the upper radiator hose.
If you have, is it doable from the top or do I need to get underneath? How difficult of a DIY is this and any special tools or seals or maybe o-rings?
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2016, 08:25 AM   #2
Meeni
Gateropode
Meeni's Avatar
329
Rep
2,848
Posts

Drives: BMW 330i 06
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: TN

iTrader: (0)

Not sure which choses you are referring to but i did thé pne that runs over the radiator, between the expansion tank to the nipple on the water pipe between the oil filter assembly and the radiator. That nipple broke during disassembly because the plastic was cooked. Install of these 2 hoses was short. I had to drain and vent the coolant. Overall about 3 hours of relaxed work and 200 on parts and expedite shipping to get the big hose that broke in 1 day
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2016, 10:28 AM   #3
noah.s
Lieutenant
94
Rep
447
Posts

Drives: 2011 335i M-Sport
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: FL

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Meeni View Post
Not sure which choses you are referring to but i did thé pne that runs over the radiator, between the expansion tank to the nipple on the water pipe between the oil filter assembly and the radiator. That nipple broke during disassembly because the plastic was cooked. Install of these 2 hoses was short. I had to drain and vent the coolant. Overall about 3 hours of relaxed work and 200 on parts and expedite shipping to get the big hose that broke in 1 day
Thanks. So my leak is on the tee on the upper radiator hose. It's on the driver side, it's short and goes from the radiator to the the engine, I think to the oil filter housing? I need the replaced that, which shouldn't be too bad.
The one that seems like it's gonna suck tees off the bottom of the upper radiator hose. It goes straight down, then turns and heads straight toward the firewall. It's one of the heater core hoses I think, from looking at part manuals. I'll have to take a better look at it today.

I think I know the hose you're talking about. It's pretty small and taps into the top of the upper radiator hose.
Appreciate 0
      12-11-2016, 06:12 AM   #4
Efthreeoh
General
United_States
16870
Rep
18,554
Posts

Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Virginia

iTrader: (0)

You must have missed my DIY of replacing the entire set of nine (9) cooling system hoses on the '06 N52. The hose you are talking about runs off a tee from the upper radiator hose and goes off to the firewall heater core connection. You have to get the air box out of the way to work on it. The heater core connections are a bit of a bitch to work on. DIY is here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=936250
__________________
A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
Appreciate 0
      12-11-2016, 09:18 AM   #5
noah.s
Lieutenant
94
Rep
447
Posts

Drives: 2011 335i M-Sport
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: FL

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh View Post
You must have missed my DIY of replacing the entire set of nine (9) cooling system hoses on the '06 N52. The hose you are talking about runs off a tee from the upper radiator hose and goes off to the firewall heater core connection. You have to get the air box out of the way to work on it. The heater core connections are a bit of a bitch to work on. DIY is here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=936250
Thanks, don't know how I missed that! Pulled some stuff apart yesterday and found it was a pinhole leak on the radiator near he upper hose. Though I'm sure all the hoses need to be replaced soon, as well as the radiator, I'm going to try to repair the leak for now.
Another discovery was that instead of the valve cover gasket being bad like I thought, almost all of the valve cover bolts were loose! Especially in the corner where the most oil leaked, they weren't even hand tight! So I tried tightnening them but was super scared of breaking them. Ended up snapping one of them in the corner by the oil filter housing. Ordered a new set of bolts and going to replace them all since they're one time use. And going to grab a more accurate torque wrench since I don't trust mine.
Appreciate 0
      12-11-2016, 12:36 PM   #6
Efthreeoh
General
United_States
16870
Rep
18,554
Posts

Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Virginia

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by noah.s View Post
Thanks, don't know how I missed that! Pulled some stuff apart yesterday and found it was a pinhole leak on the radiator near he upper hose. Though I'm sure all the hoses need to be replaced soon, as well as the radiator, I'm going to try to repair the leak for now.
Another discovery was that instead of the valve cover gasket being bad like I thought, almost all of the valve cover bolts were loose! Especially in the corner where the most oil leaked, they weren't even hand tight! So I tried tightnening them but was super scared of breaking them. Ended up snapping one of them in the corner by the oil filter housing. Ordered a new set of bolts and going to replace them all since they're one time use. And going to grab a more accurate torque wrench since I don't trust mine.
Just do the valve cover gasket and don't just order the bolts. The gaskets on the N52 suck. They get hard and start to leak. Tightening the bolts will not help.
__________________
A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
Appreciate 0
      12-11-2016, 08:44 PM   #7
noah.s
Lieutenant
94
Rep
447
Posts

Drives: 2011 335i M-Sport
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: FL

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh View Post
Just do the valve cover gasket and don't just order the bolts. The gaskets on the N52 suck. They get hard and start to leak. Tightening the bolts will not help.
Well the weirdest thing is the valve cover gasket was replaced around 20k miles ago. That's why I didnt understand why it was leaking, I just assumed whoever did it fucked up the install.
The loose bolts make sense because the loosest bolts were on the front passenger side and there was a lot of oil leaking there but nowhere else. So I'm going to try the bolts for now, if not then I'll have to do the valve cover gasket and some other stuff.
It's the metal gasket on the early n52 as well so hopefully it's not ruined.
Appreciate 0
      12-12-2016, 04:18 AM   #8
Efthreeoh
General
United_States
16870
Rep
18,554
Posts

Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Virginia

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by noah.s View Post
Well the weirdest thing is the valve cover gasket was replaced around 20k miles ago. That's why I didnt understand why it was leaking, I just assumed whoever did it fucked up the install.
The loose bolts make sense because the loosest bolts were on the front passenger side and there was a lot of oil leaking there but nowhere else. So I'm going to try the bolts for now, if not then I'll have to do the valve cover gasket and some other stuff.
It's the metal gasket on the early n52 as well so hopefully it's not ruined.
When I did mine, I decided the gasket was not of the best design. It's mostly metal-based with a thin membrane of ribbed rubber and then coated with an adhesive that I figure bonds to the surfaces of the head and valve cover once the engine heats up. Mine really was not leaking even after 300,000+ miles, I was getting concern my ESS was on it way out, so I replaced both the gasket and the sensor. When I did the repaire I used a thin coat of Permatex gasket maker (Black) when I reassembled with a new gasket.
__________________
A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
Appreciate 0
      12-12-2016, 07:01 AM   #9
noah.s
Lieutenant
94
Rep
447
Posts

Drives: 2011 335i M-Sport
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: FL

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh View Post
When I did mine, I decided the gasket was not of the best design. It's mostly metal-based with a thin membrane of ribbed rubber and then coated with an adhesive that I figure bonds to the surfaces of the head and valve cover once the engine heats up. Mine really was not leaking even after 300,000+ miles, I was getting concern my ESS was on it way out, so I replaced both the gasket and the sensor. When I did the repaire I used a thin coat of Permatex gasket maker (Black) when I reassembled with a new gasket.
Sounds like a good idea with the gasket maker. If I end up having to replace the VCG I'm going to do the ESS too and whatever else should be addressed while I'm in there.
Appreciate 0
      01-30-2023, 09:22 PM   #10
bimmbo
New Member
0
Rep
9
Posts

Drives: 2007 BMW 328iT
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Oakland, CA

iTrader: (0)

O-ring Replacement on Heater Core Hose at Upper Radiator Hose Tee Lower Connection

I am in the process of replacing my radiator (with a CSF all-aluminum radiator), upper and lower radiator hoses, and coolant expansion tank and hose. Doing this cause I had a leak somewhere near the radiator and my expansion tank float broke not too long ago. After putting in the new parts, topping up with a coolant flush kit and water, and running the engine, I noticed a leak coming from the upper radiator hose tee lower connection (heater core hose?). I thought, weird, I inspected everything and things looked ok, and even put a light film of silicone grease on the mating fittings to hopefully prevent the hoses from seizing to the fittings if I were to have to replace anything in the future. With my inlet air manifold removed and the car running (I know, risky) I was able to push and pull on that lower hose connection on the upper radiator hose and see coolant gushing out as I flexed it. Turned the car off, removed that hose and inspected. Couldn't see anything obvious like a torn inner hose o-ring or damaged fitting sealing surface, so I decided to remove the inner o-ring and measure with a set of calipers. I noticed that the lower connection on the tee fitting of my new Rein upper radiator hose was about .865" diameter, while the old Contitech measured at .881" diameter. I suppose .016" diameter variation might be ok, although that tolerance does seem kind of wide. Measured the ID of the o-ring and it was around .874". The o-ring had some compression set, and some flat surfaces on it so I'm pretty sure there's no contact on the o-ring ID with the Rein hose's smaller fitting diameter. I couldn't find the part on RealOEM, not sure it's sold by BMW or the particular diagrams are not accurate or missing, so I bought some from McMaster-Carr (PN 1288N172 ) for $6.21 per 5-pack...Viton 75 Durometer AS568-212 size (7/8 ID [.859 actual] / 1-1/8 OD [1.137 actual]. I'll update again in the next day or two once I get the parts and install...
Appreciate 0
      04-29-2023, 05:02 PM   #11
Mixgasdivr
New Member
6
Rep
6
Posts

Drives: 2009 335xi
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Chesapeake VA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmbo View Post
I am in the process of replacing my radiator (with a CSF all-aluminum radiator), upper and lower radiator hoses, and coolant expansion tank and hose. Doing this cause I had a leak somewhere near the radiator and my expansion tank float broke not too long ago. After putting in the new parts, topping up with a coolant flush kit and water, and running the engine, I noticed a leak coming from the upper radiator hose tee lower connection (heater core hose?). I thought, weird, I inspected everything and things looked ok, and even put a light film of silicone grease on the mating fittings to hopefully prevent the hoses from seizing to the fittings if I were to have to replace anything in the future. With my inlet air manifold removed and the car running (I know, risky) I was able to push and pull on that lower hose connection on the upper radiator hose and see coolant gushing out as I flexed it. Turned the car off, removed that hose and inspected. Couldn't see anything obvious like a torn inner hose o-ring or damaged fitting sealing surface, so I decided to remove the inner o-ring and measure with a set of calipers. I noticed that the lower connection on the tee fitting of my new Rein upper radiator hose was about .865" diameter, while the old Contitech measured at .881" diameter. I suppose .016" diameter variation might be ok, although that tolerance does seem kind of wide. Measured the ID of the o-ring and it was around .874". The o-ring had some compression set, and some flat surfaces on it so I'm pretty sure there's no contact on the o-ring ID with the Rein hose's smaller fitting diameter. I couldn't find the part on RealOEM, not sure it's sold by BMW or the particular diagrams are not accurate or missing, so I bought some from McMaster-Carr (PN 1288N172 ) for $6.21 per 5-pack...Viton 75 Durometer AS568-212 size (7/8 ID [.859 actual] / 1-1/8 OD [1.137 actual]. I'll update again in the next day or two once I get the parts and install...
bimmbo any update? I have the same issue right now...new Rein upper hose and original lower hose o-ring and a leak.
Appreciate 0
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:54 AM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST