Just a heads up to check for a problem.

[03BamaX5]

I have a 2003 BMW x5 4.4i .. I was leaving on a trip this weekend and Friday I topped off my windshield washer tank. I noticed on the expansion tank for the radiator (where you put in coolant and it has the red marker that shows the level) I had a little bit of of coolant that had dried up around the bottom level of that tank.

I poked around a little and I could not find where I had a leak. I assumed it must have gotten hot and vented?? Althoug thats what the tank is for. I should have known then something was wrong but I lied to myself.

So I drive the 380 miles to my destination. No problems. Load the family up in the morning and when I crank the x5.. Ding ding.. Check Coolant.

I knew then that yeah I had a leak. So I left it running to see if I could see the leak and when I touched one hose it started pouring out.

The hose in question appears to be what takes the expanded coolant from the radiator and pours it into the tank.

If you look at the radiator from the top right there will be the upper radiator hose. On that hose coupler there is a almost right angle tap that reduces into a rubber hose. That hose has a plastic line that runs to the right from the radiator and is held into place by two compression brackets on the expansion tank. It then curves around the right and up into another rubber hose that plugs in to the expansion tank.

The rubber host parts were ok. The plastic line itself was in poor shape. My plastic hose failed where the y-shaped clamps that hold the hose onto the tank. I guess as it got brittle the compression there and/or vibration made it fail at that point.

When I pulled the plastic line up and out of the holder it snapped totally in to. I did not put any pressure on it. Just lightly pulled it out. I plugged both ends with my thumbs and asked my wife to cut the x5 off.

Thankfully some people were with us and we were able to find a parts store where I was able to get some rubber hose and clamps to bridge the bad plastic part that failed.

The rubber piece was dry rotten all the way across. I could just pinch it with my finger tips and it would snap off.

This is a failure point. Granted mine is 5 years old and I will be buying that new piece. If it makes it another 5 years then so be it. I would recomend checking this part on your x5. Its such a simple part but could be big trouble if it breaks all the way on you going down the road.

If I was not worried about "Rigging" something I would re-route this. Its on that expansion tank that gets hot and the power steering pump res and oil filter tank is right down under it. A lot of heat at that one area and it made it brittle.

Others may already know this but I'm just throwing it out there.

One word of caution if you mess with that hose any and it cracks anywhere well.. it was going to fail soon anyways but don't be mad at me if it does and you cant drive it until you get a new one or patch it.