How many miles on your radiator?

[TravsX5]

mine started slowly leaking at about 100k miles.

[admranger]

74k on mine. Expansion tank died at 73k and change.

JCL is correct -- it isn't miles, it is how those miles are accumulated (and the climate has to be considered too).

On the ones that have failed, anyone using anything but BMW coolant (plus water, of course)?

[fmugur]

Originally Posted by admranger

74k on mine. Expansion tank died at 73k and change.

JCL is correct -- it isn't miles, it is how those miles are accumulated (and the climate has to be considered too).

On the ones that have failed, anyone using anything but BMW coolant (plus water, of course)?

Right, I understand that the mileage is not the only factor but I wanted to to get some feedback. I haven't seen anybody with NPG+ yet on X5 although there are quite a few guys on e39/38 forums that use it successfully. I assume that will put much less stress on the radiator and the whole cooling system. NPG+ is a high boiling temp cooling fluid.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by fmugur

Right, I understand that the mileage is not the only factor but I wanted to to get some feedback. I haven't seen anybody with NPG+ yet on X5 although there are quite a few guys on e39/38 forums that use it successfully. I assume that will put much less stress on the radiator and the whole cooling system. NPG+ is a high boiling temp cooling fluid.

Actually, my mileage was just over 70k when the expansion tank split. My wife's M3 is at 74k. Can't keep 'em straight.

I'll be interested to hear about your experience with the NPG+ coolant. Since you have to get all the old anti-freeze out, you are luck you have the motor out and can flush the block easily. Don't forget to flush the heater core that is in the X5 still!

[JCL]

Originally Posted by fmugur

Right, I understand that the mileage is not the only factor but I wanted to to get some feedback. I haven't seen anybody with NPG+ yet on X5 although there are quite a few guys on e39/38 forums that use it successfully. I assume that will put much less stress on the radiator and the whole cooling system. NPG+ is a high boiling temp cooling fluid.

That is a whole separate debate. What I would worry about is that it doesn't transfer heat as well as either straight water or 50/50 coolant. The benefit is that it doesn't boil at the same temperature. So, you can run your cooling system much hotter without it boiling. Not sure how running it hotter puts less stress on the cooling system, unless you have a continual problem with boiling over.

[gerry_miranda]

about NPG+
What if you have a leak away from home you can't use water and if the leak is big you loose the expensive stuff. Unless you carry enough excess to do a whole system you have to wait and could be stranded out of town.

Also if you have to do maintenance, such as a water pump and thermostats, you have to replace it with expensive NPG+. or can you reuse it. I have never reused my coolant cause I dont think I can keep it clean enough to not cause blockage in small coolant passages.

[wallyx5]

Hey Fmugur,

Mine has 308,000 miles and still cooling. How did you project go of removing the engine? You're the man for tackling that one. I hope everything works out. Some day I will call you about that back up camera...lol It's on my list of stuff to do.

Cheers

[fmugur]

Originally Posted by JCL

That is a whole separate debate. What I would worry about is that it doesn't transfer heat as well as either straight water or 50/50 coolant. The benefit is that it doesn't boil at the same temperature. So, you can run your cooling system much hotter without it boiling. Not sure how running it hotter puts less stress on the cooling system, unless you have a continual problem with boiling over.

Yeah, it a different topic. I don't know for sure but it looks like it's been used for quite a few years by a lot of people and it is sold as coolant fluid so I assume it has the right specs for the job. I have read a lot about it a while back and bought it. I was waiting to get a chance to replace all the hoses before I do the switch. I will give it a try.
The boiling temperature is higher than water but it doesn't mean the fluid is going to be hotter, just the pressure will be lower since it's not trying to turn into steams.
It looks like the 3.0 engines doesn't seem to generate as many problems on the cooling system as the 4.4 does. Since 4.4 runs hotter it's trying to build up more pressure on the system and over time the cooling components fail.

[fmugur]

Originally Posted by wallyx5

Hey Fmugur,

Mine has 308,000 miles and still cooling. How did you project go of removing the engine? You're the man for tackling that one. I hope everything works out. Some day I will call you about that back up camera...lol It's on my list of stuff to do.

Cheers

sure, anytime. It hope so too .

[JCL]

Originally Posted by fmugur

The boiling temperature is higher than water but it doesn't mean the fluid is going to be hotter, just the pressure will be lower since it's not trying to turn into steams.

You don't get steam until it boils. Until then, you just get hotter liquid.

And since the coolant being discussed doesn't transfer as much heat as regular coolant (or as water, for that matter) that heat isn't carried as efficiently to the radiator. As long as the stock radiator has enough capacity to still cool it, you will be fine. It will just be more likely to overheat in a situation where there isn't enough radiator capacity.

That is the problem with products like this, they are solving problems that don't exist. If your current coolant doesn't boil (and you would know if it did) then what is the benefit of putting a higher-boiling-point liquid in instead, especially if it doesn't conduct heat as well?

It's a side note, but it isn't an approved BMW coolant, because it doesn't have the right specs for the job.

Good luck, let us know how it works out.