The E53 maintenance 'curse' strikes again
 

This was *supposed* to be an easy stop. Got some *very* nice rear style 87's after a *great* time hanging with another member. (Thanks, Jay!) My 12 or 13 year itch for staggered style 87's on each corner was gonna get scratched and *BOY* was I excited! (OK, I still am) :popcorn:

So, some juggling around and I dropped it by the shop to swap the new tires from my old wheels. In a bit of serendipity, my 530 was there since we'd been in a vendor booth at a car show this past weekend. Man, what a balanced ride that thing is. No speed demon, but just absorbs asphalt like it was meant to.

Of course, I'd had an error appear on the E53 dash- Check Coolant. So, I topped it off, but mentioned it. "Have a look. See what you see." !ouch:

"Water pump. :rolleyes: Let's keep it for the weekend." Sure. No problem. And then, I did what I always end up doing. :rolleyes:

"Hey, but we're just 2 months from our December trip. Take a look and confirm that those cooling hoses aren't the ones from the big overhaul in 2012."

Good news! They're not! :thumbup:

That was part of the silliness that I worked myself into last December. "If you're taking off the head, replace any belt, hose or pulley with new," I said. And boy did they. The hoses have a 2016 stamp. :thumbup:

But, that radiator, they say. 123k miles. Plastic is fading a bit. And, well.. 123k miles on a V8. As far away from home as I might find myself- and my family- they know I do not hesitate to make it right. :loco:

Helllooooo, Zionsville. I placed the order tonight. No word yet on ETA. This is my 2nd Zionsville. The 1st has been in my SC'd 540 for about 12 years now. Of course, not too many miles as it is far from a daily- or even monthly. :( But, I'm happy to share some of that peace of mind with my E53.

I'll keep this thread updated with install and pics where I am able to get them.:cool:

Edit: Any suggestions on other things to add? Higher temp TStat? Different water pump than OE? (But I mean, 123k miles.. :dunno: )

Are the water valve and additional water pump original? My X5 is at 130k thereabouts and I've had to replace those.

I'm not sure. Can you explain what those are?

water valve is actual the heater control valve on the driver's side just above the steering shaft. The hoses get old and brittle over time and are affected by Ozone, but the valve itself is NOT a common failed part. It either works or does not.

OE Water Pump should be fine - some recommend adding a bottle of Redline "water wetter" to the new coolant mix -



With a new rad, you should be good to go - I *may* add the radiator to my cooling overhaul, it would be prudent at 15, going on 16 years old

Yea bro. E30 1.4 bar coolant cap. Check that coolant hose under the throttle body, the one with the plastic Y split. That shit falls apart, and makes it look like valley pan is leaking.

Yeah? Well, if you do, keep this update in mind!

My experience with Zionsville has not been good. The 1st *two weeks* of disappointment are on me. Either I didn't remember that it took 2 weeks to fabricate the E39's radiator or it was quicker 12 years ago. :dunno: Lead time is 10 'business days'.

Zionsville has a phone #. And an answering machine. It's as far as you'll get trying to find a human voice. The site says they 'close' at 2PM on Fridays. My experience is that they do not open on Fridays.

But the 10 day lead time was stretched- nay, DOUBLED. Yep. I made this thread a MONTH ago. The radiator was delivered yesterday. :yikes:

But ohhhh, boy. Is it purrrty..

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...517-small-.jpg

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...105_145511.jpg

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...105_145525.jpg

So, that was yesterday and everything was grand with excitement. And then there was this morning. The test fit revealed that we had some work to do. :banghead:

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...ded-small-.jpg

Now really, this is just trim some plastic work. This is only a big deal when compared against my expectations: 10 days means 2 weeks, not 4. When Zionsville needs that kind of time, they should deliver the product- and it should FIT.

So, I've emailed Zionsville with the pictures of the fitment. They'd already said they'd refund shipping for the manufacturing delays. But the shop will charge for this bit of fabrication even if nominal. I'd like consideration for the charges that I will incur as a result.

The experience has me thinking that the next radiator need will send me to a custom fabricator. At this point, even if it works great, I will spend plenty of time trying to avoid the experience again.

PH. Your PM is full. Anyhow check out my BBK thread. I was thinking of you and PM'ed you to try to tell you to do some preventative checking...

Dayamn. Why go with a custom rad? Seriously for 123k miles on the stock one. Go with OE or even OEM one would be more than enough. Shit I replaced mine at 100k just to be safe.

Prop It looks like I should order one of these radiators with the lead time you experienced. I don't have a leak but its the only part that I did not change out during my refresh because the radiator was changed within in a a year before I purchased it.