Grrrrrr

Grrrrrr

Technician, Bodgit & Scarper Ltd
Think I've got a bit of a crisis here! We're looking at a 1995 DT but the really important part if that it is a manual.

I was trying to remove the radiator (needed the access space) and that meant unbolting the gearbox oil cooler pipes from the bottom of the radiator. The right hand one (nearest drivers side) eventually loosened after much wiggling and lots of penetrating oil. The left one (near-side, if you like, on a RHD car) ...

The flexible hose appears to be connected to a long threaded piece of metal and held in place by a nut. At the other end the long threaded piece of metal goes into the radiator and is held in place by anther nut.

The left one was absolutely seized on and then suddenly the whole thread started moving. The nut that holds the hose onto the long thread doesn't move and with a spanner holding it the nut on the radiator side doesn't turn but on trying to turn the other nut the whole thread moves round. Strangely the flexible hose is able to rotate so clearly isn't corroded to the threaded part, if you follow me.

Anyway, after repeatedly trying to get the outer nut off I gave up. I tightened the inner nut to make sure that was tight and then, on a whim decided to remove the radiator drain plug. A little gearbox oil poured out. F*ck. Retighted all nuts as best I could. Ran engine for a minute. Went back and removed drain plug again: a whole bloody tray of gearbox oil ran out.

So, the biggie. Is the radiator FUBAR'ed or can the connection be salvaged somehow? Can anyone explain what (if anything) I can do to salvage the situation?

Cheers,

J
 
The gearbox oilcooler on the manual is a brass tube inside the bottom header of the rad held in place by lock nuts so I reckone your looking at new rad. When mine went I cut it open to get the brass out.
 
Brass. Well that explains it. The threaded shaft must tap into it so only option would be to retap it with a larger threaded bit and try to use a reductor to get the flexible hose on the other end. Nice. Of course, I've yet to get the hose off the threaded part at the moment which is what caused all the woes in the first place.

On a positive note, I'd just bought 5 litres of gearbox oil and was planning on replacing it this weekend! So, half a job finished there already.
 
Hold on. They must have got that pipe in there in the first place. Presumably it is a pipe within a pipe sort of arrangement so guessing the end of the bottom pipe of the radiator must unscrew - or is it welded?

Wondering if a bit of PTFE tape or maybe hemp might be able to plug the gap. Although a lot of oil came out in the rad but none on the outside. So that infers the brass pipe must have pretty much come off inside already, or has a decent gap?

Need to get it off. On the upside the worst that could happen already has! Out of time this weekend but maybe one evening if I'm home.
 
the cooler is probably silver soldered together and fitted in the rad bottom before the rad matrix is fitted don't think you will have much luck trying to repair I am a plumber by trade and wouldn't even attempt a repair, new rad best and quickest option you don't want to risk cooking the head on a diesel or gearbox buggerd with water in it.
 
Yeah? Scrap that one then.

Must say the radiator and pump all looked original and when I flushed no gunk at all came out. System was clean and looked very well maintained. I've seen ars half its age with half a rad of sludge.

OK. I realise this is going to kick off a storm of buy original but I'm going to do it anyway!

What experience of what rads have people had?

Island 4x4 do one by Nissen for £150.
Rimmer Bros do an OEM one for £250.
Rimmer Bros also do a RR one for £350.

Slightly off the Radar is a Britpart one for about £140. I've heard Britpart have been trying to focus on quality recently and I have used their parts in the last year and had no issues whatsoever - more than I can say for some genuine parts I've fitted!

Are there any other differences? Thickness of metal? Flow speed? Cross sectional cooling area?

So, the Nissen one from Island 4x4 is thinner (they claim an advantage) but several people on here have fitted it and had no issues. Given the oil cooler joints seem to be the weak spot, what's the point of me having a 20 year radiator where the oil cooler joints are cooked in half that time and I end up getting another? See where I'm going?!

Facts and examples of failure very much welcomed. Opinions too but all the better if backed up with evidence. :)

Cheers,

J
 
There's a survey opportunity here:

RR radiator - had issues?
RR radiator - no issues
OEM radiator - had issues?
OEM radiator - no issues
Nissen radiator - had issues?
Nissen radiator - no issues
Britpart radiator - had issues?
Britpart radiator - no issues

No idea how to set one up though!
 
I think it's important with the diesel rads to make sure there is a baffle to stop the water just running across the top of it.

I thought that the Britpart ones didn't have the baffle and so were useless..... Although that might be for the automatic!
 
I find it hard to believe they wouldn't follow the same overall design. Different materials, maybe tolerances a little less strict but I cannot believe they'd sell anything that silly. Surely?
 
There's a video on YouTube somewhere where an endoscope is put in the rad and there is no baffle so they do sell them. There's also a thread on here about it somewhere....
 
You don't need an endoscope, turn the radiator upside down, put a marble in one outlet and see if it runs to the other. If it doesn't then you have a baffle:)
 
I seem to remember Datatek mentioning the marble-trick before now you mention it.

Had a read round a few BMW forums and on the whole the Nissen rads were OK. Think I'll risk it.
 
I've got 2 vids, one showing the marble test (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEX-lTgO4mc) and one using an endoscope - which was only a tenner off ebay and well worth it as it's come in handy for looking in many a dark place since :)

The replacement radiator was a Nissens one from Island 4x4 and it was fine. The original one without the baffle was from another well known supplier and I got it after my rad split across the top.

By looking at it, you really wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the dodgy one and good one, they were identical from the outside. Island 4x4 said they were aware of the issue of fakes and therefore were confident that what they sold were fine. My original supplier had no idea - it was news to them. I certainly wouldn't entertain buying one from ebay because of the number of cheap ones around...

HTH

Nik
 
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It helped! Rad ordered from Island 4x4.

I've got a mirror on a stick but an endoscope? £10 for an endoscope? Well. There's an idea. Sounds like a perfect birthday present ...
 
bottom ooo er misses bend over:mooning: sorry couldn't resist it :) looks like a usefull piece of kit may be able to check the brake pipes over the fuel tank and chassis
 
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