Tropical Rad top hose

[Grrrmachine]

Feel like a right spastic

Got all the way through an aircon retrofit, and just came to buttoning up the last bits when I realised the new tropical rad I ordered is too wide for the existing top hose.

It never crossed my mind to order another one, and it's going to take at least a week to get one through via the dealer (bloody slow in Poland). Are there any options for me to bodge a hose on, such as another BMW, so that I've got something to look for in the scrapyard?

[Speedtouch]

You can fit a larger hose over the top of the standard one as long as it's a tight fit - as you can see, I've done this on a Minor with the radiator top hose, and it's been reliable over several years:



You can always bond the two hoses together with a suitable adhesive.

[Grrrmachine]

Considering there's a fairly long straight section in the pipe, I'm considering cutting it and inserting a section of pipe, but I don't know whether PVC would be up to the job.

[kombikat]

The hose bore is about 34.5mm and a stainless or alloy tube is best but domestic plastic drainage pipe can be used. It stand the temperature.
Gordon

[Grrrmachine]

cheers for that kombikat. RealOEM says the hose diameter was 46mm, so I measured it and you were right - 34.5mm. So I've got ordered one of these for three quid:



and I'll just chop up the hoses I already have (including some old E34 ones). I'm not paying 35 quid to the dealer just for the pipe.

[daimlerman]

Hmm;
£35 or an engine rebuild.....

[Grrrmachine]

I get your point malcom, but it's not like I'm trying to build a coolant hose out of toilet roll tubes and cling film here. I've got a bucket load of decent rubber pipes that are just the wrong length, and a car that'll be off the road for 10 days if I go the dealer route, so I might as well use another method.

BMW's price for a rubber pipe work out at 82 quid a metre

[Speedtouch]

You see those heater hoses on the Minor in the photo above? Well, they've been joined using PVC plumbing pipe (same stuff I used to plumb in a shower) and they've been fine for years now.

[Shaheenk]

I have made up sections using copper piping as well and they have held for close onto 10 years, as long as the clamps are properly applied and you have rubber hose ---copper---rubber hose you will be fine.

If you check my pics in the members section you will notice I have a water feed to the turbo using the same method.

[kombikat]

The extension tube needs to be 100mm long
Gordon

[sweep]

I have a top hose from a tropical rad if needed.