IMPORTANT - COOLANT CAP

[Brianmoooore]

Been playing with my latest aquisition today. A K plate 318 Touring Lux, which had the bottom of the lower sump completely smashed off.
Fitted the sump (and the oil) from an old M40 lying around, fitted a new battery, took the plugs out and cranked it over.
Horrible grating noise that I couldn't locate. Took the belts off - still the same noise. Put the belts back on and took the rocker cover off. All looked OK in there, so poured a little EP90 over the cam, put the cover back on and the plugs back in, and decided to fire it up anyway.
Started OK, and the noise (mostly) went away. Think it may not have been run for a year or so, so decide to leave it idling while I got on with other things around it.
Did various jobs, keeping an eye on the temp gauge, and eventually got around to replacing the broken glove box catch.
While doing this, all of a sudden there was a minor explosion from behind the right hand glovebox access panel. Boiling water spraying everywhere, and clouds of steam.
Got out of there quick, and noticed that the rad was blowing from both end tank seals as well.
Killed the engine ASAP, and slackened off the rad cap.
When the eruption had subsided, I took off the access panel, and the top had blown off the heater valve, breaking three of the rivets.
Viscous fan coupling was faulty of course, and it still had the original pressure cap with the black bottom. I.E., it had missed the recall.

IF THERE ARE ANY OF YOU OUT THERE THAT STILL HAVE PRESSURE CAPS WITH BLACK BASES RATHER THAN YELLOW, GET DOWN TO YOUR DEALER AND GET THEM CHANGED ASAP. (Should be free).

[Dan318-is]

Intersting one brian,

i visited BMW the other day regarding this matter. I explained to the guy what i had been told an he said that the reason they were recalled is because somewhere in europe the bottom radiator pipe on an e30 exploded and scalded somones foot as the cap did not break pressure. he said that in his experience, he had never had an e30 in the UK come in with the same problem despite 95% of e30s having the recall carried out.

He also explained to me that the radiator cap should have the pressure written on the bottom off it; 200 is what should be there im told. I also went on to tell him that i had a black cap an that i needed a replacement, yet he went to get my replacement and it hadnt a black bottom . I later checked the cap on my is and, yes it had 200 on it but was also black bottomed?

Figure that one out!

[Taylor325i]

Will need to check that tomorrow...... can't think from memory what colour mine is.

Just like to ask while we're on the subject of recalls - were there any other issues on the E30 that warranted a recall? It's something I've never thought about as, like most E30 owners, you assume that any recall issues would have been dealt with by now considering that E30's have been about for so long.


Taylor.

[Brianmoooore]

Just like to ask while we're on the subject of recalls - were there any other issues on the E30 that warranted a recall? It's something I've never thought about as, like most E30 owners, you assume that any recall issues would have been dealt with by now considering that E30's have been about for so long.
Taylor.

Can't think of any other recalls off hand.

[JazzMan]

My cap was black, ordered a new one as I lost the black one about 3 weeks ago. Got the new one on Thursday - this had the yellow bottom. Funnily enough the black one turned up yesterday - it had fallen into some boots in the garage No matter!

[Dan318-is]

what do the pressure ratings say on the bottom of each caps?

the guy at BMW gave me a new cap with a black bottom!

[Brianmoooore]

Intersting one brian,

i visited BMW the other day regarding this matter. I explained to the guy what i had been told an he said that the reason they were recalled is because somewhere in europe the bottom radiator pipe on an e30 exploded and scalded somones foot as the cap did not break pressure. he said that in his experience, he had never had an e30 in the UK come in with the same problem despite 95% of e30s having the recall carried out.

He also explained to me that the radiator cap should have the pressure written on the bottom off it; 200 is what should be there im told. I also went on to tell him that i had a black cap an that i needed a replacement, yet he went to get my replacement and it hadnt a black bottom . I later checked the cap on my is and, yes it had 200 on it but was also black bottomed?

Figure that one out!

The recall was for safety reasons - the failure that was dangerous was the same as I have experienced today; boiling water into the passenger footwell. In the USA they had some extra valve arrangement fitted across the heater pipes as well.
If the recall rate is 95%, then I must be very unlucky in the E30s that come my way - I reckon more like 50%. I've had several replaced FOC by my dealer. All the replacement caps I've seen have had yellow discs on there bottoms.
Dealer will check the VIN against the database to see if the cap has already been replaced.
This is the second time I've actually witnessed an E30 cooling system fail through excess pressure, and I've had a couple more where I strongly suspect that was the cause.
Don't forget, the recall wasabout ten? years ago, so the original caps have ten years more wear on them now.

[Dan318-is]

the 95% figure i referred to was what the guy who served me said he had come accross; but they tend to not like old bmws there for some reason.

im just worried that even if i did go to bmw to get a replacement cap, an he gave me the black one, it wouldnt do the job? he checked my Vin and said that i should check the rating at the bottom of my cap; allegedly its meant to say 200? what does yours say?

Its interesting that youv come across so many exploding ones!

[Brianmoooore]

I wouldn't think there's still any of the faulty stock left. Surely that would have all been destroyed when the recall was issued, so any replacement is likely to be OK, whatever the colour of the cap base.
Todays cap has 140 on the bottom, which, IIRC, is an original.
Don't know about the 200 ones. Maybe there's an alternative replacement that I haven't knowingly come across.
I seriously doubt the 95% recall, because it was't issued untill well after E30 production had ceased, and many E30s would have no longer been dealer serviced.
I owned an E30 at the time, but recieved no recall notice by post.

[Dan318-is]

the person who served me said that his computer told him that the caps should say 200 at the bottom not 145? so i guess if they say that then its ok!

[Brianmoooore]

Just like to ask while we're on the subject of recalls - were there any other issues on the E30 that warranted a recall? It's something I've never thought about as, like most E30 owners, you assume that any recall issues would have been dealt with by now considering that E30's have been about for so long.
Taylor.

JUst thought of one. Don't think it was a recall, because it's not safety related, but was more of a "change at earliest convenience".
There was a dud cambelt idler fitted to M20s. Either the one to be replaced, or the replacement had Z something or other stamped on it.

[Dan318-is]

Just like to ask while we're on the subject of recalls - were there any other issues on the E30 that warranted a recall? It's something I've never thought about as, like most E30 owners, you assume that any recall issues would have been dealt with by now considering that E30's have been about for so long.
Taylor.

JUst thought of one. Don't think it was a recall, because it's not safety related, but was more of a "change at earliest convenience".
There was a dud cambelt idler fitted to M20s. Either the one to be replaced, or the replacement had Z something or other stamped on it.

Was the M42 profile Gasket a recall?
or was that mainly e36 jobbies?

[e30-320i]

[quote="Brianmoooore"]I wouldn't think there's still any of the faulty stock left. Surely that would have all been destroyed when the recall was issued, so any replacement is likely to be OK, whatever the colour of the cap base.
Todays cap has 140 on the bottom, which, IIRC, is an original.
Don't know about the 200 ones. Maybe there's an alternative replacement that I haven't knowingly come across.

should a 320 and 325 have the same cap mine has yellow bottom but 80 stamped on the bottom.

[ian332isport]

Most E30 caps should be rated at 1.4 Bar. 318is models got a 2 Bar cap. All E36's (and most other newer BMW's) run with a 2 Bar cap.

I've been running with a 2 Bar cap ever since I did my conversion and not had any problems.

I believe the recall was more to do with faulty caps rather than the rated release pressure.

Ian.

[Brianmoooore]

I believe the recall was more to do with faulty caps rather than the rated release pressure.

Ian.

That's what I understand as well. There was a fault in the pressure release mechanism that caused overpressureisation on somw occassions.
The replacement caps were rated at the same pressure as the originals.

[mustard]

By yellow / black bases do you mean the underside of the cap when you have unscrewed it?

Which in my case has '140' moulded into it?

Cheers

[ian332isport]

By yellow / black bases do you mean the underside of the cap when you have unscrewed it?

Yes.

[Chris-W]

Was the M42 profile Gasket a recall?
or was that mainly e36 jobbies?

I seem to remember that this was a fault never officially admitted to.