Fisha, thanks that would be great. Do you have a supercharged 4.2 or naturally aspirated 4.4?

Cappo, thanks for the write up. It was very insightful.

I believe the fan nut is 36mm and a right hand thread. Which is opposite of the older BMW engine left hand thread and 32mm.

4.2 SC I have.

Might be a short while as I may also do the belts when I have the access. V8 or else ...

any update on the radiator install?

Hi there,

Yes, Ive just very recently managed to put the new radiator in along with a new engine oil cooler. I did try and video doing parts of it, but the video hasn't turned out all that great. It just doesn't seem to show things all that well.

I'll try and make something out of it - but don't expect much.

Overall the job was OK to do. Tricky points were trying to get the radiator out past the fan cowling, the pipes and things catch on the plastic. On refit, I ended up breaking a bit of the cowling, but its no big deal. Overall, I'd say that the engine doesn't seem to smell as hot as it did before ... I think the new radiator is that much more cleaner and efficient that it cools very effectively. That being said, I still get a slight whiff of coolant after a run, but I just can't trace where its coming from. Coolant loss appears negligible, if any at all from the tank, so I'm not sure if what I've spilled is taking ages to dry off or not.

In terms of sourcing the radiator, I bought it direct from Glasgow Radiators ... it comes out of the box as an *identical* match to the original that was in, including the BEHR branding and part numbers on it.

Cost me £126 in VAT... Way cheaper than anywhere else - cheaper cause I picked it up from the warehouse depot. Its not the first time I've got stuff there, and I would go back again. V8 or else ...

I am in the middle of the radiator swap and need some help.

2006 Full size supercharged

All went smooth removing slam panel, hoses and shroud bits. Everything is ready but two problems.
1.) it doesn't look like the two pipe fittings on drivers side will clear the edge of the radiator support holder.
2.) I wasn't able to pull the shroud up high enough to remove from the clips.

Any help would be appreciated.

Click image to enlarge

Did you manage to get this done? I'm at about the same stage and can't shift the radiator up.

Thanks!

you most certainly can get the rad out with out taking the fan off..

as you said it feels like things will break.

the fan is normal thread not L/H (confused the hell out of me) £10 spanner kit of ebay works wonders.

i took my fan off after rad was out.

Matt If In Doubt Give It A Clout

Previous Vehicles:
Land Rover 110 3.5 V8 (is my dads though)
1.9TD Seat Toledo
1.4 Rover 214 (dont ask)
2.0 Nissan Primera SLX (i want it back)
1.4 Seat Ibiza
996cc Toyota Aygo (I miss this car???)

04 TD5 Discovery 2 (my Current Car)
07 4.2 SC FF (wifes car)

Thanks Matt, are you saying the fan is anti-clockwise (when facing the fan from the front) to remove it?

do you know whawt that was almost 3 months ago now......

i think i hit it clockwise when facing it..

the good thing with the £10 ebay spanner kit is that it bends if you do it wrong.....

Matt If In Doubt Give It A Clout

Previous Vehicles:
Land Rover 110 3.5 V8 (is my dads though)
1.9TD Seat Toledo
1.4 Rover 214 (dont ask)
2.0 Nissan Primera SLX (i want it back)
1.4 Seat Ibiza
996cc Toyota Aygo (I miss this car???)

04 TD5 Discovery 2 (my Current Car)
07 4.2 SC FF (wifes car)