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      09-24-2017, 01:43 AM   #1
jandref321
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E70 X5 3.0si Coolant Expansion Tank DIY

Gents,
Just the other day my wife had a low coolant light come on in her truck. When she came home I found a plethora of coolant sprayed all inside of the engine bay near the expansion tank. I’ve heard that the expansion tank can crack, but didn’t see any obvious source of the leak. I decided to just get the tank first and eliminate a possibility. I’ve heard that the cap’s auto venting can fail and cause pressure to build up and fracture the tank, so I bought the cap also.
Parts:

Expansion Tank 17138621092 (Comes with a new sensor)
Radiator Cap 17117639021 (Necessary)

Tools:

Needle Nose Pliers
10mm Socket and Ratchet
Fluid pump

Leak:


To remove the old tank there are a few steps:

1) Unbolt the two bolts that hold the tank in place shown below (both are on the strut mounting bubble; one is near the positive battery cable, the other near the fender)


2) Suck out all of the coolant left in the tank (I used a fluid pump)

3) Unclip and disconnect the top hose using needle nose pliers to pull out the metal wire retainer

4) Reach under the tank and unclip the sensor wire and move it out of the way (you just have to squeeze the back to unclip the pull it off) Here is a picture of what the bottom of the tank looks like with the sensor:


5) Now unclip the lower hose using needle nose pliers DO NOT PULL IT OUT YET

6) Use either a ½” rubber plug or just a piece of folded shop towel to plug the bottom hose when you pull the tank off (plug the HOSE, not the tank)

7) Pull the tank out, get the new one ready and toss it quickly after removing your plug.

8) Put the rest back together and fill the tank back up (You will likely need to fill again after the coolant circulate depending on how much you lost during the swap)

9) Clean up.

Clean New Tank


The crack in the old tank (only 10mm but was dumping coolant):
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      11-01-2017, 01:43 AM   #2
jandref321
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Quote:
Originally Posted by esevx5 View Post
Thanks for the DIY

Just happened to mine as well (129k miles). Cracked in the exact spot as yours.

Drove into a store parking lot, was waiting to park while monitoring the coolant temp (a habit now). Temp was in the 107-108C, then I see white smoke out of the engine bay.

Pull over, turn off car and open the hood. Look down and see coolant all over the ground with the leak squirting out of the expansion tank (under pressure).

Fun times.
Yeah, your crack looks bigger than mine was and coolant was pouring out of mine. I bet you lost the fluid quick. It's a pretty easy replacement, I'm glad you're back on the road quick.
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2020 G01 X3 30e CURRENT M Sport Package
2019 Ford Raptor SuperCrew CURRENT 802A, KN Drop-in, RB Flaps, Husky Well Liners
2012 E70 X5M SOLD Stg 1+ Turbos, DPs, Velos Stg 2+, JB4, Race Cats, Bavauto Coils
2003 E46 M3 SOLD aFe CAI, AP Axleback, SSK, H&R Springs, TMS CMBR Arms, PF RTABs
Appreciate 0
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