Cooling system question

[lloyd]

While checking under the hood I was approached by a Bavaria owner who asked about the small hose that feeds from the radiator to the overflow tank. Specifically, he wanted to know whether that hose was necessary for normal operation. Since both the radiator and overflow tank are designed to receive this hose, I had never considered deleting this hose (although I have considered replacing the bulk of it with a copper tube). This person claimed he plugs all such ports on his Bavaria and 530.

Am I missing something? Is this guy trying to pull my leg? Aside from the advantage that no hose means one less place from which to leak, any other advantage?

 

[Philip Slate]

The theory (sorely tested with the E9) is that the hose in question, being at the top of the radiator, will bleed air out of the engine/radiator at which time coolant will replace the displaced air. Ok, ok...but you'll have to admit it's a good theory.

 

[Malc]

The idea is.....
That this hose represents the highest part of the system, hence any trapped air will end up in the tank and be displaced by the fluids in the tank
I personally would not recommend eliminating this as BMW seem to design coolant systems that are "on the edge" even at the best of times, just look under the bonnet of any modern BMW.

In the great scheme of things hoses and clamps are cheap compared to overhauling an over heated engine...

Just my 2 pence worth
Malc