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Radiator Oil Cooler attached to Fan Cowl

12K views 26 replies 4 participants last post by  Gnice 
#1 ·
Good evening. I'm in the process of all kinds of work on my 6er.

1. Replace tensioner pulley and new belt
2. Replace O-ring for Alternator Bracket
3. Replace Upper Timing cover gasket (Left Side)
4. Replace Head Cylibder Cover Gasket (Left Side)

I'm trying to clear some room and wanted to take off the fan cowl to get it out of the way, but discovered there is an Oil Cooler radiator attached to it. It does not show up in TIS, but the part does show up in ETK Parts list.

Anyone ever take this thing out before? I'm about to detach the connecting hoses, and hoping they are simply oil hoses and not something exotic and pressurized.

I am taking pictures as I go and I'll post some results.

I also removed the front bumper as well, and helps access things quite well.
 
#2 ·
Remove the electric fan, & leave the cooler in place. Once you remove the fan, you should have plenty of room. When removing the alternator, lift the drivers side of the engine up for easier removal. You will have to remove the motor mount anyway. Pay close attention to the alternator bolts in a diagram, to make sure you get them all. You can hang the power steering pump, instead of removing it. There is 1 hex bolt on the back of the power steering pump, that is hard to find.

There are 4 motor mount bolts that are male Torx bolts. The front 2 bolts will have to be removed with a wrench. You can use a 3/8" tapered wrench with a cheater on it, to brake it loose. A GearWrench 3/8" works best. I recommend removing the driver side wheel & fender liner for better access. When installing the o-ring on the alternator bracket, apply some silicone sealant for a better seal.

When removing the valve cover, you must remove the center bulkhead cover. Not removing this will cause a lot of additional time & headaches. The Eccentric Shaft sensor is on the rear of the valve cover. This is a 350.00 sensor that can be damaged, if the valve cover is not lifted up straight. Also change the gasket for it, & the o-rings on the other sensors. While the valve cover is off, go ahead & change the plugs while you are at it.

The valve cover removal & install is around a 8 to 10 hour job. The alternator o-ring is around the same. This job is very painful to the back, since you will be bent over so much.

Good Luck!
 
#3 ·
HerbP,

Thank you for the headsup on the job. It's been fun so far(read sarcasm) grin. The fan is attached to the cowl as ins the Oil Cooler. I disconected the hose connections and removed, a Little messy, but came out just fine. Pleanty of room in there now. I just changed the plugs about 6 weeks ago. so I'll leave them alone. You are right though you have to take out the coils anyway. It woudl have been a good time to change them. I set aside the entore weekend for the job just in case. I'll post pictures and comments when I'm done.

Thanks again,

Clint
 
#4 · (Edited)
Some Pics Of Oil Cooler Lines

Here are some pictures of th eOil Cooler Lines attached to the Fan Cowl and to the Alternator Bracket. These Lines get in the way significantly for any effort, but once you remove the Alternator and the Power Steering Pump and remove them there is a lot more room. I have not put it all back together yet. I found some more O-Rings I'd like to go ahead and replace, so I need to pick them up today.

Another Question. I need to jack the Engine up from below to remove the Motor Mount. Anyone know a good point to do this? I can't seem to find a spot other than the lip of the oil pan and I really don't feel good about putting that kind of pressure on the pan at all.

Thanks in advance. This is my first major project on the car and appreciate all the help. I will post pictures and a bit more information about the job as I get it done.
 

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#7 ·
HerbP!

Thanks for all the help. She is completely taken apart. I'm putting on all the gaskets and seals now and will put her back together tomorrow or I may just take my time over the week. Point is she is all dismantled. Hopefully I can remember which bolts went where, grin. Seriously though thanks again for all the help. I plan to do a write up and post it here for all the stuff I did. Hopefully someone will find it useful in the future.
 
#9 ·
This particular job was very much a PITA. I did finish it all, but I still have my car apart for the time being. I was buttoning her all back together Saturday, and then noticed a fluid leak under my car that did not macth any of the fluids I had drained or caused to leak. I took a closer look at my transmission and noticed it was leaking. This just pissed me off. grin. I had paid the STEALER 1 year ago to replace the transmission pan seal and take cra eof her leaks in that area. So I'm waiting till this weekend to tear that apart and hope it is just a the gasket on the transmission pan. My Stealer only sells the transmission fluid in big buckets. at 162.00. Eventually I will get my car back on the road.
 
#12 ·
my turn!!

Hey guys, I think its my turn to replace the alternator bracket o ring. I've had a small leak for a while but a couple of days ago I notice a very large amount. I took a look and no leak until I turn her on then it pours from somewhere above the alternator:tsk:. It looks like its flowing right around the oil cooler connection that houbmw-cm took a photo of. 74,000 miles, 2004, I think it's about time.

Any additional insight would be helpfull guys. Ecspecially the engine mount removal and jacking the engine. I replaced the alternator about a year ago and fixtured the weep hole issue with the expansion pipe but I,ve never have had to remove the engine mount.:dunno:

Thoughts?? Thanks guys!
 
#13 ·
You just remove the nut on the top of the mount, that jack up the engine until it hits the firewall. This will give you better access to getting the alternator out & in. The you have to loosen the power steering pump, then remove the alternator bracket. There are a few bolts that are very hard to see & access. Remove the drivers side wheel & inner fender liner. This will give you better access to everything. If you don't have a copy of TIS, you will probably need to get one. This is between a 6 to 10 hour job, that is no fun! When you get to the o-ring, put some RTV on the face of the alternator bracket, for a better seal. Do not take it apart expecting to get it back together fast. You will better understand this after the job!

Good Luck!
 
#15 ·
I have some pics of the job, but I did not do a DIY. There might be a DIY in the 7 section showing some info. You will need some male & female torx sockets, metric hex sockets, along with the normal metric sockets. The motor mount bolts are very hard to break loose, & I think that you can use a 3/8" wrench to get better access to them. I used a cheater on the wrench to get them loose. You could replace the motor mount bracket bolts with standard hex head bolts. This will allow you to torque them with a better tool. I would suggest going to Harbor Freight & buying the best selection of torx sockets. They have a good selection, & a good price!

Good Luck!
 
#16 ·
Well I started the project and it's a major PITA! The four torx bolts on the back of the alternator bracket are ridiculous :tsk:! I have three of them out, I'll try to get to the last one tomorrow.

Do either of you have the tis for this job or the timing cover gasket?

It looks like the leak is definitely coming from the alternator bracket but I'm thinking I may go ahead and replace the timing cover while I'm in. Thoughts??

Thanks!
 
#17 ·
If you search alternator o-ring, you should find some directions. Since the online TIS was shutdown, the links might not still work. I will have to find my TIS Cd, to see if I can help you out. I will probably have to send it by email, to keep the post from getting flagged. The valve cover & timing cover seal will be around another 8 to 10 hours of joy! :mad::mad::mad:

What bolts are you having trouble with?
 
#18 ·
There are what appear to be 4 male torx screws on the far back end of the alternator bracket. They are very difficult to reach. I have 3 out and having a very hard time reaching the last one. It looks like the go through some sort of bracket then through the alternator backet and into the block? what a pain!
 
#19 ·
This sounds like where the motor mount bracket is. You can not get a socket on 2 of them, without stripping them. Use a 3/8" 12 point wrench, then slide a cheater of some type on them. Your options could be a piece of pipe, or use the open end of a larger wrench. When you get them removed, go and get some hex head bolts to replace them. This way you can torque them properly. Once you get the bracket off, your half way there! :mad::mad: Apply some RTV around the outside of the o-ring, when putting the bracket back on. If you do not do this, you might get to do this again! If you want to post a pic of the problem bolts, I will be glad to help you.

Good Luck & have a beer or 2!
 
#20 ·
Ok. I'm still at it. It has been a very slow process since I'm working on it a few hours at a time after work and on off days. I can tell you that this is by far the most frustrating repair I've done to date. Ok, with that said here is where I am. I finally got to the final bolt on the engine mount bracket. It's loose but not out. Should I loosen the motor mount bracket (see photo) to take off the whole bracket? Or will the alternator bracket come off if I just take the final hidden screw out? I do have the engine supported properly under the the oil pan. Almost half way there!
I start today's session in about a hour.
Thanks for the input and help!!
 

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#21 ·
You should remove the motor mount bracket, to have clear access to the block. You will need to make sure everything is clean, before installing the new o-ring. Once the bracket is removed, you will have everything out of the way. Keep in mind that you need to torque the bolts, where the o-ring will seal properly. You also do not want to do this job twice, so add some rtv to the o-ring when reinstalling.

Good Luck!
 
#22 ·
I'm half way home! Finally got the alternator bracket off last night. That's the good news. The bad news is that I broke it getting it off. I didn't realize there was a small bolt under the motor mount bracket attached to the alternator bracket. So I'll order the new bracket and get back to work. The o-ring was dry and cracked. Take a look at the photos. I'll post more later. Thanks for all the help and insight!
 

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#25 ·
Good evening. I'm in the process of all kinds of work on my 6er.

1. Replace tensioner pulley and new belt

2. Replace O-ring for Alternator Bracket

3. Replace Upper Timing cover gasket (Left Side)

4. Replace Head Cylibder Cover Gasket (Left Side)

I'm trying to clear some room and wanted to take off the fan cowl to get it out of the way, but discovered there is an Oil Cooler radiator attached to it. It does not show up in TIS, but the part does show up in ETK Parts list.

Anyone ever take this thing out before? I'm about to detach the connecting hoses, and hoping they are simply oil hoses and not something exotic and pressurized.

I am taking pictures as I go and I'll post some results.

I also removed the front bumper as well, and helps access things quite well.
Hey just started this job is the oil cooler that is attached to the fan for transmission or engine oil Lost some oil not sure if it's transmission
 
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