How to Replace BMW E46 Expansion Tank

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Video Mentioned (Replacing Cooling System): • BMW E46 Water Pump and...
In this video I show you how to change your BMW e46 expansion tank on a 2003 325i.
Vlog Channel: / @moreshoplife
Instagram: @ShopLifeTV
Disclaimer: Not sponsored Disclaimer: The product links provided are often associated with an affiliate. When using any of the affiliate links I may get compensated for any products purchased using the link. This compensation does not affect my views on the product.

[@woodst408]

Thanks ...your explanation is to the point. I was asked $600 to exchange the bad reservoir. After watching your diy I muster the courage...I did it. You save me 600 dollars. Thanks!

[@ShopLifeTV]

Nice! thanks for watching glad I saved you money!

[@donaldlane6814]

Good job, Jason! Perfect instructions without unnecessary vulgarities and wasted time of other guys. Thank you! You ROCK!

[@robertfuchs4895]

That is why I love looking for you when I repair anything on my BMW you are so detailed about everything that you do because that little sensor was destroyed underneath my expansion tank and I had no idea what it was but as soon as I watch your video you explain everything and now I am worry free thank you so much keep posting videos for us newbies to learn and save us some money

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thanks Robert! Glad to be a helpful resource for DIYers like yourself!

[@markcos85anthony85]

@@ShopLifeTV how much water do we pour inside? I don’t want to put too much water and not enough coolant?

[@crystalearthh]

Tiyto

[@U4Eye]

After checking 20 videos this is the best one to see what you're doing because the other guys hold the camera in their hand you have somebody filming you that's better

[@dylanbreceda4184]

Try 50's kid he's the man!

[@ftby59mikeD]

Great video, this helped me with my 2004 Z4. You are one of the few who mentioned the need to run the heater during the bleed process, so thx!👍

[@deadassbeats1925]

your videos have saved me so much money but more importantly have taught me how to work on my car. i always recommend your vids to my friends that own bmws. your doing the lords work bro keep it up

[@jawzzo6761]

man your channel has been a lifesaver since owning an m54

[@vizion4]

Best vid on KZbin for this DIY. I had to use a spark plug extension to pry up the old tank from its mount while wiggling. Thanks!

[@nashvilledaveb]

Thanks for spending the time to put this video together....very helpful!

[@chesterjones9565]

Great video, I would add that it's sometimes easier to access the retainer clip and coolant level sensor from the bottom and also to reconnect the sensor plug before reinstalling the expansion tank

[@gordythecreator]

DUDE! I had the hardest time finding someone to explain the coolant "REFILL PROCEDURE". You knocked-out 2-Birds with 1-video!

[@donavonarchie8508]

Thanks! Great video. I am changing my expansion tank on a 2006 325ci tomorrow and this really helps. I love working on cars especially my own. Look forward to seeing more videos.

[@scottlake5280]

I was thinking of springing for the local dealer to swap this out. After watching this video I'm sure I have all the tools and it looks like it might take an hour. One of the service consultants at the local BMW dealer said - "Look, it's a simple repair" Go on youtube and there's probably a hundred videos on swapping the expansion tank. Just do it yourself, because we are going to charge a diagnostic, which is $230 to begin with. He said you can find parts just as good as this dodgy part on eBay and save yourself probably $500-700. Yours was the top video and I'm about 99% sure I'll be able to do this job in short time. Thank you. If I get this done for under a couple hundred I should probably take him a 6 pack. Thanks agai!

[@steverabbits]

The best video I've seen on replacing the expansion tank. It's almost identical on my E53 X5 (and X3 I believe?) I was going to do the job myself but I'm now doubting my ability to do it, quite a few things to possibly go wrong! Great video dude!

[@o23hippy]

I want to thank you for this video. You made this DIY easy and you did it without requiring fan and shroud removal! it was easy to follow and explained perfectly. Thanks so much for posting this video.

[@ShopLifeTV]

Glad I could help!

[@jskorpzz]

awesome video and you made it easy to follow just too cool mate.

[@madjoemak]

Thank you. This video helped me a lot. I did this to my 318i with the m43 engine. Something to note with this engine is that there is some hose connected to the air filter box. Instead of disconnecting it, I just put the bottom half of the air box up on the top of the suspension and held it there with an s hook. That was I didn't have to disconnect anything unnecessary

[@luludova5460]

I like that you get right to the point and don’t waist time

[@gcepic233]

Hey man great video! You saved us a great deal, on the road from Maryland to Florida, keep up the great work!

[@showmestuff7868]

Thankyou for this, it is very clear and the best I could find- by a long shot! Its great to find someone who is a good mechanic and great vidoegrapher and presenter. I have been taping up my tank, now it is mostly tape but I have the parts and will have a go. I love my old bmw like a retired workhorse, it is sad I know... Can you please do a vid on fixing back window? I tried fixing mine but then it got stuck partially open again, thanks!

[@themysticmariner1959]

Great job, crystal clear video and easy to follow instructions!

[@slickill5738]

THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO. 2004 330ci . Subscribed. By far the best vid I found to help guide me thru the process.

[@NorthernChev]

Pro Tip: Plug the coolant level sensor on the bottom of the expansion tank in BEFORE you press the tank into place. You'll have a hell of a time doing it after, especially if you still have the original vent tube connected to your alternator in the way. Notice he shows you every step, but jump cut edited this one out...

[@Hiddensubliminalt]

And it’s crazy how he flips the expansion tank clip with the black tab that goes connected to the mounting play he flips it around real fast so u can’t see in which side it goes correctly

[@ryley92]

​@@Hiddensubliminaltit's the same both ways

[@krackNsmackk]

The coolant temp sensor is nowhere near the expansion tank it's over by the windshield wiper fluid side of the car

[@HeterosexuaI]

personally, i did it after placing it in and it took me about 2 minutes. that said, im skinny as hell and can fit my arms down the left side by the radiator fan and i imagine it would be near impossible if you can't

[@jerryo6497]

Hey same here.....mine was stuck tight. Tried levering off of the radiator support panel with a tyre leaver but still wouldn't budge. I thought I would bust something for sure. Had a bright idea and got a thin piece of wood like a wooden rule and put it down with the end on the bottom fitting that is jammed into the bottom of the tank and gently gave it 20 -30 taps with a hammer and it seemed to loosen it as it came out quite easily then and didn't break anything. Also had problems getting the top double fitting back onto the new tank.....wouldn't go on far enough to get the clip to insert and hold.....found there was a small piece of broken off tank in the small fitting preventing it from going right on......managed to fish it out with some angle circlip pliers. Great video :-) always come here for diy advice..... simple straight forward and condensed :-) keep up the great work.

[@raymundoresendiz331]

Thank you brother 💯 percent perfect in 10 minutes ready 👌

[@seanm5282]

Thank you! My ATF thermostat broke off clean-nothing to grab on to. Had to drill a pilot hole in top, insert screw, pull out with pliers.

[@markedwards6025]

Thanks for the vid and the advice on the oil cooler thermostat....ordered a new one when i ordered the new expansion tank just incase and yes it did snap in half!!! But thanks to your advice I was prepared. Not too bad a job to do, although like others have said the tank didnt come off as easily as yours seemed to, but with a little wiggling and pulling it came off in the end!!!

[@kingvirginiaverg7528]

How’d you get the thermostat out from the car? The half is stuck and if I try pulling it out it just breaks a piece of the thermostat

[@nadroj6269]

Saved me a $200 install fee on a $46 part. Thank you so much

[@KeeksSecretGarden]

Thank you so much for the video. I have the same problem happening with my car. Will use your video as a guide. Much appreciated.

[@taharbenseddik5607]

Thanks for the more than good explanation. And, of course, the sharing in order to watch it by the own eyes. Greetings from The Netherlands.

[@petersgarage6125]

Very clear instructions on how to complete this diy. Thank you

[@edgetechautomotive459]

Great video, clear, concise, helpful. cheers!

[@boudithehunter1320]

Dude you are one of the best bmw professional online I like your work it’s clean and straight Can you please put link for the parts so we can buy them online thank you

[@pcorbin4729]

I use PelicanParts.com for my BMW

[@kylenewman28]

very helpful, walked me through the few tricky parts of this easy job, thank you!

[@rockysenatore9682]

Auto Trans Oil Cooler Thermostat. Who knew??!! I live in Alaska, (not Anchorage, the real, middle of nowhere, Alaska), and getting parts means ordering them and waiting at least week. You just saved me a ton of time, thanks!

[@989782]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You make a great instructor!

[@con5818]

Thanks very much. Massively appreciate all the unique positives you created, which others highlighted. Wish you all the best on future endeavors!

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thank you!! Glad to be a part of such a supportive community!

[@jesussavescars807]

have to do this in x3 and radiator may just be this part leaking some were around that area gonna find out tomorrow thanks for the video and ECS is in my town I know the owner good guy

[@twentyfivenhot]

I watched vlog #15 till #34 today and then i found out it stopt hahaha, great stuff. Love the videos. i'm cathing up/ soon hopefully an owner of a 330xi E46 Touring Greetings from the Netherlands

[@Staygoldfarms]

Incredibly detailed video. Thank you for sharing

[@GotEmAll1337]

Excellent video quality and detail of explanation. This is why I love KZbin. +1

[@Michael-cy7lb]

You are awesome! Thanks for the education and for helping me save a bunch of money.

[@gregkimura5906]

Great video! Very thorough and some good tips.

[@StevenB31327]

Really useful video thank you, just bought a 330ci and it has a slight coolant leak coming from the bottom of the tank 👍

[@kamemotorsports8741]

Great tutorial, massive help man, thanks!

[@martsmarts]

Amazing how yours popped out so easy. Mine was HARD

[@urielliquidano7112]

Thanks my dude 🤙🏽🤙🏽 helped out a lot

[@slickill5738]

OF COURSE my automatic transmission oil cooler thermostat was broken like you said. Would've been nice if removal/install of that part was included in this video. Didn't see instructions in your linked video. Thanks again

[@pographics81]

This was super helpful. Thank you

[@1tom35]

Great video, watched a few, yours was thorough 😊

[@CharleyMarionsMusic]

great video! It would be nice to have those thermostats and sensors identified so we don't have to look for them all over... it would help a great deal...

[@prb-vp9ku]

Very well explained Thankyou.

[@switchoff64]

Thanks for this video. It helped a lot. But the oil cooler thermostat for the auto transmission did break in half like you mentioned. It was late Sunday so I didn’t replace it. It’s currently missing with everything hooked back up. What’s the disadvantage of not replacing it?

[@dannycarlsen2202]

Great video! Very informative and you covered everything I needed. Thanks for pointing out how to bleed the system and that this may cause the heater to not work.

[@davidarchila6617]

Your awesome Bro keep making BMW e46 videos

[@terencepierce8488]

Excellent. I did not know any of that until now! Terry UK

[@Contribuablevener]

hello, tanks for your videos. Help me a lot with my olds 316i and 320i !

[@koreanfreak7433]

Having a manual saved me money for the first time, too bad that 60 is going into other repairs😪 bmw’s man.

[@PepeDaily]

Excellent video. Please can you do bmw e46 replacing rear wheel bearing? I'm going to do this with a special tool. But when I remove the half driveaxle shaft with e14, is there something I need to be aware of?

[@vviiper]

Good video @ShopLifeTV - I recently did my system excluding the return hose that goes to the expansion tank. It's never mentioned in the cooling overhaul guides - is that because it doesn't usually go bad?

[@BitLateMusic]

thank you for mentioning about the oil cooler thermostat breaking. Mine broke and was freaking out lmao

[@mihaitzqbogdanudrea1304]

How do you know if its broken or not? O recently did this operation on my bmw but didnt pay attention to the thermostat. Thanks!

[@xDistortionx1]

It would be in half that’s how you know it’s broken.

[@smartassboy]

I think mine got plugged by some stupid leak sealer previous owner poured into the expansion tank. I just removed the transmission heat exchanger and it has some residue inside. My transmission is overheating because of this

[@litaj5267]

anyone know if the oil cooler thermostat being broken would cause a coolant leak???

[@filiplovisek1158]

Evan a shop life, Best online mechanics to answer your questions in their vids.

[@miikaairas1372]

Thank you man!

[@ezekielreyes9147]

This video help me a lot thank you so much

[@RetapitarecanapeleRoTapiter]

Very helpfull, thanks, i did it to my 318i E46

[@mikealicious3848]

Good video. I definitely believe in replacing the low quality plastic parts with an aluminum upgrade and OEM rubber hoses with the high quality silicone ones (if available) is a must to increase reliability to make ownership easy as possible.

[@Gleem4L]

Aluminum is cool for more “fun applications”…but in my experience if you’re not pushing the car super hard or doing fun activities with it all the time I’d stay OEM+. If you replace everything plastic with aluminum your weakest point in your cooling system is now your headgasket!

[@treyslaps9974]

Thank you so much for being the only one who helped me do this. QUESTION: there is (what looks like) a piece of styrofoam at the bottom of the red straw in my new coolant tank, do I leave that in? I just installed it to look down and see it in there. Is that packaging or is it part of the coolant tank and should I leave it in there? Please help, thank you

[@biz4twobiz463]

Another fab video! Only, IMHO, shouldn't this process just include a radiator flush as well? Plus, a more precise measurement of the 50 / 50 coolant should be observed.

[@pwnfromabove]

thank you for thre articulate help

[@LuisAngel-eh8si]

Thanks bro 🔥💪🏼

[@gilbertarcilla7070]

thanks buddy..well said

[@joemartinez8211]

What is the sensor that you said needed to be replaced if it was an automatic? I have an 04 330ci and the expansion tank cracked today, so i'm going to replace it tomorrow. Thanks and great video.

[@jasonl5589]

5:29 That looked too easy.. when I did mine, omg it was the hardest part of the diy. It just won't come out. I had to struggle with it for 45 minutes or so, trying to pry the tank out..etc Great video as always

[@FAIRBOY11]

Mine also will not come out, what I did is unbolted it together with mounting plate that mounts to the radiator, p/n 17111436251, after that it is much easier to do it on the table to separate those two.

[@petec7100]

Mine was completely stuck and I've hardly managed to pull it out with water pump pliers grabbing it by the collar!

[@NealFosterHD]

Just like that you say... 1 hour and still not out

[@mordfustang1933]

I agree VERY tough to pull out. I used a socket on the end of an extension and tapped the bottom of the tank, of course I took the temp sensor out beforehand as well. Worked like a charm.

[@nocount7517]

I was lifting the front of the car, trying to do it how he did. WD-40 isn't helping.

[@ghostshadow6628]

AWESOME STUFF!

[@kngdvid3382]

Thank you..n many BLESSINGS

[@abel2909]

thanks dude. very good video.

[@syednasirsyedharun7043]

Thanks, fot the info and training...

[@Inkassie]

Nice guide man! But just one question? I have the same expansion tank for my 318i but i don't have that bottom hose? They butchered some rubber cap on it. but am not sure where i have to connect that bottom hose, i have a constant leakage problem when i have to make long distance trips. Could you perhaps show where that bottom hose should be ending on the engine?

[@danbouwer1954]

Thanks my guy. Done

[@1BMWdrvr1]

Should the cooling system be "bled" by partially opening the bleed screw as part of maintaining the cooling system? Just thinking that is something I could do to keep things in the best shape poasible. Also, please, I had the dealer do the expansion tank, hoses, radiator etc., at 60k. It has 100k now. Is that tank something that needs replacing again? Or is the new BMW expansion tank designed to last longer? I can't afford to get stuck on the side of the road due to health issues. Thank you for any information...

[@fjwong7337]

Excellent video like everybody says! Thank you. It would help much if you could have also demonstrated how to take/remove the AT oil cooler thermostat off, and show the broken one vs the replacement. Yours broken right? Below your video, there is an ad for a thermostat for $15.79 from AutohausAZ. It's a simple thermostat that an off brand should last for a few years. What symptom will the display show when the AT thermostat is broken or is bad?

[@frederickweeks4962]

Thanks man. DEFINITELY appreciate the video. Do you have a video on water pump and thermostat replacement on the same car as well?

[@ShopLifeTV]

yes i do!

[@Victor-DOOM]

Great video I don't think I pushed down enough water runs straight out and the Clip at the bottom won't Clip in

[@ellis4066]

the expansion tank is very hard to pull out but it just takes about 10 minuets of maneuvering and lifting and eventually it will break free, also it is hard to push back in but eventually it will work

[@407_ryan8]

huge help thx

[@mrscrewu1199]

Awesome video, thanks

[@u387714]

Great Job - thanks!

[@James-Gustafson]

I was wondering what the automatic transmission thermostat thing was. thank you

[@bigaloz80]

I have just done this job and the coolant level light is on on the dash- is the sensor in the bottom of the reservoir tank responsible for water level only or also coolant temperature? Would it being disconnected cause the low coolant level light to come on?

[@yookukson8200]

you are great very much understand your work and explain how you do

[@ShopLifeTV]

Thank you!

[@jesusborrero3285]

Thank you 🙏

[@oaky1283]

Do you have to change the o-rings out on the tank? Does the new tank come with them already? What about the o-rings on the hoses

[@armandosantiago3771]

Excellent video...

[@bravadoplayz630]

hey there is 2 holes on the bottom beside the sensor. One of the holes if for the thermostat that breaks, but what about the other hole? I saw a video of a guy that seemed to remove one more hose than u. Maybe his was a manual? Does the automatic car only have the top hoses (radiator and the tank) and the one on the bottom? and of course the pin and the sensor to dissconect? or does it have another hose? Ik its kinda years later, but hopefully some1 will answer! Thanks

[@luisgrimaldo8625]

For the automatic transmission oil cooler thermostat , you mention it usually breaks for automatics when you pull the tank out, now is it the same thing for standards as well??

[@gracemoore3090]

Just had to replace my expansion tank and top hose, this was a great help. I did spay some silicone on the connections to help into place. I had to get a Dorman (wish me luck) for $70, but it did include the sensor and Auto Transmission Oil Thermostat, the old one broke just as you describe in the video. How harmful is it to have universal coolant versus the BMW brand?

[@chopsui8740]

Grace Moore how’s the dorman holdin uo

[@leeludlowart237]

Thank u for the video. Is that rid important in the tank because mine got stuck as I tried to release it and I haven't seen it since. It was stuck when I bought it 3 days ago and now it's gone into the resevoir. Would appreciate a reply on Thai buddy. Thanks a lot )

[@gentoolive]

Done this to my 330ci a couple months ago, the ATF coolant thermostat was broken in many pieces.. Not sure if i broke it while removing the tank, or it was already broken. If you do this job, i'd plan on going ahead and replacing it while you are at it.

[@YourAverageFNAF_Edits]

Good tip thank you

[@twaveee5152]

Awesoms explanation.. Did everything you did in excepting adding the automatic transmission sensor since I have a manual e46. After everything and making sure the heater worked. Bleed the system correctly and made sure there was enough coolant in the tank my vehicle kept overheating. Never ran into this before and I only replaced me coolant resivor because it exploded as I was driving. Any tips ?

[@arnolduk123]

Did you also change the expansion tank cap ? these should release pressure to prevent the tank exploding, sounds like it failed.

[@ReedLucasDigitalMagician]

Thanks so much, have you done a video on how to check for leaks and what to replace? I have a coolant leak for sure, also how are you propping your the car?

[@diegom.9762]

Bro how the fuck do you have a 46 emote in your name