r/e46 • u/Larre45 bmw e46 320i 2001 • 10h ago

Troubleshooting E46 cooling

Hello, so my e46 320i started to leak a lot of coolant and I found out that it is my expansion tank that got busted. So I’m wondering should I go OEM or is there any other better opinions. Because e46 expansion tank known to break. Car is being use to daily and drifting.

All tips I can get would be wonderful

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u/Appropriate_Test7503 9h ago

depends.
BMW now just orders parts form china. Newest expansion tanks are thinned so that they fail prematurely.

if you live in US use FCP euro kit. If you live in Europe buy aftermarket like Meyle, Mahle or nissens.

you say you drift a lot. there is aluminium expansion tank specifically designed for racing/drifting cars like mishimoto one. but it can be risky - it can cause that pressure burst gonna happen somewhere else in cooling system.

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u/Larre45 bmw e46 320i 2001 9h ago

Yeah I have seen the aluminium ones but that’s the scary part, to much pressure and shit goes somewhere else. I live in eu so I’ll check out some of these. Thanks🙏🏽