[KTM]

Hello,
Just recently finished repairing my 335i (front end deer collision), and in doing so I replaced the radiator with a Mishimoto radiator as well as all new coolant hoses. I've driven the car around the neighborhood a few times only briefly getting it up to temperature. Today I started driving toward work and after about 15 minutes into the trip I noticed a bit of steam coming from the front left. Sure enough, the upper radiator hose popped off - the clip was in the disengaged position and the hose/radiator port both look undamaged. When I installed all of the hoses I made sure to test the connection by giving them a tug - nothing budged.

I put the hose back on, it clipped into place properly and feels okay. Should I trust the clip/connection to stay seated? Otherwise I am thinking of backing the clip with some electrical tape/a pipe clamp to keep it seated... Have others had any issue with OEM hoses fitting on Mishimoto radiators? The connection 'feels' fine, and until it popping off there was no coolant leak.

Thanks!

[cstmx_ryder]

To make sure that ANY hoses with a c-clip is on tight and seated correctly, you push the c-clip into place WHILE the hose is disconnected, then connect the hose WITH the c-clip pushed in the 'locked' position. You should hear a click or snap when installing the hoses, that ensures you that they're seated and installed correctly.

Trust me, I had to change out my radiator not too long ago.

[KTM]

Originally Posted by cstmx_ryder

To make sure that ANY hoses with a c-clip is on tight and seated correctly, you push the c-clip into place WHILE the hose is disconnected, then connect the hose WITH the c-clip pushed in the 'locked' position. You should hear a click or snap when installing the hoses, that ensures you that they're seated and installed correctly.

Trust me, I had to change out my radiator not too long ago.

Sounds simple enough, I'll give this a shot when I get home. I'm guessing only one half of the clip was seated and the increased pressure in the coolant system from getting the vehicle warm just popped the little guy off... Bummer.

Thanks for the advice!

[jwebb335xi]

Originally Posted by cstmx_ryder

To make sure that ANY hoses with a c-clip is on tight and seated correctly, you push the c-clip into place WHILE the hose is disconnected, then connect the hose WITH the c-clip pushed in the 'locked' position. You should hear a click or snap when installing the hoses, that ensures you that they're seated and installed correctly.

Trust me, I had to change out my radiator not too long ago.

I'm glad that the OP appears to have caught this before a BIG leak and overheat!!

Any sense of whether the Mishimoto Rads perform better than OEM? As far as I can tell, OEM is fine, but many of our cars are getting old enough where rads may be failing soon...

[cstmx_ryder]

Originally Posted by jwebb335xi

I'm glad that the OP appears to have caught this before a BIG leak and overheat!!

Any sense of whether the Mishimoto Rads perform better than OEM? As far as I can tell, OEM is fine, but many of our cars are getting old enough where rads may be failing soon...

Is Mishimoto radiators made from aluminum? I would think the performance would be similar, but the aluminum radiator will last longer than OEM.

[KTM]

Originally Posted by cstmx_ryder

Is Mishimoto radiators made from aluminum? I would think the performance would be similar, but the aluminum radiator will last longer than OEM.

Roger, it is all aluminum including the ports. I think I found the reason why the coolant hose came off.. The upper radiator port has a milled slot in it for the clip to seat in, but it looks like there was a slight machining error on mine. The top of the passenger-side slot was slightly off - there was a burr/lead in causing the clip to only seat on the bottom side of the slot. A few minutes with a machinist's scraper took care of it. The clip is seating properly and the car made my 45 mile commute to work with no issue.