Time for a cooling system refresh - OEM radiator still the way to go?

[D-O]

Found a small puddle of coolant under the car this weekend. Opened the hood and found this:



Guessing this is a sign the water pump is leaking onto a pulley or belt.

With 95k and 19 years on the clock I am going to go ahead and refresh the entire system. Are any of the all metal radiators worth considering over OEM?

Any downside to replacing the belt driven fan with a SPAL 2082?

Any tips welcome.

D-O

[Estoril]

OE.

[siamkazi]

Can confirm, OE is the way to go. I learned the hard way, went down the CSF route, bunch of unstable temps and needle going too far right for my liking. Also fitment was hit or miss. Bought an OE off a member here (new), plugged it in, temp has been perfect, even through a few track sessions.

[t44tq]

Koyo radiator, all aluminum- Koyo is a major OEM for the Japanese auto industry.

Koyoradracing.com or authorized vendor- part number:
HH422675

[D-O]

Right now I can't get and OEM radiator for love or money. Even my guy at the dealer says mid November.

[D-O]

Koyo radiator, all aluminum- Koyo is a major OEM for the Japanese auto industry.

Koyoradracing.com or authorized vendor- part number:
HH422675

Thanks. Was it necessary to make any modifications to get the Koyo to fit?

D-O

[Tbonem3]

I would wait until the OE bmw or oe modine (same part) are back in stock.

[enjoy_m3]

Running Koyo over here without issue with no front aux fan and spal puller with n15 mounts. Great fitment and quality

[oceansize]

This warning comes with ESS superchargers:

"-If you run any other performance radiator than PWR, remove it and replace it with OEM. There is a lot of cooling problems with so called performance radiators when the system is stressed, do not ignore this warning."

With that said I haven't seen anyone report issues with Koyo and there seems to be quite a few using it.

[eacmen]

Koyorad is a two pass versus others that are triple pass. The issue with the CSF is likely lack of sufficient airflow to support a triple pass.

I’ve also nearly reached the end of my patience with the CSF rad. It came with the car so was trying to make it work. I wish FCP, BW and others would stop selling them.


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[Ramps]

Running Koyo for about 4 years with no mech fan. Perfect fitment, works as expected for a new rad.

[robgill]

I would also recommend going with OE replacement. I've run many different aftermarket rads on both my street and track E46Ms, and have never had a problem with OE.

[Nate047]

How does the hive feel about the OE replacement kit from FCP? OEM BMW kit is back ordered because of the rad.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-comprehensive-cooling-system-kit-e46-m3-e46m3compcoolkt1

[Tbonem3]

No, too many aftermarket and OEM parts. You want OE (or OES) in important places. You can get away with OEM on a few things like the hoses if you reuse your oe orings or get better orings like Wolfn8tor sells here.

[D-O]

On a separate note, how about the Ina tensioners and pulleys? FCP has them listed as OE. Anyone have experience with them?