The E36 is an excellent vehicle with great balance - the perfect car for spirited driving. However, while BMW did a great job with styling and chassis balance, the cooling system is known to be a weak link overall. The factory plastic expansion tank in particular is known to either blow up, crack, or the plastic nipple for the return line breaks off.
Turner Motorsport's 5052 aluminum wrinkle black powder coated expansion tank is an excellent upgrade or preventative maintenance item that addresses all of the issues with factory E36 expansion tanks. Direct fit with no modifications. In addition to the aluminum expansion tank, this kit includes an aluminum bleeder screw, new expansion tank cap, new coolant level sensor, and more.
If your E36 has a plastic expansion tank and it is still intact after years of heat cycling, consider yourself lucky - however, it is not a question of whether or not it will fail, it is a question of when it will fail. You can tell your wife that this is "cheap insurance" against being stuck on the side of the highway. After a track event, my plastic expansion tank blew up on a three hour commute home - my wife was not happy sitting on the side of the highway waiting for a tow. I am certain that she would have been much happier if I installed the Turner aluminum expansion tank before the event.
Chances are your E36 needs a new expansion tank right now, make sure this is the last expansion tank you ever buy. With a full aluminum construction and wrinkle black powder coat, this expansion tank will be durable and the last expansion tank you will ever need purchase. One and done, make sure the job is done correctly and fixed forever. This kit comes with all the components you need to replace your expansion tank the right way and get back to enjoying your E36.
Kit includes:
Aluminum Coolant Expansion Tank Features:
Everything you need to complete the installation is included in Turner's kit. Check under the documentation tab for detailed installation instructions from Turner Motorsport.