What would cause radiator to burst in the same place on my third replacement

[Alex.Berua]

Strange issue BMW X1 2012 sdrive. I have had two radiator replacements in Surat and going in for my third one. Please can someone give me some insight on what can be the cause of this. There is no way the part can be faulty twice. No error codes for overheating and thermostat was replaced during first replacement. No overheating of any kind. The break keeps happening in the same place right side bottom where all the pipes connect.any advice is highly appreciated. This is also my first time on the forum looking forward to be part of the community. Thanks in advance.

 

[Peter@AEW]

Likely that it was not bled correctly when replaced

 

[zippy320]

Excess pressure in the system caused by a blockage? or as Peter has mentioned , air in the system. How long till after you replace the radiator does it Pop?

 

[Alex.Berua]

Thanks for replying. Around 6 month in-between.
Car was pressure tested 3 times prior to changing the second time. I am going to ask for the read out of all the error codes as well as results of the pressure test when I go in. I also notice that on a hot day with aircon going and
Going for a short and RPM eventful drive the fan does not stay on after ignition is off and I think it should as I can feel the heat and ticking when engine is at optimal temp

 

[Veteran]

My guess is radiator mount points are under undue tension. This causes stress and leak.
But hey, it’s only a wild guess.

 

[zaleonardz]

excessive pressure, and it must be failing on the weakest point

have you checked fro compression gasses in the water, as in popped head gasket

 

[Solo Man]

Could also be a broken engine mounting causing the engine to move too much placing undue stress on the pipework to the radiator. Just my 2c's

 

[Alex.Berua]

Took in today spoke to service dude now. He said all checks out no faults on the pump or thermostat. He said it was bad batch of radiators which highly unlikely but before December holiday I take it and fight with them if it pops again.

 

[Alex.Berua]

Well did not last long blown again. Booked for repair tomorrow. Will ask to check the pump and if gases are escaping into water system. Anyone else has any ideas please share.

 

[Nella11]

Have you checked for stray voltage in the radiator water?

 

[444YYY]

Well did not last long blown again. Booked for repair tomorrow. Will ask to check the pump and if gases are escaping into water system. Anyone else has any ideas please share.

Same place again? Or a different failure location ?

 

[ShaunB]

Have you checked for stray voltage in the radiator water?

Say what?

 

[officially_kage]

Could be electrolysis as mentioned above....
This is an easy test using a voltmeter

 

[husaindindar]

For interest sake...
Are you using the correct mixture of DISTLLED water and coolant?

If the water is not distilled, then the other compounds in the water might be lowering the boiling point of the water. Also if the mixture is incorrect, the water might be forming small pockets of gas that get trapped in that same location every time.

This gas bubble formation is high pressure and can rupture that weak spot over time.

 

[Nella11]

Could be electrolysis as mentioned above....
This is an easy test using a voltmeter

100%
Test from battery negative to coolant inside radiator without touching the actual radiator core.
Reading must be below 0.05v
It causes a chemical reactions that damage especially aluminum radiator .
If we had a constant radiator failure on a vechile and it isn't excess pressure build up its the next thing we checked.
But can be difficult to pinpoint because it can be triggered by any electrical current..... flickers...wipers ...lights etc

 

[ShaunB]

Could be electrolysis as mentioned above....
This is an easy test using a voltmeter

100%
Test from battery negative to coolant inside radiator without touching the actual radiator core.
Reading must be below 0.05v
It causes a chemical reactions that damage especially aluminum radiator .
If we had a constant radiator failure on a vechile and it isn't excess pressure build up its the next thing we checked.
But can be difficult to pinpoint because it can be triggered by any electrical current..... flickers...wipers ...lights etc

Learn something new everyday, thanks.

 

[Valera]

Just a guess. On July 2017 Sterling Autospares imported on the market n52 and n46 aftermarket radiators. Eight out of ten radiators I sold from this batch, were returned to me in 2-6 weeks. With a same problem. So looking at the dates your one could be from that batch aswell.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Tapatalk

 

[Alex.Berua]

Took the bottom covers off for better look. Looks like same place lower right side around the blue drain plug. (Facing the engine driver side) Going in tomorrow. Will ask to test the voltage mentioned and engine mounts. There is a possibility of bad batch as mentioned but I dont think so as this started prior to July 2017.
I hope they find the cause of this as this making me loos faith in the brand.
Thanks for all the input aprisiate it.

---

Took the bottom covers off for better look. Looks like same place lower right side around the blue drain plug. (Facing the engine driver side) Going in tomorrow. Will ask to test the voltage mentioned and engine mounts. There is a possibility of bad batch as mentioned but I dont think so as this started prior to July 2017.
I hope they find the cause of this as this making me loos faith in the brand.
Thanks for all the input aprisiate it.

 

[Ralf*]

is it a petrol or diesel ?

reason I ask

My 530d seems to be using water, (1/2 litre a week) but no evident signs of moisture or the white residue anywhere.
this after I had a radiator burst last year April.
I asked a technician (in the know)m and his first comment was : "Is it a diesel ?"

he said that the EGR developes a hairline crack (internally), and then allows water to enter the combustion, at the same time it also "OVER PRESSURIZES" the radiator.
His words were that it would cause the radiator to blow up again in the future, especially when on longer cruise drives

I don't know how much truth there is in his theory and description

Maybe those more mechanically/technically competant can confirm the above statement

 

[Alex.Berua]

is it a petrol or diesel ?

reason I ask

My 530d seems to be using water, (1/2 litre a week) but no evident signs of moisture or the white residue anywhere.
this after I had a radiator burst last year April.
I asked a technician (in the know)m and his first comment was : "Is it a diesel ?"

he said that the EGR developes a hairline crack (internally), and then allows water to enter the combustion, at the same time it also "OVER PRESSURIZES" the radiator.
His words were that it would cause the radiator to blow up again in the future, especially when on longer cruise drives

I don't know how much truth there is in his theory and description

Maybe those more mechanically/technically competant can confirm the above statement

It is petrol and I have the report from BMW. Looks like same issue. In my case hairline crack in 4th cilinder and gasses escaping in to cooling system causing access pressure.