E39 radiator. Which is better?

[Cammsport 391]

Hi all. Battling through the 'resto' of my E39 touring. Doing the usual M52 maintenance as well. I noticed the radiator is the built-in-expansion-tank type that I'd only ever seen on 318tis'.

I've seen other 6 cylinder E39s with the separate expansion tank that mounts to the shroud.

My question is, is one better than the other? The built-in version is the same height and thickness but is 520mm wide vs 650mm. I can't seem to find much talk of it in the forums. I'll be replacing all of the cooling components bar the radiator if there's no gain from swapping. 

Thanks everyone! 

[Eagle 1679]

Both have their positives and negatives but prefer the older style myself purely from ease of working on\access point of view. I wouldn't think you could use the newer setup without fiddling around with the wiring\plugs and coolant lines given the M52TU\M54 is different from your M52    

[Gaz 1062]

Not sure which ones but alot of 328s have the top set up, mine does. I think it's a nz new vs Japan but not sure 

[Cammsport 391]

On 1/12/2022 at 7:58 PM, Gaz said:

Not sure which ones but alot of 328s have the top set up, mine does. I think it's a nz new vs Japan but not sure 

Awesome, cheers for that. Ever had any issues? 

[Gaz 1062]

12 hours ago, Cammsport said:

Awesome, cheers for that. Ever had any issues? 

No apart from it is leaking at the moment, am going to a m3 self bleeding setup for no other reason than preparing for future mods

[Palazzo 478]

I have the same (top one) in my coupe. Just started seeping out of the bottom of the expansion tank. Looks like there is a washer or two able to be replaced?

Edited January 26, 2022 by Palazzo
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