will a different radiator work on my car?

[GrimReefer]

will a radiator from a 89 325i fit on my 325 ES motor? i am taking the front end from the 89 i and putting it on my 86 es because of some front end damage. the 89's ass end was totaled and i decided to grab the front end off of it. i also grabbed the radiator from the 89 cause mine was bent, and upon inspection, it's a completely different one. what i need to know is if the radiator will work with my motor. i'm hoping it will just need hoses to make it work. if not, it looks like i'll need another radiator again.

[Wishno87]

all i know is that the hosed will need to be relocated. there was a design change after 87 and the later ones were slightly bigger and the coolent bottle is on the other side. im no techie but i assume you could make it work if you tried

[StereoInstaller1]

You are facing the late/early issue here man...

Late radiators have 2 little nubs about halfway down the tanks that sit in little pods...your early "es" does not have those pods, so no go on that, but not really a big deal.

The hoses and coolant tank are totally different though...that will be a hassle to deal with, but can be done. Get the coolant tank and all the hoses and thermostat housing from that late model and you should be OK.

Use your early model mounts, top and bottom, you should be able to secure it just fine...you might have to swap out your fan switch too.

GL!
Luke

[MR 325]

I have the late model cooling system in my 85.

You will need a late model water pump, all hoses, coolant tank and of course radiator. I used the last model upper bracket for mine. I broke off the plastic threaded tabs, drilled an extra hole in the radiator support, and attached the bracket with stainless nuts and bolts.

[scabzzzz]

Good thread..

What about E36 radiators? I know I've seen people run those but Im guessing thats for I motors.

[GrimReefer]

thanks for the input guys. i'll need to replace alot to get this where i want it anyway, so the work/effort isn't an issue.

so all i need to get to make this work is the updated hoses, updated coolant tank, and updated water pump? what about the electrical connections? will i need to retrofit anything in there to make it compatible?

[GrimReefer]

anyone know about the electronics?

[MR 325]

You should be able to hook everything up. Just switch the radiator sensors over if needed.