Who has flushed their coolant themselves?

[rome5982]

Time for me to flush my coolant. I have heard that we need to use the special BMW coolant because of some type issue with the seals in our system that is not compatible with regular antifreeze? Also, any tips on how to flush the system?................I have done this on other cars, but you never know about BMW's, sometimes you need to know a special tip. Thanks.

[rome5982]

:dunno:

[Krix330cic(NJ)]

we need special fluid?? i just topped off the other day at the gas station, when my low fluid light came on..... am i screwed? :dunno:

[Keeferno]

Originally posted by Krix330cic(NJ)
we need special fluid?? i just topped off the other day at the gas station, when my low fluid light came on..... am i screwed? :dunno:
Hmmm, I wasn't aware of that one either. It's been prestone coolant and distilled water for me the past couple of times. No probs yet.

[rome5982]

Hey, I just picked up my mtech bumper and rear trunk spoiler from the dealer and I talked to the mechanic about this. He said that you do need to use their "specially formulated" BMW coolant in our 50/50 antifreeze/water mixture because the seals in the water pump and thermostat will go bad if you use regular antifreeze (didn't say exactly why tho). He also said that they replace a lot of thermostats and water pumps for this very reason. He said the manual says to only use the BMW coolant (but I always thought they say that so you would spend the extra cash on the BMW stuff) :dunno:

He also told me how they do the "flush". They drain a little more than half of the coolant out and then retighten the drain valve and add a 50/50 mixture of the BMW coolant/water. Then you run the engine until the coolant starts to circulate for a while (this is the "flush"). He even said that it would be better to run the car for a day or 2 for this step. Then you drain the coolant all out and replace with another 50/50 mixture of BMW coolant/water.

Either way he sold me 2 gallons of the BMW antifreeze/coolant for $11.97 a gallon. :tsk: I have read about this in other posts so I don't think they were BSing me.

[tim330i]

According to my Bentley you should use a coolant that is phosphate free, which is what I assume BMWs is. If you got phosphate free you should be fine, if it has phosphate you should change it out.

Tim

[Keeferno]

I just check to see if the prestone stuff I used is phosphate free and the answer is no but here's their response (posted on their website):

Q: Does Prestone® Antifreeze/Coolant contain phosphates?
A: Some European automobile manufacturers request that a phosphate-free antifreeze be used in their vehicles. This issue is related to the extremely high mineral content of the water in Europe. If you were to mix an antifreeze that contained phosphates with the type of water they have in Europe, it may produce deposits that can settle in the cooling system and promote corrosion. However, in North America we do not have this type of water problem. Typical North American coolants have contained phosphates (which is part of the corrosion inhibitor package) for many years. Therefore, the question of phosphates is a non-issue here in North America. Prestone® Antifreeze/Coolant is completely safe for use in both foreign and domestic vehicles. For those consumers who would feel more comfortable using a phosphate-free antifreeze, our Prestone® Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant is phosphate, silicate, and borate free. This coolant uses a special chemistry and technology that extends the life of the corrosion inhibitor package so that it lasts for five years or 150,000 miles (whichever comes first), and is safe for all cars and light trucks (old or new). Prestone® Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant has been approved by General Motors under their DEX-COOL® specifications and is compatible with other DEX-COOL® approved coolants.

[rome5982]

Wow Keeferno, great information. Thanks for looking this up. I guess that explains it. So, does anybody want to buy my $12 a gallon BMW coolant? :D

Of course there was also the dealer mechanic who told me that they get a lot of bad water pumps and thermostats because people don't use the BMW antifreeze. :eek:

[BimmerBaller]

Alright, so all in all what would i need to buy (specifics and all) for a '00 323Ci to do the coolant flush...thx

[rome5982]

OK, I did the flush. This is what I did:

I used the Bently manual and pretty much followed its instructions. I might add that the Bently manual notes the following- "Always use BMW coolant or its equivalent to avoid the formation of harmful, clogging deposits in the cooling system. Use of other antifreeze solutions may be harmful to the cooling system".

1) I purchased 2 gallons of the BMW coolant from the dealer.

2) Raise the front of the car and support safely.

3) Remove splash shield from under the engine.

4) Loosen radiator bleed screw at top radiator fitting.

5) Remove cap from radiator expansion tank. Set temperature controls to full warm.

6) Place 3 gallon pail underneath radiator.

7) Remove drain plug on bottom of radiator. (there is another step to remove the engine block coolant drain plug on the exhaust side of the engine and drain the coolant in the block..............but since I was doing a "flush" I did not do this).

8) Drain about 1 gallon of coolant. ( I also removed the expansion tank drain plug and drained some coolant from there as well). Reinstall the drain plugs (radiator drain plug: 18 to 27 in-lb) thats inch-pounds not foot-pounds :rolleyes: .

9) Mix a gallon of coolant and water (distilled water if you are really picky).

10) Before refilling the radiator, turn the ignition to "on" (do not start the car), set temperature controls to full warm (should already be there from before), and set blower control to low.

NOTE: Air may become trapped in the system during cooling system service. Trapped air can prevent proper coolant circulation. Whenever the coolant is drained and filled, the system should be bled of trapped air.

11) Loosen the bleed screw and slowly fill the expansion tank until the coolant spills from the bleed screw. When coolant spilling from the bleed screw is free of air bubbles, tighten the screw and the expansion tank cap.

12) Run engine until it reaches operating temperature. After engine has cooled, recheck coolant level and top off so that coolant level indicator is at "max".

13) You can either let the engine run for a while or what I did was leave it in the car for a day of normal driving (this is the "flush" suggested by the BMW mechanic).

14) Let engine cool off and drain all of the coolant this time from the radiator and the expansion tank. Repeat steps 10 through 12. :thumbup:

[topazmania]

The Prestone explanation is BS. Every BMW I've worked on where phosphate-containing coolant was used had all kinds of mineral buildup in the cooling system. While it's not necessary to use the BMW coolant, it is necessary to use phosphate-free stuff, like the Prestone Extended Life. The most notorious coolant is the normal Prestone green stuff.

The BMW tech is right, the water pump is usually the first thing to go.

[CtrlAltDel]

so which is the best non-phosphate coolant to get?

[markusmark]

Go with the BMW coolant and distilled water. Prevention is cheaper than repairs!:D

[wyu]

how often should flushing the coolant be done? every 2 years?

[slilley]

Originally posted by markusmark
Go with the BMW coolant and distilled water. Prevention is cheaper than repairs!:D

The coolant should be flushed every two years. Even tho the BMW coolant is a couple extra $$s, it's worth it for the peace of mind. Come on, what's any extra $10-$20 every two years? If you can't afford that, you've got bigger problems!

Regards,
Steve
(who changes all fluids annually, just for extra extra peace of mind)

[toddkageals]

Just some advice and observations from my coolant flushing experience this weekend:

1. The engine coolant drain plug is located on the passenger side of the engine block just in front of the exhaust manifold. The bolt has a 13mm head (I saw somewhere else that said 14mm but mine....2000 328i....was a 13mm head for sure). You might want to get the crush washer before you do the job but I reused the old one and it did not leak. Torque the bolt to 25 N-m per the BMW service manual.

2. DO NOT OPEN THE ENGINE DRAIN PLUG laying under the passenger side of the car (with your legs under the front passenger door). This is an excellent way to get hot coolant up your nose, in your mouth and in your hair....wonder how I would know???? Anyway.....you can reach that bolt easily with your legs out the front of the car and much less coolant splashes/drains that direction. If you had a lift it would be very easy, but with just a jack it was a little bit of a pain.

3. I drained everything completely, filled with anitfreeze/distilled water (BMW brand), and then drove around for a while. I then repeated the etire procedure. It was much easier the second time around.

4. There is an O-ring on the radiator drain plug and a sealing washer on the bleed plug that you might want to replace while doing this. I didn't replace any of these (because I didn't know I was going to need them) and I didn't have any leaks. Still....cheap insurance if a dealer is close by to get the parts.

5. Removing the under tray is a snap (IIRC 6 phillilps head screws and three plastic rivets). The rivets can be removed by using a pair of pliars to pull the center plug down and the rivets pop right out. It would be easier to remove that center plug with a notched tool like you use to pop off door panels but I didn't have one handy and the pliars worked fine. By the way.....dogs like to eat these rivets and sip the coolant....keep dogs away from both....again...wonder how I would know this?????

6. One gallon of coolant and one gallon of distilled water will completey fill the cooling system. I flushed with coolant/distilled water so I used two gallons of coolant and two gallons of distilled water.

In conclusion, be careful, take your time, watch out for the coolant coming out of the engine drain plug, don't over tighted the plastic radiator and coolant tank plugs, and be sure to bleed all the air out of the system. Having completed this procedure once, the second time around took less than an hour including reattching the undertray. The first time took 2.5 hours...including a stop for a shower...see above....and about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to get the car up in the air (my ramps are too steep for the front spoiler). Good luck to you....send me an email if you are attempting this for the first time and you have any questions.

Todd
toddkageals@cox.net

[jun14scr]

damn i just bought coolant from my dealer today and it cost me 23 bucks.

[shd]

Anyone knows how much coolant exactly the system have? They sell anti-freeze in 1.5 litres bottles here, so I do not know how much to buy. 3l that's makes 6l of coolant, is that enough? I think system can have more than 6l....

[rome5982]

Originally posted by shd
Anyone knows how much coolant exactly the system have? They sell anti-freeze in 1.5 litres bottles here, so I do not know how much to buy. 3l that's makes 6l of coolant, is that enough? I think system can have more than 6l....
You can do unit conversions at this website:
http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm
2 Gallons is more than enough...................I used a little over 1 Gallon.

[shd]

I know about unit conversion. As you said you have used a little over 1 gallon. 1 gallon is 2.5 of 1.5L bottles. So how much is that "a little"? I do not know how much to get, 3 or 4 or maybe 5 bottles. I just do not want to buy more than I need.

[rome5982]

Originally posted by shd
I know about unit conversion. As you said you have used a little over 1 gallon. 1 gallon is 2.5 of 1.5L bottles. So how much is that "a little"? I do not know how much to get, 3 or 4 or maybe 5 bottles. I just do not want to buy more than I need.
You need to get 4 bottles so that you have enough (with a little margin). 6L total.

[HiMiles]

toddkageals and rome5982, thank you so much for the DIY and the tips. You guys rock. :thumbup:

[xmltok]

how much did you have to let the bleed screw flow over until you were out of bubbles? i must of put a quarter gallon through and still got occasional bubbles

[topazmania]

Once stuff starts flowing out, close the bleed screw and you're done. There may still be a few bubbles left in the system but they will eventually get pushed out into the coolant reservoir.

[K-Man]

The radiator drain nut! Do you turn the black nut or the blue part??

It looks like a phillips screw driver goes to the blue part?? Both look fragile to me!!

Thanks

[toddkageals]

The radiator drain nut! Do you turn the black nut or the blue part??

It looks like a phillips screw driver goes to the blue part?? Both look fragile to me!!

Thanks

They are fragile but the turn easily. Put a properly fitting screw driver in the blue part. It's just a plastic screw/plug.

[Lugnut2683]

I don't think it's completely necessary to use BMW engine coolant. Just make sure you use a phosphate free coolant. Almost every car (even my sister's Jeep Wrangler) specifies the use of their "special" OEM brand coolant. The idea is that you do not want to ever mix coolants, because they each have different chemicals to inhibit corrosion. Mixing of these chemicals will make the coolant less effective in cooling and protecting your coolant system. This is why whenever you change coolants (or do a coolant flush for that matter), you want to flush ALL coolant out of your coolant system.

Car manufacturers make a killing selling OEM parts and fluids, telling people that only their brand will work. For peace of mind, you can purchase OEM products to be completely safe, but this does not necessarily mean these parts and fluids are "better" than aftermarket parts and fluids.

[toddkageals]

I don't think it's completely necessary to use BMW engine coolant. Just make sure you use a phosphate free coolant. Almost every car (even my sister's Jeep Wrangler) specifies the use of their "special" OEM brand coolant. The idea is that you do not want to ever mix coolants, because they each have different chemicals to inhibit corrosion. Mixing of these chemicals will make the coolant less effective in cooling and protecting your coolant system. This is why whenever you change coolants (or do a coolant flush for that matter), you want to flush ALL coolant out of your coolant system.

Car manufacturers make a killing selling OEM parts and fluids, telling people that only their brand will work. For peace of mind, you can purchase OEM products to be completely safe, but this does not necessarily mean these parts and fluids are "better" than aftermarket parts and fluids.

I would usually agree with all of that but I have seen several BMW mechanics post about the use of non-BMW coolant and they always state that when other coolants are used that it causes corossion in the cooling system (including the water pump). Yes, a phospate free coolant MAY do the trick but the it only takes a gallon or two of coolant to do a complete flush so the money you save by using something else is minimal at best. Plus...isn't the change interval like 2 (or is it 4) years? The savings just don't justify the risk to the cooling system in my opinion. I'll stick with BMW fluids for the life of the vehicle just for the peace of mind.

Todd

[bmw2000323ci]

OK, I did the flush. This is what I did:

I used the Bently manual and pretty much followed its instructions. I might add that the Bently manual notes the following- "Always use BMW coolant or its equivalent to avoid the formation of harmful, clogging deposits in the cooling system. Use of other antifreeze solutions may be harmful to the cooling system".

1) I purchased 2 gallons of the BMW coolant from the dealer.

2) Raise the front of the car and support safely.

3) Remove splash shield from under the engine.

4) Loosen radiator bleed screw at top radiator fitting.

5) Remove cap from radiator expansion tank. Set temperature controls to full warm.

6) Place 3 gallon pail underneath radiator.

7) Remove drain plug on bottom of radiator. (there is another step to remove the engine block coolant drain plug on the exhaust side of the engine and drain the coolant in the block..............but since I was doing a "flush" I did not do this).

8) Drain about 1 gallon of coolant. ( I also removed the expansion tank drain plug and drained some coolant from there as well). Reinstall the drain plugs (radiator drain plug: 18 to 27 in-lb) thats inch-pounds not foot-pounds :rolleyes: .

9) Mix a gallon of coolant and water (distilled water if you are really picky).

10) Before refilling the radiator, turn the ignition to "on" (do not start the car), set temperature controls to full warm (should already be there from before), and set blower control to low.

NOTE: Air may become trapped in the system during cooling system service. Trapped air can prevent proper coolant circulation. Whenever the coolant is drained and filled, the system should be bled of trapped air.

11) Loosen the bleed screw and slowly fill the expansion tank until the coolant spills from the bleed screw. When coolant spilling from the bleed screw is free of air bubbles, tighten the screw and the expansion tank cap.

12) Run engine until it reaches operating temperature. After engine has cooled, recheck coolant level and top off so that coolant level indicator is at "max".

13) You can either let the engine run for a while or what I did was leave it in the car for a day of normal driving (this is the "flush" suggested by the BMW mechanic).

14) Let engine cool off and drain all of the coolant this time from the radiator and the expansion tank. Repeat steps 10 through 12. :thumbup:


I'm new to my bmw. I've read several threads regarding engine over heating if you flush only the radiator and not the engine coolant. Could you tell me how easy to flush the engine block since there is engine block drain plug? Please tell me step-by-step and what tools you need to get the job done right. thanks in advance.

[Wagon Man]

I'm new to my bmw. I've read several threads regarding engine over heating if you flush only the radiator and not the engine coolant. Could you tell me how easy to flush the engine block since there is engine block drain plug? Please tell me step-by-step and what tools you need to get the job done right. thanks in advance.

Bookmark this ownderful page: http://www.bmw325i.net/maint_coolant_change.shtml

Noted you have a 323, pls note thyat the engine drain plug in my 00 323iT is a 10mm hex, not a standard bolt as in 325 described in the link. Prepare for a 10mm Hex socket driver.

In summary: this is very easy DIY

[bmw2000323ci]

Bookmark this ownderful page: http://www.bmw325i.net/maint_coolant_change.shtml

Noted you have a 323, pls note thyat the engine drain plug in my 00 323iT is a 10mm hex, not a standard bolt as in 325 described in the link. Prepare for a 10mm Hex socket driver.

In summary: this is very easy DIY

After removing the shield cover underneath the car, I only saw one BLUE plastic screen on the radiator. I knew the a drain plug for the radiator. However, I couldn't locate the engine drain plug near the radiator. Could you please tell me where the engine drain plug is? I did have a talk with BMW service guy. He told me that it was not neccessary to remove the engine drain plug. Flushing the radiator itself automatically flushes the engine coolant. Is that true? thanks,

[justvisiting]

you need to flush the engine drain plug as well.. just flushing the radiator is probably only getting like 30% of the total coolant. most of it is sitting in the engine. so just doing the radiator will circulate new coolant with lots of old coolant. THe engine drain plug is under cylinder 2 of the eingine. If your looking at your car from under the hood its on your right straight up on the engine block. the only plug on the cylinders. number 2 would be the second from the front. [6 5 4 3 2 1 BUmper]

hope that helps.

[rome5982]

After removing the shield cover underneath the car, I only saw one BLUE plastic screen on the radiator. I knew the a drain plug for the radiator. However, I couldn't locate the engine drain plug near the radiator. Could you please tell me where the engine drain plug is? I did have a talk with BMW service guy. He told me that it was not neccessary to remove the engine drain plug. Flushing the radiator itself automatically flushes the engine coolant. Is that true? thanks,

This is the same thing that the BMW service guy told me. In fact, he said that is how they do it. That is why the write up I did explains that you drain the radiator and fill it with new coolant and then drive around for a day. Then you repeat the process. If you want to be extra anal, then go ahead and do it a 3rd time. You are performing a system "flush" which includes the engine passages when you do this. I would expect maybe 10% of old coolant might remain (but then again, it has been diluted with the new coolant). It is easy this way. If you want to drain the engine plug, then that would be more complete, but not neccessary IMO.

[AERO 46]

Thanks guys for all this information, any ideas how much the expansion tank cost

[Tom Busby]

The expansion tank is $80-$100.

Be sure to use distilled water. The USA has lots of minerals in the water which cause expensive problems. For example, in 1999 GM re-issued all three volumes of the 1998 F-Body Helms manuals (GM's official manuals for Camaro/Firebird) to include several warnings to use only distilled water.

Prestone is the worst major name antifreeze. Buy Havoline if you just can't bring yourself to spend the extra $5 on BMW coolant. You can only drain about 8-9 quarts of coolant so you only need to buy one gallon of antifreeze.

Expect to re-bleed after after a day or two and top off.

[AERO 46]

Thanks Tom for your advise, the tank cost me 70 bucks @ BMW of San diego, I will take the oportunity and flush it with a galon of BMW coolant and them use another galon after that.
Any idea of the water pump life, my is a 2000 323 Ci with 54000 miles, so I want be ready

[Hoyshel]

what about draining out as much coolant as will come out, refilling will distilled water, letting it run for about ten minutes to flush out the old stuff, and then refilling with the proper mixture of distilled water and bmw coolant?

[kbsilver]

That's what I was thinkiing, a couple of gallons of distilled water is much cheaper then putting in coolent only to take it out a few minutes later.

With all that said, is pulling the engine block dain plug sufficent without resorting to draining, filling and draining again?

In about 2 months I'm going to be at 60K miles and am planning on doing a major cooling system service. Full drain, replace water pump, and belts. I might pour some distilled water through the system with all the plugs out, but wasn't planning on drain, fill, drain.

[Tom Busby]

AERO, just flush it with distilled water instead of coolant. It is cheaper and the flushing fluid mostly gets wasted when you drain it out.

A flush moves the last volume of fluid (about 2-3 quarts) out of the heater-circuit and the very bottom of the block and dilutes it by about a ratio of 8/11 more or less. This is overdoing it, unless you think your coolant is spoiled due to mixing of unknown or different anti-freezes, where a flush is necessary.

Normally, with stock coolant properties intact, it is ok to replace only 80% of the coolant by draining the radiator and the block at least every 4 years. I like a radiator/block drain every two years but I am slightly manic about maintenance.

[djsunkim]

ok im kinda confused....which one is better? flsuhing or changing the coolant?

[jzw]

In North Jersey where I live, the dealers ask for more than $20 per gallon. I paid $23 for it.

Hey, I just picked up my mtech bumper and rear trunk spoiler from the dealer and I talked to the mechanic about this. He said that you do need to use their "specially formulated" BMW coolant in our 50/50 antifreeze/water mixture because the seals in the water pump and thermostat will go bad if you use regular antifreeze (didn't say exactly why tho). He also said that they replace a lot of thermostats and water pumps for this very reason. He said the manual says to only use the BMW coolant (but I always thought they say that so you would spend the extra cash on the BMW stuff) :dunno:

He also told me how they do the "flush". They drain a little more than half of the coolant out and then retighten the drain valve and add a 50/50 mixture of the BMW coolant/water. Then you run the engine until the coolant starts to circulate for a while (this is the "flush"). He even said that it would be better to run the car for a day or 2 for this step. Then you drain the coolant all out and replace with another 50/50 mixture of BMW coolant/water.

Either way he sold me 2 gallons of the BMW antifreeze/coolant for $11.97 a gallon. :tsk: I have read about this in other posts so I don't think they were BSing me.

[EPBB]

Just some advice and observations from my coolant flushing experience this weekend:

1. The engine coolant drain plug is located on the passenger side of the engine block just in front of the exhaust manifold. The bolt has a 13mm head (I saw somewhere else that said 14mm but mine....2000 328i....was a 13mm head for sure). You might want to get the crush washer before you do the job but I reused the old one and it did not leak. Torque the bolt to 25 N-m per the BMW service manual.

2. DO NOT OPEN THE ENGINE DRAIN PLUG laying under the passenger side of the car (with your legs under the front passenger door). This is an excellent way to get hot coolant up your nose, in your mouth and in your hair....wonder how I would know???? Anyway.....you can reach that bolt easily with your legs out the front of the car and much less coolant splashes/drains that direction. If you had a lift it would be very easy, but with just a jack it was a little bit of a pain.

3. I drained everything completely, filled with anitfreeze/distilled water (BMW brand), and then drove around for a while. I then repeated the etire procedure. It was much easier the second time around.

4. There is an O-ring on the radiator drain plug and a sealing washer on the bleed plug that you might want to replace while doing this. I didn't replace any of these (because I didn't know I was going to need them) and I didn't have any leaks. Still....cheap insurance if a dealer is close by to get the parts.

5. Removing the under tray is a snap (IIRC 6 phillilps head screws and three plastic rivets). The rivets can be removed by using a pair of pliars to pull the center plug down and the rivets pop right out. It would be easier to remove that center plug with a notched tool like you use to pop off door panels but I didn't have one handy and the pliars worked fine. By the way.....dogs like to eat these rivets and sip the coolant....keep dogs away from both....again...wonder how I would know this?????

6. One gallon of coolant and one gallon of distilled water will completey fill the cooling system. I flushed with coolant/distilled water so I used two gallons of coolant and two gallons of distilled water.

In conclusion, be careful, take your time, watch out for the coolant coming out of the engine drain plug, don't over tighted the plastic radiator and coolant tank plugs, and be sure to bleed all the air out of the system. Having completed this procedure once, the second time around took less than an hour including reattching the undertray. The first time took 2.5 hours...including a stop for a shower...see above....and about 45 minutes trying to figure out how to get the car up in the air (my ramps are too steep for the front spoiler). Good luck to you....send me an email if you are attempting this for the first time and you have any questions.

Todd
toddkageals@cox.net


Hey everyone,

I just finished this DIY for my first time, and I must say, I learned some good lessons. Particularly the one Todd mentioned above, about getting a mouthfull of coolant from the engine drain plug. Does anyone know any tricks on how to avoid getting the coolant EVERYWHERE? It hits all the mechanical parts, and just sprays everyplace but the bucket.

Also, for those coolant experts out there, I do have a question that is concerning me. After I did this DIY, when I started the engine after refilling, there was a bit of white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Not much, but enough to be able to see it in 65 degree weather (looked like haze, or light fog). When I walked up to it, it smelled like burning antifreeze, and it looked as though there was some pooled up in the end of the exhaust pipes. Is this normal??? Could this be from the antifreeze spilling everywhere, and perhaps seeping into the exhaust? Any help would be appreciated.

[Canuck328i]

Here's my trick for getting the coolant out of the engine block:

Get a 2 foot or so piece of sump pump hose (the flexible ribbed plastic type, about 1.5" diameter). Loosen the engine drain bolt most of the way off, but don't remove it completely. Position the drain pan under the bolt area, put one end of the hose in the pan and the other end up over the loosened bolt. Put your left hand over the engine end of the hose, pull it back from the block just enough to get two fingers in between over the top, then spin the bolt off with those two fingers while holding that hose as tight as possible to the block. When the bolt lets go, pull out your fingers and push the hose up against the block again - the bolt will fall down the hose and into the pan, and the coolant should shoot down the hose too. It should only take 20 to 30 seconds to totally drain the block.

It helps if the exhaust is cold during this. I've done this on both my E46s and didn't spill a single drop. :thumbup:

Mark

[toddkageals]

I'm definately going to try this next time I do my coolant. As for the coolant in the exhaust tips.....wow....I don't know about that one. I don't see how it could have gotten into the exhuaust unless you somehow got it into the intake. I guess if it burns off and does not return, it should not be a problem. I'd definately keep an eye on it! If you see it again.....well....that can't be good (head gasket, cracked block, cracked head, etc......never really heard of those problems in a BMW though).

Here's my trick for getting the coolant out of the engine block:

Get a 2 foot or so piece of sump pump hose (the flexible ribbed plastic type, about 1.5" diameter). Loosen the engine drain bolt most of the way off, but don't remove it completely. Position the drain pan under the bolt area, put one end of the hose in the pan and the other end up over the loosened bolt. Put your left hand over the engine end of the hose, pull it back from the block just enough to get two fingers in between over the top, then spin the bolt off with those two fingers while holding that hose as tight as possible to the block. When the bolt lets go, pull out your fingers and push the hose up against the block again - the bolt will fall down the hose and into the pan, and the coolant should shoot down the hose too. It should only take 20 to 30 seconds to totally drain the block.

It helps if the exhaust is cold during this. I've done this on both my E46s and didn't spill a single drop. :thumbup:

Mark

[Jim_in_Calgary]

If you're going to use a non-bmw coolant, go for a G-05 rated coolant like Zerex G-05 in the gold Jug. It's the most expensive over the counter coolant, but it has the properties needed by the different metals in the BMW engine. It's cheaper than the BMW stuff. But I like the Blue BMW stuff.

[rneily]

Ive changes the coolant on my 2001 M3 in the past, however I was unable to find a drain plug. Can someone verify or tell me where the drain plug is on the E46 M3's???

[opfor2]

damn i just bought coolant from my dealer today and it cost me 23 bucks.

It costs $19.10 a gal at the BMW deler in Van Nuys. CA