Bleeding screw broken
 

My bleeding screw broke today and i see smoke coming out from it when i drive. I live a few miles away from the dealership and also the dealership is closed now due to holidays. Is there any temporary fix you folks can suggest that can get me going for a couple of days before i get the replacement part from the dealership.

I can't think of any...the cooling system is a pressurized system so taping the hole probably wouldn't work. Even a loose expansion tank cap or a bad cap gasket will have you spewing coolant so I don't think you have many options, unfortunately. If you do drive it (which I don't recommend), keep an eye on your temp needle. Also be sure to rebleed it once you get the new screw.

Just for the future, always keep spare bleed screws on hand or get a brass one. I've spoken with a BMW tech and he said they're essentially one time use.

Thanks!. What you said makes absolute sense.. i also see the coolant getting spewed everywhere as well.. with all the fragile plastic parts in these cars wonder how many spares i have to keep. Was hoping duct tape or some novel engineering solution can fix it for a while.. guess not :)

Also the temp needle goes rather quickly to the middle and stops moving further... does anyone have an explanation for that?. is it because of lack of pressurized environment?

As far as I know you can't buy the screw separate at the dealer, you will need to buy the entire upper hose (happened to me). To drive the car home I had to wrap around a rag but it will leak no matter what. In the meantime order a brass bleeder screw as well.

I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunatelly, Far away from home so I had to think of something. I took a small screw, for example like this
https://www.google.lt/search?q=screw...zsjSnCPwBR56M:
and screwed it into a small hole in the broken bleeding crew. In fact, I had to use two screws because there were even two small holes. And I managed to drive with this workaround around 1000 km.
So dont panic when this happens to you :)

Regarding the bleeding screw, it does sell at the dealer (at least here in lithuania). However the bigger problem is to unscrew broken bleeding screw. I couldnt managed to do it so I had to replace all upper hose.

Good luck._nr_

"bummer";)

Try your neighborhood autoparts store. I went to BAP import parts and bought 2 for 5 bucks.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Bimmer App

Awesome.. just for someone else who may have the same problem later on search for 119-06008-500 meyle on google and get it at your fav store..

It's great you can find another plastic one locally, however, for $4 to $5 you can get a brass one, and never worry about it again. Next time you put an order in to Autohausaz or any of the other parts suppliers, recommend ordering one. Don't know if any local shops carry the brass ones or not.

Same problem! I'm stranded in Kodak, TN (near Pigeon Forge) until the "screw" gets here, maybe the 3rd... I'm SCREWED, if I can't get the broken piece out. So, exactly how do I "bleed" the system say I am able to get the new screw in there??

Crkey. This New Year's trip is NOT going like I'd hoped.

Desman, what state is Hillsboro in? There's a Hillsboro about 30 minutes from where I live in WV.

@desrman and @wvBimmer3Series

To get the broken bit out, it depends on how much of it is still in the hose coupler. If you can (CAREFULLY) use a Dremel to cut a slot in the remaining plastic and use a flat head screwdriver to unscrew it. If Dremel is not available, you could heat up the same said flat heat screwdriver and try to melt a slot into that plastic piece and try to get unscrew it that way.

To bleed the cooling system you'll need to get some BMW coolant and distilled water (mixed 50/50) and search "cooling system bleed". NOTE: it will take about 30 minutes to do it correctly and it's beneficial if you elevate your car's frontend a bit to help with the bleeding.

Good luck.

Thanks, I'm trying to call around now this morning trying to get some help.

OP...I have that part in my garage. The neck and the screw. You can come down and get it if you are in TX. I'm near Temple. Or if wvbimmer3series wants it, I can ship it out. $10 plus shipping. Let me know how you want to ship it.

Man, just missed this post... Thanks for the offer! But.... I just ordered the upper hose & am in wait mode.

Thanks again!

Update:
Finally home! Had to have a rental car until the screw got here... Whew, what a week!