BMW E46 Correctly Bleed Cooling System
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ค. 2018
- Welcome to Garage Denali! In this video, I explain how to properly bleed the cooling system on the BMW E46. The cooling system on the BMW E46 is delicate and requires that all aspects related to the cooling system are done correctly. This includes bleeding the cooling system with the proper blue coolant. It is best to check the coolant at 68ºF or 20ºC because of the expansion and contraction of molecules in the coolant.
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Watch this quick video to learn how to avoid wasting coolant! th-cam.com/video/grUQD9tlDbM/w-d-xo.html
Also, check out this post on the forums: forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1124821
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What cap did yu use
😊
The correct way to put the bleed screw back is; 1. Place bleed screw in position. 2. Put screwdriver in bleed screw. 3. Put down screwdriver and crawl under car to find out where bleed screw went. 4. Find bleed screw that has somehow rolled 6ft away. 5. Repeat procedure until you get the bleed screw seated.
Seems pretty similar to the hose clamps when replacing the radiator hoses. Minus the part where they get stuck somewhere in the car and you have to order a whole new hose.
ahahahahahah happand to me lol
you forgot to add to break the bleeder screw inside the rad hose, figure out how to get it out, find someone who sells the part on a sunday, and try again
@@alinaveed1793 There are many many ways cars conspire to have steam coming out of your ears. Just this week, I spent 5 hours trying to get a rusted, rounded screw out of a plastic thermostat housing on a Golf until it because obvious someone had glued it all back together.
Close except put the screw driver on top of the screw then have the screw fall in your engine bay and not hear or see it hit the ground smh😩
EXTREMELY helpful, just bought an E39 and I’m gonna replace the cooling system and replace the coolant while I’m at it. I thought this process would be super complicated but it looks like it’s not. Cheers, brother.
3:20 If you haven't got a suitable sucker you can loosen the drain plug at the bottom of the expansion tank - bright blue, knurled for hand-only use.
Man best video by far just got my 330 few weeks ago and was doing a cooling tune up and man couldn't bleed the thing till i watch your video. Good looking out
Beautiful car brother. I have the same headlights and corner lights 👌🏼👌🏼 jealous of the Mtechnik bumper though
youre a legensddude!!
im replacing my aux fan temp sensor on the lower radiator hose tomorrow, this is going to be my first time bleeding a cooling system.. hopefully i get all the air out at once..
Vincen Noa good luck! It’s not that hard to do in all honesty
Great video, helpful on how to bleed.
Thank you
Thank you. This helped me do it correctly.
Thanks. Just did this today. My coolant was so low that my heating stopped working!
Great description of the job, I can try this process on the 840ci 1995?? I have problem with it temperature..thank you Mario
The reason why the factory spec is recommended is because you don’t want to run the water pump dry especially if there’s no coolant on the block where it sits. This is why others new water pumps fail early because the pump bearing ran dry during the warmup (waiting for thermostat to open).
Hello, and for diesel engines the engine coolant is drained, or only for gasoline engines
Good stuff brutha
Thanks brahhh came in clutch
Use a clear hose and put it in the bleed hole the other end of hose in the expansion tank you can see all the bubbles and not making a mess
So what if im not getting hot air from my vents while doing this? A mechanic friend said that means there is an air pocket in the heater core. I followed your steps exactly.
You might still have air in the system. Make sure you bleed the system and use the tool that attaches to the expansion tank that I have linked here in the comment section so you don't waste any coolant.
I have got an inlet pipe leak under the manifold and been dribing like this for some time now. I get coolant puddle on my block and a little dripping on the front internals to the ground. My pipe that goes from the expansion tank to the thermostat gets very bloated on the thermostat side after a little flooring or just driving for 30 minutes. I bought an oe 2.0 bar cap and it still bloats. Is it possible that air gets in the system through the inlet pipe crack and thats why it bloats or I can bleed it anyways. I also lose my heater after 20 30 minutes driving - head gasket or that damn inlet pipe? Thanks
If the pipe is leaking, replace it. As far as bloating, the system is under a lot of pressure as that is how it was designed. If you lose heat after 30 mins of driving, sound like you are losing coolant at a pretty fast rate. After the pipe is replaced, it would also be a good idea to buy a pressure tester which screws onto the expansion tank and you can pressurize the system without the engine running to identify leaks
Did this guy leave the AC on???
I just replaced the radiator and expansion tank coolant light is on but no leaks bless the system via this video coolant light still on any suggestions
Coolant level sensor may be bad
what brand are your headlight covers?
Those believe they were Depo.You can find them on ECSTuning.com or TurnerMotorsport.com
Just curious did u bleed the cilinder head theres a screw is it necessary or just the radiator
I did not drain the block, just the radiator. After I bled the system, the car ran perfectly fine
What if your dipstick goes missing? Mine somehow didn’t come back up after I added coolant
Should be in the tank. If it's not there, it probably broke
How long does this usually take? Been Infront of my car for 30 minutes with no change in coolant level.
If the system is drained it shouldn’t take more than 15 mins. The goal is to have nothing but liquid coming from the bleeder hole, and once that’s done, remove enough coolant from the tank until the red floating pin is between the two balls. The video pretty much showed the scenario I just described, and it took less than 15 mins
So not starting the car and just having the defrost running with the key on runs fluid thru the system? We always filled the system,started the car with heat full blast and continued to bleed until defrost warmed up
You do not need to have the defrost on. The book says to put the car in accessory mode, turn the heat on to the highest temp with the fan speed on the lowest setting, fill the system with coolant until you do not see any more air bubbles coming out of the bleeder, and then remove excess coolant from the expansion tank until the red float stick is between the min and max. Ideally the level should be checked at 68º F but that's about it. The newer cars with the electronic water pump follow the same procedure, except when then coolant reservoir is full, you start the bleeding procedure and add more coolant as needed until you are at the correct level.
Hi
If you replace with new all the cooling system components on E39 528i 1998 M52 engine and you don't see coolant mixing with the oil....
And you have rock solid hoses, what's would be your suspect for this.
BMW dealer here in UK is telling me this is normal but they are exceptionally hard can't squeeze them?
When I drive temperature is solid 94C but idling goes to 102 and looks coolant doesn't circulate proper thru the radiator to activate the viscous clutch /fan.
Coolant and engine oil aren't supposed to be mixing in the first place. If that is the case, your head gasket might be on its way out. The hoses, when the engine is off and cold, should be soft and easy to squeeze. As far as coolant temperature, perhaps the water pump is not doing its job. Your radiator might be clogged as well. Do you know the service history?
@@garagedenali New radiator.
Car is low mileage hasn't been driven much bought for 1st ovner.
After system being bled hoses are fırm but NOT Rock Hard.
And viscous fan clutch engages when idling.
When let it cool down overnight start the engine next day and in 15min the hose feels they gonna explode!?
The system is under a lot of pressure. Have you replaced any other cooling system components or done a flush?
@@garagedenali
All components changed.
System flushed.
Heather core separately flushed.
Hose replaced... Only the metal pipe under intake manifold for the cooling system is the original one when I'm changing the gaskets fir the manifold in the future ill replace the metal pipe as well.
Them headlights look so clean...😳
Good thing the E46 allows the headlight lenses to be easily swapped for new ones
@@garagedenali Do you know any site online that offers these?
FCP Euro, ECS Tuning
@@garagedenali how is it done? Is the process easy?
I do the same procedure but with the car running
Hey man, I'm in Australia, the coolant that's used for BMW's is green, does that affect anything after when the system has been bleed?
Interesting, I figured it was blue regardless of market. I would just check with your dealer, a quality repair shop, or even some research online to see if that is the case
@@garagedenali Hello, so I had the low coolant light come on recently and ordered the bmw coolant right away. After contacting the previous owner he told me the he put the Zertox European Formula as his coolant when he owned the car. I heard that you should always use the BMW coolant so now I don't know if I should flush the old one out and replace with the bmw coolant following your steps in this video or can I mix both coolants? Need help :(
@@Max-io7xs doesn't matter coolant is coolant all manufacturers say that so you buy there products and they make more money
@alexdelo882 Thanks for the reply, I ended up flushing the old coolant since I didn't know when was the last time it had been done along with refreshing my entire cooling system. Car still runs like a champ at 182k miles
How much cooling fluid does a E46 hold ?? how many litres from empty to full ???
8,4
What would happen if I use only distilled water? I live in Florida and I have a garage so I don’t really have to worry about freezing
Water by itself can cause metal parts within the cooling system to corrode. This is one reason why BMW uses the blue liquid, which is designed to prevent that from happening.
Garage Denali Interesting. I thought it was the minerals in tap water or other coolants (green ones) that contain phosphates that cause the corrosion. I heard that distilled water is fine, but either way I’m not taking any chances with this engine 😂 better safe than sorry
Your coolant will boil.
What if I’ve changed hoses and tank, but it keeps overheating a little then bursting
What keeps bursting? Did you also ensure the system was completely bled?
Hi I’m
Have question why my hoses pop up is bcs I’m
Don’t bleed the cooling system right
Was your coolant system pressurized for a long time too? Like overnight still had pressure?
I see that you have a electric fan so by you driving your vehicle at normal operating temperature what is your operating temperature reading now compared to if you had a clutch fan
Temps would average 96-98º C
Did exactly what you did in the video, but mine's still overheating... Anything else i could try?
You either still have air in the system or a leak somewhere. I would suggest getting a pressure tester that can screw onto the expansion tank that will pressurize the system and should reveal where the problem is.
Garage Denali I’ll try it out, thanks!
@@GoOnTrex Make sure your fan is running. As in, when it turns on it should really be spinning quickly not just half assed. I had an issue where I thought something was wrong with the coolant system and it turned out the fan wasnt spinning up all the way. I guess a good question to ask is, does it overheat when driving or idling? It could be your thermostat as well.
@@GoOnTrex my issue was a failed thermostat, if you've properly bled and dont't have leaks look into that
@@garagedenali so the hose that goes to my water pump and connects to the radiator has nothing inside like no coolant when I squeeze it could that be because there’s air in the system? And do I just repeat you steps?
Is this the same procedure for e90 with mechanical waterpump?
Thanks buddy
Great Video, I did the same process as you did but mine still have coolant light show on the dashboard. Any ideas? Thank you.
Did you figure it out?
@@jaredj7162 Hi, yeahh I'm so happy that its just the sensor which is I didn't really think the sensor would be very sensitive. So just get the new sensor replace and that's it. Done!!
@@MrJJ2523 I did this process and now my car isn't starting, I'm so sad
@@jaredj7162 As far as I know I think there is nothing to do with the coolant or the sensors when the car couldn't start. Just check other thinks like a battery or other sensors that causing the problems.
@@MrJJ2523 I appreciate the help so much man. I went outside about 30 minutes ago and it's starting...I think I drained my battery with the hood open forever and key turned to accessory mode because it was just clicking as if the battery was dead but I've had my car for about a year now and it starts everytime first try so I believe I it drained when I was doing the process
So you put half Distilled water and half coolant in one Container?
John Dillinger yes, I mixed a separate container with 50% coolant and 50% distilled water
@@garagedenali Thanks
My e46 has that white residue on the engine and finishes all the coolant and over heats and shuts off. Anyone got a clue what it might be.
Also my fan doesn't work as fast as it should. Could that be the issue
It can be a lot of things. I would start off by purchasing a pressure tester that you can hook up to the coolant expansion tank. Build up the pressure and look around for where it is leaking
I would start by selling that junk pos car
What's the idea of jacking up the car from the left side?
You want the air to travel up to where the expansion tank is to bleed the system
I screwed back the bleeding screw. But I have steam and sometimes cooling liquid coming out of that bleeding screw while it's screwed. Can anybody help me? Why is that happening?
If it is coming out of the center of the screw you will need to replace it. Happened to me before. They really cut corners on plastic where it was critical
@@garagedenali It was indeed the screw. I replaced it and that problem is solved.Thank you :)
But I'm having another issue that I don't know if it's normal. When I open the radiator cap(when car is cold), I see that the coolant liquid is low (like 30 %) (while I filled it to like 80% before), then I open the bleeding screw and air is coming out and the coolant liquid level goes up. (like 80%). Is that normal ? Why is that happening ?
Is it because there is still air ?
The car is not heating after 20 min driving but It makes me afraid when I check the coolant level when the car is cold and turned off.
What should I do ?
Thank you.
@@theARIAMAN You're letting air back into the system which means you will have do do the bleeding procedure again. That bleed screw is only to be opened when adding coolant and bleeding the system. As explained in the video, after the system is bled, check the level again after the engine cools down completely. You may need to add a little more coolant since some of it was removed to get the red dipstick where it needs to be. After you add coolant so the dipstick is where it needs to be, drive the car, let it cool down, and check the level again. This time, the dipstick will be at the same level it was at the last time you checked. If it is not, there is still a leak somewhere or coolant is being lost another way (blowing head gasket). Coolant needs to be checked at 68º Fahrenheit since the molecules expand and contract, and it is per BMW spec.
could you tell me my car 323i E46 2000 has ODB2 socket? where is the socket location? thanks
It is in the driver’s footwell
@@garagedenali Thanks for your reply but can't find it out. Due to I can't send the photo here. hard to explain
@@chankchan2723 You don't have a traditional OBD2 socket in the interior. Mine is a 2000 model (built in 99) and it only has the round 20-pin connector under the hood. You can find this connector on the passenger side of the car (right side)
@@StragTacGaming thanks in deep
Thank you
Thanks
On my upper radiator hoes it has a lot of pressure that it expands the hoes. Is that normal?
Mine does the same thing did you ever figure it out? my hose almost blew off!
Thermostat or head gasket
i didnt do the important part: switching on the heater and I didnt do the turkey baster bit either. so im thinking maybe its overfilled, as Im seeing coolant all over the top of the expansion tank. started to think the tank is failing again, but hopefully Im wrong. I'll bleed it again and see what happens. just installed a new radiator and the mechanic overtightened the bleeder screw, which created a leak at the base of the screw. so i had to get a new upper rad hose. just replaced the control arm bushings and all six injectors today. now the car drives like new. im really hoping my expansion tank is not failing, just did it around 15k miles ago.
You need to ensure the coolant level is where it needs to be. If you didn’t do the step about removing excess coolant, it’s probably overfilled
yep. and I destroyed the expansion tank.
you said it has to be bled at 68 degrees F. Im replacing my expan tank tomorrow (failed today and I had to pull over immediately as the temp gauge started climbing.) and its supposed to be about 95 degrees. what should i do in that case?
@@blackpassenger it’s best practice to bleed when the ambient temperature is 68°. I wouldn’t stress over it too much. Just ensure coolant is at the level it should be and check again when the ambient temperature is 68°
@@garagedenali ok, big thanks. after finishing the job, I noticed that I had no heat (not that I need it in 100 degree weather) and bled the system again. temp gauge is dead in the middle, no over heating, even in this hundred degree weather. what do you think could be the prob, thermostat? it was replaced in 2016 around 30k miles ago.
How many litres does it take ?
The cooling system capacity is 8.4 liters (2.22 gallons)
Thnx !
So you don’t start the car while you’re bleeding it? You just put it into the second position before start??
@@steez1996 yes
This is the video ' how not to bleed the system ' its completely wrong. Expansion tank cap should stay opened to extract remaining air in the system.
That's what the bleed screw/hole is for. Best bet is to attach a fitting to the bleed hole with a tube to route the coolant back into the expansion tank to minimize coolant spilling while getting all the air out
Is it a problem if engine is not cold? I have to take my car to the mechanic that is like 4 miles, so the engine won't be cold when doing this.
How many liters of antifreeze do I need?
The coolant capacity is 8.5 liters, but you'll still have a bit of coolant left in the block
Is this on a mechanical water pump or electric?
Mechanical
Once I bled the system and few days after want to add some coolant, do I have to bleed it again?
Where do you live? BMW recommends to bleed the system and check the level at 68 degrees F. After doing the bleeding, you may have to add some to get the level between the two balls on the red dipstick float. If everything is done right, you should be able to check the level again after a few days and see it is the same. If not, there is a leak somewhere or you still have air in the system.
@@garagedenali
I live in Australia, now is summer but is usually below 68 degrees at the morning.
So it means if I have to add a little bit of coolant few days after I don't have to bleed the whole system again?
You may have to add a little bit of coolant, maybe half a cup after a couple of drive cycles. If everything is done right, you should be able to come back in a week and see the level is consistent
So you don’t need the thermostat to open when bleeding the system?
You have to bleed the system when the engine is cold. So the thermostat would be closed. Just have the fan speed set to lowest with the temperature on highest to open the heater core. If done correctly the car is fine
Merci
When I turn on the heat to low, my car makes a sound is that normal? It’s a soft buzzing sound
Brvndon_chills_hard yes mine does it too
Yeah. Every 46 I’ve known does it
Like a bee stuck in a bucket or box? If so then check your air intake system. You probably have a leak and your car is breathing a little bit of false air into the system. I had this once years back on a 318 and couldn't figure it out no matter what because it always looked okay. The leak was so tiny small you could hear it only under low to medium engine load while driving. It never came up on idle and revving up the engine a bit or holding a certain ammount of RPM while standing still. Took off the air filter box and all other hoses, made sure all the connections and inlays are where they are supposed to be and put it back together. First run no change, second try and run - silence. But damn was I a joke on the road when it was silent around me :D cool E46 but dafuk is wrong with dat car doing all that bee noise :D everyone is used to hear a bad pulley or whatever but a bee sound is not that common and does not really make your car more attractive
This is a ok way to bleed the system, by the way dont leave the ac on like in this video, also when filling coolant fill car heat on low speed high temp, turn the car on and let it warm up leave expansion cap off and losen bleeder valve after get to normal temp rev it to 2k-2500k rpms till you get all air pockets, once u get steady hot heat, your done.. simple if you dont get heat your have air in system still or bad thermostat, if you hear a whining noise your waterpump is bad, ..
Your kind knows it all and know how to one up every content creator yet, won't take time out to make a single video demonstrating all your theories that exist only in your imagination. So easy to sit here and tell someone what they're doing wrong uhn? smh.
What am I doing wrong. When I do this, the expansion tank is full and I don't see any fluid flowing in the bleed screw hole.
You are supposed to fill the expansion tank until it is practically filled to the brim. Once you do so, keep pouring and you will see the system taking in the coolant until nothing but liquid comes out of the bleeder screw hole
@@garagedenali Thank you for your reply! I just started the engine so the coolant went inside and it's all good now. No coolant light anymore. So I did it a bit different but it worked out so. Thanks for your reply mate. Good video!
@@tompijnappel7368 Playing with fire there bud. That's exactly how I blew my expansion tank and got stranded by leaving air in the cooling system. I'd recommend you bleed it the right way or your cooling system won't hold for very much longer.
@@TeflonNapkins Honestly I think you did it different than me. Because the only way you blow up your tank is when you have too much coolant (or at least too high level) in it and closed it with the lit/cap. I did it very carefully. The indicator should be idle one maximum. You can fill till the top only with the lit/cap off. Than start the engine so it will drink the coolant and leave out the air :). Repeat this step carefully untill the indicator doesn't go below maximum (or just a tiny bit). Keep in mind the name is not for nothing "expansion" tank. It's an extra space for when the coolant is hot and will start to 'be more'
@@TeflonNapkins UPDATE: My Expansion Tank has also blown up while driving on the highway :/. Was an easy and not expensive fix tho
Bleed bmw 750li 2007coolant
What happens if the heat doesn’t work. I don’t have any of the climate control changes they’ve been stripped out
You won't get coolant through the heater core and you'll have air pockets. Best to find a way to get the heater core opened to allow coolant to pass through
Streetspeed 717 fan 😂just like myself
You forgot to turn of the a/c ❄️
I did this and now my car isn't starting.....
Does it crank but not start? What condition is your battery in? These cars have a hood sensor and if the hood is left open for too long it may drain the battery enough so that it won't start
@@garagedenali it's starting! I literally just went outside and tried to start it and it started..I drove it for a good while around city and no coolant light anymore. Thanks! Idk what happened, like you said these BMWs are so fragile and sensitive.. it could of been anything on why it didn't start for a little while. Having the key turned twice to the "accessories mode" where all the dash lights come on makes my car act weird if I leave it sitting in that position for too long, which is what I did when bleeding the system. Idk why but anyways it's working again thanks !
@@garagedenali ohhhh it must have been the hood sensor, it had to of been. It was just clicking as if my battery was dead!
Jared Jackson yeah, it could be a weak battery if you haven’t replaced it or hasn’t been replaced by the previous owner for some good time
@@garagedenali after driving my car and no coolant light came on i let it sit overnight and let the engine get cold again. Then checked it and filled it up more because my coolant level was low. Anyone else have to put more in after see doing the process and driving it ?
I did this and my windshield washer tank started leaking.
What to do now?
Just kidding, thanks for the video.
lmao anytime you touch something, something else goes
@@bellaollie2037true as fu ahhah
This guy just letting the coolant leak everywhere
Ii i
You're blaming others for not doing it right but look at you, not showing the full bleeding processes, not using the correct oem blue coolant, not using a funnel and not wording technical terms correctly. How pathetic it is. Glad I followed the right people to do it properly.
I mean he poured majority of blue coolant in there without spilling out not a big issue the car works fine
He did just fine, you tight-a$$...