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      03-19-2013, 11:42 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robbiedawg View Post
in some correspondence about radiator flushes with mike miller of roundel,he said that bmw had made it hard to do a full coolant flush on bmw's built after 2006 without extensive,and therefore expensive,disassembly,and that because of that the best you can do is drain and fill the radiator,which it looks like you have done.

hth

Yeah robbiedawg, thats what it seems. I asked my service foreman if he ever did a coolant flush on an e9x M3. He said no and asked why I wanted to do it when it is a lifetime fluid...
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      03-20-2013, 07:05 AM   #24
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My current best guess for a block drain is parts 13 and 14 here:



But, when I did my last "flush" for installing coolant temp sensor for water temp gauge, I didn't even look at them.
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      03-20-2013, 12:01 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjw2331 View Post
Yeah robbiedawg, thats what it seems. I asked my service foreman if he ever did a coolant flush on an e9x M3. He said no and asked why I wanted to do it when it is a lifetime fluid...
Nice writeup, I just finished doing exactly the same thing as you did and I'm satisfied enough with it. That should be enough new coolant in the car now.

The only problem I opened the bleeder screw on the expansion tank twice. It snapped while I was tightening it without any force

Had to run to the dealership, buy a new screw at $8, the somehow got half of the old one out.

P.S. Not related to coolant, but I highly recommend doing the MT fluid. Mine came out looking a little brownish, and with new fluid, shifts smoother.
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      03-20-2013, 12:43 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by W/// View Post
Nice writeup, I just finished doing exactly the same thing as you did and I'm satisfied enough with it. That should be enough new coolant in the car now.

The only problem I opened the bleeder screw on the expansion tank twice. It snapped while I was tightening it without any force

Had to run to the dealership, buy a new screw at $8, the somehow got half of the old one out.

P.S. Not related to coolant, but I highly recommend doing the MT fluid. Mine came out looking a little brownish, and with new fluid, shifts smoother.
I'm satisfied too. I plan on doing this every two years as preventative maintenance and I think this method should suffice. How many miles or years has it been for you? How did the coolant look?

I'm not surprised the bleeder screw broke being plastic and subject to a lot of temperature change. I'm going to replace mine during the next coolant service.

I did the MT fluid change not too long ago. After changing the fluid, it definitely felt smoother! 30K mile change is a must for the MT if the car is kept for a long time.
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      03-20-2013, 12:55 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjw2331 View Post
I'm satisfied too. I plan on doing this every two years as preventative maintenance and I think this method should suffice. How many miles or years has it been for you? How did the coolant look?

I'm not surprised the bleeder screw broke being plastic and subject to a lot of temperature change. I'm going to replace mine during the next coolant service.

I did the MT fluid change not too long ago. After changing the fluid, it definitely felt smoother! 30K mile change is a must for the MT if the car is kept for a long time.
Coolant looked fine to me, kind of hard to tell. Maybe slightly darker? I too plan on doing this every 2 years. I have no idea how long they've been in the car. I bought it used at 57k miles with no service history, and the coolant flush was done at 65k.

I didn't get a new radiator plug and just used the old one with no problem. But after that expansion tank plug snapped on me, I will buying both new everytime I flush the coolant.

As for the MT, I will religously do it every 30k. I also did the diff while I was there, although I didn't do the brake fluid yet.
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      03-20-2013, 01:02 PM   #28
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How much coolant will you get out by just draining and filling the radiator? Do you need to do the car warm up routine if you just drain and fill the radiator?
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      03-20-2013, 01:05 PM   #29
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About 1 gallon. I turned the engine on after I refilled to get the coolant flowing before I drained again.
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      03-20-2013, 01:33 PM   #30
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Just wondering, is there like a return line to the radiator that we can use to drain/cycle the coolant from the block like the older cars?
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      03-20-2013, 01:34 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Z K View Post
How much coolant will you get out by just draining and filling the radiator? Do you need to do the car warm up routine if you just drain and fill the radiator?
I don't even think I got that. 2 drains for me = 1 bucket. The only reason I turned the car on after the first fill so that the coolant circulated everywhere and mixed with the old coolant, so I could drain that.
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      03-20-2013, 01:36 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjw2331 View Post
So... I gave this coolant flush a try and to my disappointment, I was unsuccessful in accomplishing a full flush.

Two problems:

1. I cannot locate the engine block drain.

2. I do not know the volume of the whole coolant system.

What I bought:

Two gallons of BMW antifreeze/coolant (one shown), 2 gallons of distilled water (one extra), new radiator drain plug - part#17117530902



What I did:

1. Jack up the car and level. Remove the felt panels underneath the bumper (Left, Center and Right). They are mounted with 8mm screws and 3x 10mm screws on the back of the center piece connected to the metal skid plate.

(L piece - part# 51757896419, R piece - part# - 51757896420 )

- Unhooked (twist and slide to bigger hole) the hangers holding the center piece on both sides - part# 51757899820



2. Found the radiator drain plug (left side underneath the radiator).



3. Used a large phillips to unscrew it and drain.



4. Replugged the radiator drain hole with the old plug.

5. Filled the reservoir to about halfway with %50 BMW coolant / %50 distilled H20 (made separately in a container). The ball on the floating stick sat above the fill line.

6. Removed the bleed screw and fill cap. Start the engine and turn heater on highest temp without putting the fan on high.

7. I let the engine get to about 140 degrees F (took about 7-8 mins and heat starts coming out of cabin vents) and then shut down. Repeated steps 3.-6. three times using a new drain plug when done.

8. On the final fill, I filled to full and closed the bleed screw, opening and closing to let the air bubbles out while the engine is on. When there are no more bubbles, I used a turkey baster to remove some coolant from the reservoir.



The issues:

Since I did not know the volume of the coolant system, I did not try to flush the entire system using pure distilled water. The ratio of coolant to water would've been unknown when it came time to fill. I made a premix of 50/50 coolant/H20 and filled with that after each drain. Each drain yielded about 1 gallon of coolant.

What my method hopes to accomplish is to dilute old coolant with new coolant. This is why I mentioned this is NOT a flush but a way to get keep the coolant somewhat fresh. My car is just under 2 years old and I have about 28,000 miles.

If anyone knows a full flush method please let us know. For the time being, if anyone sees other problems with my method in addition to what I mentioned or has a better method than mine please let me and the rest of us know.
Nice Write up! Might do it this weekend if i have time.
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      03-20-2013, 02:40 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e92zero View Post
Just wondering, is there like a return line to the radiator that we can use to drain/cycle the coolant from the block like the older cars?
That might be a way to do it since the feed and return hoses are in the front of the block underneath the manifold. I didn't have time to figure it out but will look into that.
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      03-20-2013, 05:05 PM   #34
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oh, forgot to thank the OP for the write up.
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      04-06-2013, 09:28 PM   #35
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HI Guys,

I had to do a radiator flush and I can't stress enough about being careful with the reservoir bleed screw. That plastic POS broken on me and I have to wait a couple days to get a new one (can't move the car).

You don't have to take the bleed screw all the way off since it has a slit on it that allows pressure/air to bleed with it unscrewed just a bit.

Steve
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      12-01-2013, 12:50 PM   #36
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Hey guys - on a short trip back from Turkey day with the fam and my low coolant light just came on.

I'll stop by a BMW dealership if I see any to grab some BMW-brand coolant, but was wondering - is there an equivalent at pep boys, napa, auto palace that would work? I'm guessing the BMW brand is just rebranded version of something already available?
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      12-01-2013, 01:44 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WangTa View Post
Hey guys - on a short trip back from Turkey day with the fam and my low coolant light just came on.

I'll stop by a BMW dealership if I see any to grab some BMW-brand coolant, but was wondering - is there an equivalent at pep boys, napa, auto palace that would work? I'm guessing the BMW brand is just rebranded version of something already available?


O'Reilly typically stocks Pentosin PENTOFROST NF, which is the OEM fluid.

If you are low on coolant, just pour in some water.
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      12-22-2013, 02:20 PM   #38
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For those getting ready to do this, buy a brass bleeder screw from turner.

Here ya go:
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-21...tion-list.aspx
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      12-30-2014, 01:01 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vastano View Post
For those getting ready to do this, buy a brass bleeder screw from turner.

Here ya go:
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-21...tion-list.aspx


Is there a brass screw available for an e92 m3? Looks like its only available through an e90 335d
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      12-30-2014, 01:45 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nitro3421 View Post
Is there a brass screw available for an e92 m3? Looks like its only available through an e90 335d
theyre all the same. I have it on my car.
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      12-30-2014, 08:02 PM   #41
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For a proper coolant flush, drain the block as well as the radiator. You can even use a coolant flush if you do this if you want.

Block drains are above the "wings" on each side of the rear of the oil pan. You can guide a 5 mm hex head socket up in there on a u-joint. Maybe you could see with an inspection mirror but I am not sure. The header secondary is in the area also so space is tight. They are clearly visible with the oil pan down, but you can access them with the pan in place. A little messy since the coolant will come pouring out and you cannot exactly direct its flow if the pan is in place. Obviously, do each side.
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      02-06-2015, 12:51 PM   #42
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I am about to do this DIY and I have a question regarding Radiator Drain Plug!!! On ECSTuning, there are two types of drain plug. One is just the blue colored plug, the other is a plug with the sleeves: (http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E90-M3-...oling/ES37547/). On ECSTuning it says it is only for 6MT models only. My E90 M3 is a 6MT, does that mean I need the one with the sleeves? OR can I make do with just the blue one? Any one have experienced and can chime in which on I should get? Thanks and much appreciated!!
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      02-07-2015, 10:22 AM   #43
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I just reused the original plug. You obviously should not overtighten plastic parts and you need to use the proper sized screwdriver or socket when removing them so you do not strip the plastic head.
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      02-07-2015, 02:51 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pbonsalb View Post
I just reused the original plug. You obviously should not overtighten plastic parts and you need to use the proper sized screwdriver or socket when removing them so you do not strip the plastic head.
Thanks for you reply!!! Of course =D but for a $1-4, it is also a good part to replace especially due to the fact that it is a plastic part. Plastic + heat cycling (everytime you drive basically) causes a lot of fatigue and wear on the part and the rubber gasket on it so i'd rather spend that extra dollar or so (depending on which part i actually need) for a good preventative measure.

However, one thing you didn't answer (or maybe you dont remember yourself) is on our 6MT M3's, when we take the drain plug out, is it just simply the blue plastic plug? OR when we remove it, does the whole thing together with the sleeve comes out. If the sleeve comes out, then i'll order that part, if just plug, then i'll order just plug. help me out
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