Coolant DYI

So I finally got around to changing the coolant in my 325i. I didn’t take any pictures (sorry) because I didn’t want to dirty up my nice camera, and anyway I left it in the trunk and realized it after I had the car in the air and the coolant was draining. I’ll be...

Thanks for the info Eninty. You guys (e90 posters) have been a great resource for me and my wallet.

Thanks ENINTY. Very clear write up.

I just did mine and have one comment:

That fitting is a quick-disconnect coupler and is actually very easy to detach:

1. Pull the wire lock to the unlocked position. The wire lock is hard to reach from above so it's easier to pry from below and push the tabs up using a small flat screw driver.

2. Pull the fitting away from the thermostat housing. Warning: the fitting can break loose suddenly.

To reinstall the fitting:

1. Check condition of the o-ring inside the fitting.

2. Push the wire lock down to the locked position.

3. Push the fitting onto thermostat housing. The wire lock should audibly snap into place.

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Yeah, I know. I still think it is a PIA because it is hard to get to. I changed out my t-stat a few months ago and had to remove that hose. The clip is somewhat easy, but breaking the tension loose on the connection is a bit difficult IMO.

The color that came out of my car was somewhat different from the fluid that came out of the bottle. Does the coolant color change over time in the car?

What comes out of the bottle is diluted 50/50 with distilled water before it goes into the cooling system, making is less dark blue.

It was actually dark green coming from the car and blue from the bottle.

eninty, pls go to this site http://www.koperformance.com/. For my 2006 325 auto, the radiator adjusting screw is 2 per car with production dates thru 10/05 and ONLY 1 PER CAR with prod dates from 11/05. My prod date is 09/05 which explains why I have 2 radiator drain plugs. I think this confirms your opinion on your previous post that BMW changed the radiator plug on later prod models.

Tried this today on my 2006 330i sport - was surprised that the entire front underbody plastics needed to be removed and then another sheet of skid plate plastics under the radiator to get to the drain.

This meant I had to move the jack to the passenger side lift point and then had to move the jack stand off of the central lift point as I was removing the underbody panels which I felt was slightly dangerous for my health but I continued and followed the rest of this DIY

All in all it was a pain putting the sheeting back in place, could not get one of the two screws back in where the two sheets cascade together but the car didn't slip and kill me which made it a fairly easy and uneventful DIY.

thanks for the diy it was really helpfull

Thanks for solving the mystery. Not sure why they'd make that change so early in production.

I just performed the coolant flush on my wife's e90, early production cars (in this case 04/05) have two radiator drain plugs, one each side of the radiator.

Tip. Use US Quarter to remove the drain plug and the vent screw.

True professionalism. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Greatly appreciated.

I use a big-ass flat-blade screwdriver I found on the road one day walking home from school when I was 16 (I'm 45+ now). I've had it so long that the wood handle dried out, cracked, and fell off. I've since replaced it with a old piece of Hickory.

Just thought I'd share.

I just did this a few minutes ago. easy and this DIY is the best. Thank you all.

Lou.

I DID THE venting process but it goes on like 5 sec and stops then starts again consistantly

Just finished with the venting porocess. Great write up! easy to follow. The only time consuming thing was taking the underpanel off lol.

Thanks for DIY. It was a great right up. FWIW My '06 MT 330i has two drain plugs on the radiator but I only got coolant out of the left side. Perhaps I would've gotten some out of the right but I waited til I couldn't get anymore coolant out of the either the left drain or from the hoses off of the pump.

This is a great read... however my local BMW dealer...the AutoMaster in Shelburne, Vermont... only charged me $110 for the coolant flush and change... and $98 for the brake fluid flush... so in all it was worth having someone else do

To me, this DIY was a great help. I was done with the whole operation in under $25 including the coolant, drain plug, and disposing the old coolant to a collection place.

What's a gallon of BMW coolant cost at the dealer?

When you say almost 2 gallons of coolant, do you mean two bottles of 50/50 from BMW and distilled water or one Bottle of 50/50 and a gallon of distilled water??

2 gallons of pre-mixed coolant. 1 gal un-cut antifreeze + 1 gal distilled water.