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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Powertrain and Drivetrain Discussions > N54 Turbo Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications - 335i > Broken Radiator Drain Plug



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      12-30-2012, 12:34 AM   #1
cbad335
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Broken Radiator Drain Plug

I broke the radiator drain plug on my e92 335. Does anyone know how to properly remove/install these? Because it appears that I certainly don't

I was installing an FMIC and decided to drain the radiator at the same time since I had access to the drain plug. I wasn't sure how to remove the drain plug as the outer edge is a hex shape and the center is a large phillips-looking piece. I first tried to remove the drain plug by turning the outside edge with a socket, thinking it was similar to an oil drain plug/bolt, and just a single piece. It's plastic, though, and something seemed to break when I turned it (some retaining/fastening teeth?). I'm wondering if I should of held the outer edge stable with a wrench, then unscrewed the middle section with a large phillips? Anyway, it was not leaking and looked to be still attached, so I decided to leave it alone. After installing the FMIC, I went out for a drive and quickly got a low coolant warning, followed shortly by a high engine temp warning. I made it home to find coolant sprayed over everything on the driver's front underside (the location of the drain plug). Looks like I'm without transportation tomorrow and will have to hope that the local dealership has a replacement plug. Anyway, I think I found the part on realoem.com (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...=05)--#03--but have no idea how to remove the broken part or install the new one.

Any help/input would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
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      12-30-2012, 12:51 AM   #2
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If you don't have access to an extractor, the easiest way will be to get a screw driver hot and stick it into the drain plug to be able to loosen it. I assume you are talking about the blue drain plug, correct? Hot screwdriver trick should take care of it no problem.
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      12-30-2012, 12:58 AM   #3
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Lol here's a pic of my car when I had my fight with the drain plug. It's these little teeth that break off. I talked to a tech about it and he showed me that on the new one the blue part in the middle is unscrewable in order to drain the coolant. When they freeze up (which the tech said is often) then you can't turn the blue part separately from the black part and then things get damaged. You'll be able to line up the pegs on the new part and screw it in, shouldn't be too bad. Remember to do the coolant bleeding procedure, as there is a ton of air in your cooling system now.

EDIT: to get my old one out, i used a wrench and unscrewed from the hex portion. Somehow the broken plug stayed in for sustained aggressive driving for about 15 miles on my way back to school from my garage. The coolant pissed out while the car was stopped and cooling down. I bought a new plug and 'sealing sleeve' from the dealer as the replacement parts.
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      12-30-2012, 12:59 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Bmw135er View Post
If you don't have access to an extractor, the easiest way will be to get a screw driver hot and stick it into the drain plug to be able to loosen it. I assume you are talking about the blue drain plug, correct? Hot screwdriver trick should take care of it no problem.
I think it was blue, yes. I'm hoping it can be removed properly and not require extracting. I don't believe it is stripped. So, are the hex outer edge and phillips center separate pieces?
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      12-30-2012, 01:02 AM   #5
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No. They are part of the same plug, just 2 separate ways of removing it. Ironically in case one or the other strips out I assume lol. Don't touch the black hex plug it the drain plug threads into! That's the adaptor for either autos or manuals. It blocks off the flow to the heat exchanger if its a maunder and not equipped, and allows flow to the exchanger if it is. They are one time use!
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      12-30-2012, 01:05 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stratplaya06 View Post
Lol here's a pic of my car when I had my fight with the drain plug. It's these little teeth that break off. I talked to a tech about it and he showed me that on the new one the blue part in the middle is unscrewable in order to drain the coolant. When they freeze up (which the tech said is often) then you can't turn the blue part separately from the black part and then things get damaged. You'll be able to line up the pegs on the new part and screw it in, shouldn't be too bad. Remember to do the coolant bleeding procedure, as there is a ton of air in your cooling system now.
Thanks. Glad I'm not the only one. Darn plastic part broke so easily. Now I'm looking so forward to removing the under-panel, front bumper, and intercooler again, just so I can replace that little part
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      12-30-2012, 01:08 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cbad335 View Post
Thanks. Glad I'm not the only one. Darn plastic part broke so easily. Now I'm looking so forward to removing the under-panel, front bumper, and intercooler again, just so I can replace that little part
You shouldn't have to remove the intercooler, at least I didn't have to with my CP-E FMIC. Took a little extra finesse but saved a bunch of time with that step.
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      12-30-2012, 01:12 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by stratplaya06 View Post
You shouldn't have to remove the intercooler, at least I didn't have to with my CP-E FMIC. Took a little extra finesse but saved a bunch of time with that step.
Really? That would help. I'll take a look when I get under there.
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      12-30-2012, 02:35 AM   #9
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What do you know? Two colors = two parts, duh. For those of you that run into this problem in the future, my suggestion is to secure the green, hex-shaped piece with a 19mm wrench, then unscrew the blue plug with a nickel. I didn't have a phillips shaped tool anywhere near large enough to fit the blue plug, but a nickel fit nicely.

stratplaya06, I have to remove the IC to access the radiator drain plug (AA Sport FMIC).
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      12-30-2012, 07:37 AM   #10
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^Damn, well at least it's not TOO bad to get to the plug. PSA to those who are changing water pumps/thermostats, remember to be careful with these.
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      12-30-2012, 12:36 PM   #11
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Found a good thread on this that didn't come up with my initial search criteria last night: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12960625

Seems this part is indeed easily broken.
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      12-31-2012, 11:21 AM   #12
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For those of you with MT, note that the control sleeve (the green part, above) is different for MT.
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      12-04-2016, 03:53 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cbad335 View Post
my suggestion is to secure the green, hex-shaped piece with a 19mm wrench, then unscrew the blue plug with a nickel. I didn't have a phillips shaped tool anywhere near large enough to fit the blue plug, but a nickel fit nicely.
Excellent suggestion. Worked perfectly! I put a nickel in some small vise grips so it was easier to handle.
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