[chinko]

So as many people here, my coolant level stick broke off this morning while I was wiping some oil residue left afloat by a recent OFGH replacement. I didn't see nor feel it break, it just wasn't there after I did a wipe. Tried to find it, even removed some coolant Turkey Baster style, but to no avail.

Might not be a real issue as the stick measures 3-4" and probably can't go farther then the reservoir tank. I read some people actually left it there. What are your toughs on this?

[KNS]

While it would be a hassle, replacing the tank would come with a new stick inside.

[ard5040]

Had the same thing happen to me last June. Don't mean to scare you but it ended up in the water pump which had to be replaced. Good luck but don't ignore it.

[chinko]

Was it broken to pieces? Mine looks like a clean "removal". The floater thing the stick is attached to is clean, you can clearly see the hole. Even looks like you can reattached the thing.

[335iNavyGuy]

Mine broke off in my hand lol

[Needbmwpartzz]

How does one break the stick?

[335iNavyGuy]

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

How does one break the stick?

i went to check mine lifted it with my fingers and it just broke. it was super brittle.

[BMW_drei]

Mine "shattered"! One day while topping up coolant, I saw that the stick was gone. Hunting around inside the tank I found most of the pieces, but not all -- some small bits of plastic might have been pulled into the system, but I have no way of knowing.
That was 11000 miles ago, so I'm hoping I'm past the point of further damage.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by BMW_drei

Mine "shattered"! One day while topping up coolant, I saw that the stick was gone. Hunting around inside the tank I found most of the pieces, but not all -- some small bits of plastic might have been pulled into the system, but I have no way of knowing.
That was 11000 miles ago, so I'm hoping I'm past the point of further damage.

Weird.....mine is 6 years old and still standing strong.......maybe old coolant degrades the plastic or people using non-bmw approved coolant somehow weakens it?!

[WhoLV]

same boat, mine was too brittle. I just regularly check fluid every once in while. water pump has been replaced so nothing really to worry about.

[chinko]

Mine didnt shatter and looked solid. I guess by wiping the reservoir I put too much pressure on it and it dropped in the reservoir. No way to know for sure unless Im able to fish it out. Spent an hour or so with no success. Gonna have to find a tool for it

[BMW_drei]

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

Weird.....mine is 6 years old and still standing strong.......maybe old coolant degrades the plastic or people using non-bmw approved coolant somehow weakens it?!

Mine went at 8 years, with regular coolant changes. Heat kills some plastics, so I'll bet it's more or less inevitable. FWIW, I'd have preferred a clean break instead -- I have no way of knowing if there's a bit of plastic hiding somewhere!

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by BMW_drei

Mine went at 8 years, with regular coolant changes. Heat kills some plastics, so I'll bet it's more or less inevitable. FWIW, I'd have preferred a clean break instead -- I have no way of knowing if there's a bit of plastic hiding somewhere!

I wouldn't worry too much about the plastic bits....at worse they would mess with water pump....and if the degrade that easily over time....they would just shatter/break into tiny bits eventually

[ruche]

Hi, I know this happened like four years ago, but maybe my experience will help someone.

When I bought the car (Oct 2018), the stick broke and fell into the coolant reservoir. Last weekend I have drained the old coolant and filled with new one, since CBS indicated that coolant should be replaced on June 2019.

When I drained the old coolant, I found that the stick was on the bottom of the reservoir. I took a pickup tool and picked it up with a lot of patience. The stick was very weak and degraded, but I'm happy that it hasn't ended in the water pump or in other moving part.

[oscar_duran]

Hello, if your coolant float is broken, will the car still notify you when the coolant level is low?

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by oscar_duran

Hello, if your coolant float is broken, will the car still notify you when the coolant level is low?

yes.

as long as it still moves freely.

top of my stick has been broken off for a long time.
coolant light still worked when I drained the coolant.

[oscar_duran]

Originally Posted by nsjames

yes.

as long as it still moves freely.

top of my stick has been broken off for a long time.
coolant light still worked when I drained the coolant.

Gosh, that is such a relief. Thank you.

By the way, is it possible to replace the stick without replacing the entire tank?

[tigersilhouette]

No the whole tank has to be replaced.

[E92William]

I went to check my coolant and saw my cap with this side broken off no idea how. Is this a sign my stick is about to completely shatter?

It is absolutely beyond me how shit the plastics in this cooling system are

[mecheng77]

Originally Posted by E92William

I went to check my coolant and saw my cap with this side broken off no idea how. Is this a sign my stick is about to completely shatter?

It is absolutely beyond me how shit the plastics in this cooling system are

Originally Posted by E92William

I went to check my coolant and saw my cap with this side broken off no idea how. Is this a sign my stick is about to completely shatter?

It is absolutely beyond me how shit the plastics in this cooling system are

I would try to find that plastic piece during a drain and refill or maybe it's sitting in the tank

[donezra]

Hi All,
Like for many out there, I recently managed to catch my jacket sleeve on the coolant level stick while I had the cap open and snapped it right off. It was so brittle that I hardly heard it snap. Part of the stick still remained attached to the float inside and as I've read, it was already very brittle and flaking to pieces.
After seeing so many posts and that this is a common issue with no real solution other than to replace your whole expansion tank, I thought I'd come up with a fix. Note that the level stick and the guided float it's attached to are purely a visual aid to guide coolant top-up. There is another separate float in your tank that works with the sensor to indicate low coolant level. So the stick is not essential and you can always gauge the level by where the float is. But if you are like me and a stickler for your BMW operating like it was intended then read on.

This fix actually upgrades your expansion tank using common household material and just one special item readily available online making it more durable. The measurements in step 7 below apply to E9X although I suspect this repair could be adopted to any expansion tank that has the level stick attached to the float. BMW or otherwise. You will need to just measure how long your level stick is/was. Good luck!

MATERIAL
1. K&S 5/32 x .014 Round Aluminum Tube - #8103 or #3403
2. 3mm CS O ring (Any size) - Your old BMW Oil filter O ring works great

TOOLS
1. Cordless Drill
2. 1/8" or 3.2mm drill
3. Mini tube/pipe cutter
4. Long nose pliers
5. X-Acto / Hobby knife
6. Mini flat file
7. Piece of blue Scotch-Brite (not green)
8. Q-tip/Cotton swab
9. 6" piece of 1/16" strip Aluminum/steel bent into an 'L' strip or Long 90 deg pick tool

PROCESS

Prepping your Expansion Tank
1. Working on a cold engine, drain or syphon enough coolant to completely empty only the expansion tank. About 3 quarts should do it.
2. Remove Expansion tank from car - On E9X, remove 2 x 10mm hex bolts, sensor connector and coolant coupling to remove. Do not pry or use a screw driver to remove coupling and take care not to damage it. Wedge or tie the hose coupler end so its high and wont drain coolant out of system.
3. Rinse out the tank with water and try and retrieve any remnants from your brocket coolant stick or degrading coolant cap. Save the pieces of the stick to piece back and measure if needed.
4. Turn tank upside down and let the float slide down and use either the 'L' strip or pick tool to slide underneath the float and wedge in place against the top of the internal surrounding wall of the float. Everything should stay in place while you turn your tank right way up.
5. Using your needle nose pliers, carefully try to grab onto portions of the level stick still attached and pull out while rotating it. The stick is simply press fit into a 4mm hole in the float so if you are lucky it should just pop out with its stem. If it does you can skip the next step.
6. If the stick doesn’t pop out with its stem and you end up breaking more pieces off, no matter, just keep going until you just end up with the base left attached as shown. Now carefully mark the center of the circular base and slowly drill an 1/8" (3.2mm) hole no more than 1/2" (12mm)deep. Make sure the drill does not wander and the hole is centered as much as you can. You should have just enough access for this using a cordless drill. When you get close to 1/2" depth the stem should start rotating and you can stop drilling and slowly extract the stem. You should now see the 4mm blind hole in the float as shown ready to install your new level stick.

Measure your Level Stick
7. Try and piece together your level stick and measure its total length and the central positions of the indicator pips relatively to base. In the case of the E9X tank, the upper and lower pips are exactly at 85mm and 75mm respectively relative to the base as shown. Total exposed length is about 87mm and with the root is about 100mm (Picture only shows a partial root).

Fabricating Your New Level Stick
8. Grab the 5/32" K&S aluminum tube and cut a length of 101mm exactly using the tube/pipe cutter. Trim the cut end using the file to exactly 100mm to get a nice clean end. Use your hobby knife/X-Acto blade to de-bure or break any sharp edges from the internal diameter on both ends.
9. Cut two 5mm lengths of the 3mm CS O ring as shown. Press and insert the O ring pieces into the ends of the aluminum tube as far as they will go. It should be a tight fit sealing the ends. Dab a bit of engine oil on the O ring pieces before inserting and use your needle nose pliers if needed. Trim off any excess O ring sticking out using your blade so that the O ring is nice and flush with the tube.
10. Measure and make two marks 87mm and 97mm from one end (or 3mm and 13mm from the other). Using the tube cutter lightly make two circumferential indents at the marked locations. These are just witness lines so be careful to not overdo it. It’s just a light scribe.
11. Using your file carefully de-burr or round off both ends so they are rounded and neat with no sharp edges. Wet your blue Scotch-Brite and buff your new level stick in a motion along the length. Your new level stick is complete and should look like the picture.

Installing Your New Level Stick
12. As per step 4 above, wedge the float in place again on your expansion tank, in case you removed the 'L' Strip/Pick tool after step 5 or 6. Using just the 1/8" drill bit make sure the 4mm blind hole in the float is clear of debris by just dropping and turning the drill in the hole by hand. Using your Q-tip/cotton swap make sure the hole is free from water or coolant.
13. Carefully insert your new level stick into the hole. It should slide in with gentle pressure and be snug. Make sure it goes in all the way into the hole ( 1/2" or 12mm) and once in, using just two fingers, lightly pull up on stick to make sure its secure. It only needs a light fit to stay in place in the hole. If you find it too loose for your liking, remove the stick and using your pliers very slightly deform/flatten the end. Re-insert and check fit again. Once satisfied remove the 'L' strip or pick tool.
14. Fill the tank with water and check the float moves freely and level stick functions. I just use my palm to block off the outlet while I filled and checked this. Rinse out tank twice and let drain.
Re-install tank into car, refill tank with coolant and screw cap on. You won't need to bleed system if no more than half a cup or so of coolant escaped at step 2 above. After a drive or two, check and top up your coolant as needed (once engine cooled down) using your new level stick. Job Done!

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by donezra

Hi All,
Like for many out there, I recently managed to catch my jacket sleeve on the coolant level stick while I had the cap open and snapped it right off. It was so brittle that I hardly heard it snap. Part of the stick still remained attached to the float inside and as I've read, it was already very brittle and flaking to pieces.
After seeing so many posts and that this is a common issue with no real solution other than to replace your whole expansion tank, I thought I'd come up with a fix. Note that the level stick and the guided float it's attached to are purely a visual aid to guide coolant top-up. There is another separate float in your tank that works with the sensor to indicate low coolant level. So the stick is not essential and you can always gauge the level by where the float is. But if you are like me and a stickler for your BMW operating like it was intended then read on.

This fix actually upgrades your expansion tank using common household material and just one special item readily available online making it more durable. The measurements in step 7 below apply to E9X although I suspect this repair could be adopted to any expansion tank that has the level stick attached to the float. BMW or otherwise. You will need to just measure how long your level stick is/was. Good luck!

MATERIAL
1. K&S 5/32 x .014 Round Aluminum Tube - #8103 or #3403
2. 3mm CS O ring (Any size) - Your old BMW Oil filter O ring works great

TOOLS
1. Cordless Drill
2. 1/8" or 3.2mm drill
3. Mini tube/pipe cutter
4. Long nose pliers
5. X-Acto / Hobby knife
6. Mini flat file
7. Piece of blue Scotch-Brite (not green)
8. Q-tip/Cotton swab
9. 6" piece of 1/16" strip Aluminum/steel bent into an 'L' strip or Long 90 deg pick tool

PROCESS

Prepping your Expansion Tank
1. Working on a cold engine, drain or syphon enough coolant to completely empty only the expansion tank. About 3 quarts should do it.
2. Remove Expansion tank from car - On E9X, remove 2 x 10mm hex bolts, sensor connector and coolant coupling to remove. Do not pry or use a screw driver to remove coupling and take care not to damage it. Wedge or tie the hose coupler end so its high and wont drain coolant out of system.
3. Rinse out the tank with water and try and retrieve any remnants from your brocket coolant stick or degrading coolant cap. Save the pieces of the stick to piece back and measure if needed.
4. Turn tank upside down and let the float slide down and use either the 'L' strip or pick tool to slide underneath the float and wedge in place against the top of the internal surrounding wall of the float. Everything should stay in place while you turn your tank right way up.
5. Using your needle nose pliers, carefully try to grab onto portions of the level stick still attached and pull out while rotating it. The stick is simply press fit into a 4mm hole in the float so if you are lucky it should just pop out with its stem. If it does you can skip the next step.
6. If the stick doesn’t pop out with its stem and you end up breaking more pieces off, no matter, just keep going until you just end up with the base left attached as shown. Now carefully mark the center of the circular base and slowly drill an 1/8" (3.2mm) hole no more than 1/2" (12mm)deep. Make sure the drill does not wander and the hole is centered as much as you can. You should have just enough access for this using a cordless drill. When you get close to 1/2" depth the stem should start rotating and you can stop drilling and slowly extract the stem. You should now see the 4mm blind hole in the float as shown ready to install your new level stick.

Measure your Level Stick
7. Try and piece together your level stick and measure its total length and the central positions of the indicator pips relatively to base. In the case of the E9X tank, the upper and lower pips are exactly at 85mm and 75mm respectively relative to the base as shown. Total exposed length is about 87mm and with the root is about 100mm (Picture only shows a partial root).

Fabricating Your New Level Stick
8. Grab the 5/32" K&S aluminum tube and cut a length of 101mm exactly using the tube/pipe cutter. Trim the cut end using the file to exactly 100mm to get a nice clean end. Use your hobby knife/X-Acto blade to de-bure or break any sharp edges from the internal diameter on both ends.
9. Cut two 5mm lengths of the 3mm CS O ring as shown. Press and insert the O ring pieces into the ends of the aluminum tube as far as they will go. It should be a tight fit sealing the ends. Dab a bit of engine oil on the O ring pieces before inserting and use your needle nose pliers if needed. Trim off any excess O ring sticking out using your blade so that the O ring is nice and flush with the tube.
10. Measure and make two marks 87mm and 97mm from one end (or 3mm and 13mm from the other). Using the tube cutter lightly make two circumferential indents at the marked locations. These are just witness lines so be careful to not overdo it. It’s just a light scribe.
11. Using your file carefully de-burr or round off both ends so they are rounded and neat with no sharp edges. Wet your blue Scotch-Brite and buff your new level stick in a motion along the length. Your new level stick is complete and should look like the picture.

Installing Your New Level Stick
12. As per step 4 above, wedge the float in place again on your expansion tank, in case you removed the 'L' Strip/Pick tool after step 5 or 6. Using just the 1/8" drill bit make sure the 4mm blind hole in the float is clear of debris by just dropping and turning the drill in the hole by hand. Using your Q-tip/cotton swap make sure the hole is free from water or coolant.
13. Carefully insert your new level stick into the hole. It should slide in with gentle pressure and be snug. Make sure it goes in all the way into the hole ( 1/2" or 12mm) and once in, using just two fingers, lightly pull up on stick to make sure its secure. It only needs a light fit to stay in place in the hole. If you find it too loose for your liking, remove the stick and using your pliers very slightly deform/flatten the end. Re-insert and check fit again. Once satisfied remove the 'L' strip or pick tool.
14. Fill the tank with water and check the float moves freely and level stick functions. I just use my palm to block off the outlet while I filled and checked this. Rinse out tank twice and let drain.
Re-install tank into car, refill tank with coolant and screw cap on. You won't need to bleed system if no more than half a cup or so of coolant escaped at step 2 above. After a drive or two, check and top up your coolant as needed (once engine cooled down) using your new level stick. Job Done!

Nice thanks for sharing. Mine broke off this morning. I think the piece dropped down to the bottom of the engine. I could hear it when I opened the cap. I filled up with BMW coolant near the top, will keep checking level.