BMW E90 Coolant change How to DIY: BMTroubleU

How to change the coolant in your BMW 3 series. This model is a 4 cylinder petrol, but its the same in every model except for removing the inter cooler on diesels and turbo petrols. PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER DO REQUESTS AS I DONT WORK FOR BMW ANY MORE BUT IM STILL HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

[@MachtsNichts]

Obviously you don't buy into the BMW "lifetime fill" coolant myth. Care to comment on "lifetime fill" for transmission of any type? Would love to see a DCT drain and refill tutorial.

[@ThisIsNotSharyn]

I was finally able to flush the coolant on my 335XI. What I did was... Take off the coolant res cap. Raised the car and took off the undershrouds. Removed the intercooler cover and intercooler. From there, you can see the rad drain plug. I drained it, filled it back up with water, and did the bleed process (let the electric water pump do its thing). I let the car run and let the thermostat open so I could get some more of the coolant out. After letting it run, I drained it again and filled it.

[@BMTroubleU]

its quite similar, the difficulty is getting to the drain plug with the intercooler in the way. that means taking two silver torx screws out of the bottom of the intercooler, pushing the two black locks off and uncliping the passengers side charge hose off to let it hang- then you can get to it (just make sure you dont get coolant in the cooler obviously). sorry but i dont see myself finding any 335's out where i am atm, and you could be waiting a while for me to do a video on it.

[@danfratamico]

"Try and do it when it's warm or cold". He does it when the coolant is steaming

[@tomj2405]

Anybody else find that tutorial videos done by Australians are so much easier to follow?

[@MauserM03Blog]

Tom Adams . It's because we assume you've got a brain. :-)

[@scanspeak00]

We're simple people lol

[@vallrikstone9420]

G'day! I'm going to show ya how to clean out your fuel injectors. I know it sounds complicated but it's easy as pie. Let's take a look!

[@BMTroubleU]

Celsius. And it isnt hard mate- the coolant covers more surface area of the engine than the oil, is less viscous & is heated more readily than oil. that means the coolant heats up first- so bmw wants to bring coolant close to the oil to heat it up. the coolant is always loosing heat from the radiator so it says cooler than the oil at operating temperature, meaning the heat transfer units become coolers. coolant heats oils when engine is cold, coolant cools engine when oils are hot. got it?

[@BMTroubleU]

bmw dealership service sheets indicate every 4 years. some people have it in their heads that longlife coolant means they dont have to change it, but its good practice to get it replaced because the corrosion inhibitors do wear off over time

[@BMTroubleU]

Your first sentence is correct, but your second is not. The engine oil and gearbox oil heat exchange unit work in exactly the same way. The coolant in the system heats up faster than the oils, so from cold (as youve mentioned) the coolant is used to heat up the engine and gearbox oils faster to reduce wear and reach N.O.T faster. However the oils have higher temps than coolant at N.O.T, so at this point the order reverses (the oils are being cooled by the coolant in the heat exchangers).

[@BMTroubleU]

the only models i ever removed an engine block drain plug on were e46's, and even then there was about a cup of fluid maybe so i eventually stopped bothering. if i remember correctly the gearbox oil heat transfer unit is connected to the block in some way. if you end up doing the job on your car can you confirm that for me? either way the majority of coolant is held in the radiator and hoses, so even if the block fluid isnt replaced it eventually mixes with the new stuff

[@BMTroubleU]

Love u dad #Eva

[@husseinabboud3677]

Bm trouble you 😂

[@ekotenggara8475]

thank you for the guide. i want to do flush tomorrow. but i am not sure about my 2010 x1, does it have an electric water pump? thank you

[@BMTroubleU]

i wouldnt change it unless you need to. a warning light comes up when it begins to fail. if you want to check it every so often open the reservoir cap when cold & try turning on the engine while depressing the throttle peddle (and keeping it down for 10 seconds i think) instead of the brake pedal. the engine wont start but this is the operation on new models to turn on the water pump so that it can prime and confirm its flowing. i only ever changed 1 pump in 4 years, so theyre not that common

[@BMTroubleU]

it would be fine until its due to be changed, but the issue is the leak. coolant is a closed loop system and if its loosing fluid youre going to have to keep topping it up till the leak is fixed. dont spend money buying coolant- you can keep topping it up with water for a month until you get the leak fixed (when it'll all get drained anyway). just dont leave your leak too long and keep a close eye on the level, these things can get bad quickly and you dont want to overheat.

[@BMTroubleU]

hate to lay some truth on you man, but i worked with these things and i know a bit about how they work. they work exactly how ive told you. automatic transmission normal operating temps around 180-200 degrees, coolant at normal operating temp 130-140 degrees. coolant heats when cold, then cools when hot. please believe me

[@BMTroubleU]

not really. i dont work for bmw any more, but that doesnt stop the folks in my new town coming to me with their issues. i'll probably post some X3 diy's, but there arent enough bmws to allow request taking

[@BMTroubleU]

i know its been a while, but do you get what im saying now mate? theyre not only heaters- the flow of oil and coolant happens all the time so seeing as the coolant is cooler than the gearbox oil at normal operating temperature the heat exchanger is cooling the oil rather than heating it. sweet?

[@BMTroubleU]

can you post a video on youtube showing me what you found?

[@BMTroubleU]

open the bleed screw before undoing the radiator drain plug to get the most fluid out. if yours is an auto you should also have the gearbox fluid heat transfer unit bolted onto the fan shroud down the bottom, so good to drain that too. also recommended to replace the bleed screw and the drain plug if necessary. ta

[@florentin1888]

You tube needs to stop advertising and just get with the videos.smfh

[@BMTroubleU]

you can, im pretty sure i put notes in during the video saying that its possible to do it that way. i just wanted to show the bmw dealership way seeing as its the easiest, and the conventional method should be familiar to regular DIYers

[@BMTroubleU]

bmw service sheets say replace coolant every 4 years, so thats what i did when i worked there. Also gearbox lifetime oils are only so if you dont have a problem. first step to resolve any shifting issues- check codes and oil. if oil is bad but no codes change oil and do adaption run. if there are codes which match to PUMA cases and oil is bad replace complete transmission. dct drain and refill: drain, fill, run engine, top up till overflow while running, run till trans @ 50 degrees then recheck

[@LVFigGardenChannel]

Wells hat sucks for me but at least you are nice enough to answer ?s I just did suck and fill power steering flush and like an idiot I put ATF not chf11s what would be the best way to do a complete flush in scared I will mess the seals up now thanks also that is when the power steering lock light came on the next day could that be why our just coincidence

[@LVFigGardenChannel]

Why can't I flush and bleed coolant like my e46 and other cars. Is it becomes of the electric water pump and thermostat. I believe you that that is the way to do it just wondering why e46 is different then e90 I have the both thanks

[@BMTroubleU]

a 1:1 mix is fine, but it depends somewhat on your local weather conditions. the most coolant recommended is 2:1 and the least would be 1:2, but ive only ever put in 1:1.

[@BMTroubleU]

if i ever do ill make another video for it, but i dont work for bmw any more- so i wouldnt hold out mate

[@BMTroubleU]

Also these gearboxes use Shell M-1375.4 oil, not ATF. Thanks for commenting though

[@JudoChoppethUrFace]

i wish i had a lift accessible to me hehe

[@BMTroubleU]

dunno mate, never knew a guy who stuffed it up like that so anythings possible

[@BMTroubleU]

well so it is, thanks for the enlightenment brad. i suppose it wouldnt be so bad to use green coolant in bmws then? unless theres some sort of additive that optimizes it for alloy blocks and the like.

[@ПроАвто161]

👍👍👍

[@MachtsNichts]

Are you citing ° C or F? I am rather confused by your post. Last two sentences need to be brought to the attention of physicists world wide.

[@joeyjones6638]

Surly the must be a more simple way

[@MachtsNichts]

In the USA, ATF of any specification has a longer life at ~176° F than ~210° F. I know BMW is not too good (like many OEM) about auxiliary ATF to air heat exchangers, but I know some 840i or 850i had them. So no, the heat exchanger is a one way one purpose heater of the ATF, not a cooler of it. ATF lifetime is seriously degraded longterm at coolant temperatures and the thermal floor is too high, and thus the thermal reserve is reduced substantially.

[@MachtsNichts]

Well, here in the states, we like to keep our.ATF at something closer to 176° F. At 205° F, there is that much less thermal reserve before the ATF reaches a temperature where it starts to decompose into varnish and loses its lubricant properties so clutch material begins to contaminate the ATF.

[@MachtsNichts]

BMW must agree as they installed an air to ATF cooler on certain V8 840i and indeed continue to have one on the DCT equipped M3 which has a valve mechanism which switches the transmission fluid flow from the heat exchanger to the auxiliary cooler at higher temperatures.

[@MauserM03Blog]

G'day TroubleU. Is it necessary to remove the drain plug on the side of the engine? It's a 120i I'll be working on. Thanks.

[@ml-ed4sc]

the blue drain plug fits within the removable black adjuster. can't you just slightly turn and remove the black adjuster to get fluid to come out quicker with the larger hole? and why have the blue drain be removable if it fits within a larger removable plug? does not make sense to me. any ideas?

[@ThisIsNotSharyn]

I ordered a Bentley manual for my 335xi. In it, it says to remove the intercooler and the rad hose to the thermostat. It doesn't say anything about a plug on the engine block. Doesn't that sound wrong? How can you drain everything behind the thermostat without taking out that plug? Just curious as to why it wouldn't mention that.

[@ThisIsNotSharyn]

Any way you can write a guide on how to do this on an E90 335xi? I don't want to get myself into something I can't finish on my daily driver...

[@ThisIsNotSharyn]

That doesn't sound too bad...so long as that's ALL you have to do differently. I don't remember my radiator being as exposed as it is in the video. I think something is blocking it. But, I could be 100% wrong.

[@neiljohnson6223]

Thanks again for the Info about the codes for the 745I. I will try to figure what you said about the shifter. Your talking about the gear selector inside the car or on the actual transmission ?

[@su35supaflanka]

Hey, I got the low coolant warning light this morning so I just added about 600ml of bottled water to because the level looked pretty low, will this be okay until I can go get some coolant sometime next week? Thanks!

[@ThisIsNotSharyn]

However, I'm hoping I bled it correctly. I filled it with the bleed screw loose. As I ran the electric pump, I periodically closed the bleed screw to let pressure build up, then loosened it to get the air out. After it stopped running, filled up the res with the bleed screw loose, then went on my way.

[@theaveragesoldier1029]

From what i was told by the older and wiser, one of the coolants contains Sodium, which is not good for your engine if you want to keep it running for a long time. Sodium accelerates the oxidation process inside the lines, and will give your lines the white grainy unhealthy look.

[@KillerT3CH]

Getting a garage to do this for me, I have an auto 120D n47 2011, had a new transmission fitted and worried because you mentioned about gearbox oil/coolant. It won't damage the gearbox in any way will it? This procedure

[@bradbucc]

Lol ethylene glycol and ethanediol are the same compound...chemistry's a tricky devil when it comes to naming conventions.

[@MachtsNichts]

The heat exchanger for the Automatic Transmission Fluid is actually to heat the ATF more quickly for initial cold start shifting. It in fact will over heat the ATF once up to poerating temperature.

[@BMTroubleU]

yea, probably just the intercooler and air tubes. let me know how you go doing the job

[@NB25496]

G'day mate, first of all just want to say thank you. Your videos offer alot of information. I'm looking into doing coolant works on my E90 320d and it comes with an intercooler. Any not on removal of the intercooler as the pipes are plastic and I do not want to damage it in the process. Cheers mate.

[@idjr2654]

Awesome video. I have a 335d and am planning on doing the coolant flush. Is the process the same for the 335d? Thanks

[@BMTroubleU]

sounds pretty good mate, as long as you had coolant without bubbles coming out of the bleed screw hole you should be sweet. good job

[@leedoda42]

I have 320I e90 2005 doesnt have electric pump,how do I take the air out thx

[@Maxwellimport]

Is it an issue if I put green coolant in the E90? I haven't used the blue one before.

[@BMTroubleU]

Check out this forum- is important to make a distinction between coolants that contain silicates and those that are free of silicates. Different types of products should never be mixed with each other, because this impairs the effectiveness of the additive packages. In the worst case, lasting damage can be done to the engine. ------------------------------- And that is from BMW TIS Approved anti-freezing and anti-corrosive agents With the protection of the environment in mind, BMW has been filling all of its vehicles with nitrite- and amino-free anti-freezing and anti-corrosive agents since mid-1986 as standard practice. The use of anti-freezing and anti-corrosive agents that contain nitrites and amines is no longer permissible. www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1953757-BMW-Approved-Coolants

[@Maxwellimport]

@@BMTroubleU Thank you very much !

[@renell]

How often should the coolant be replaced in an e90?

[@ThisIsNotSharyn]

Haven't had a problem with it overheating or anything at all. So, I guess I did it right :).

[@ThisIsNotSharyn]

I'll confirm that for you. I'll let you know what I see. I'll be doing it in about 2-3 weeks. I'll finally have some time to do it...

[@williamomgba8669]

Best channel name ever

[@BMTroubleU]

Thanks mate

[@TEAMCREAM_96]

On mine the cheap little hose that runs on top of the radiator had a pin hole no idea why they don’t just use a one piece rubber hose but it goes from nice rubber hose to plastic hose back to rubber hose

[@chorokkim3254]

Great vid. In the future, can you post a coolant flush proceedure for an E70 X5?

[@josesanabria7833]

Hi, I recently saw some oil residue on the coolant reservoir and I am planning on use this tutorial to change the coolant on my 2006 330xi. What do you recommend?

[@FindMeCars]

Great work Loyd! Needed some extra info doing a BMW for a client and this video was very helpful, Also was interesting to know about the BLUE vs Green Coolant. If you are in Victoria, Would be interested to have a chat. Keep up the great work! :D

[@ml-ed4sc]

of course as soon as i turned the blue drain plug to remove it, the head of it snapped right off.

[@MrVainia]

Are there non turbo diesel bmw? Its not 1985

[@LVFigGardenChannel]

Thanks man are you doing request again

[@BeqaG111]

hello can you please tell me the name of this little silver part behind radiator?

[@klchew88]

Hi mate! The bottom of my N46B20 thermostat has a wiring connection. Is it to trigger the opening of the thermostat? I noticed my coolant starts to circulate when temperature hits 105 deg C. Seem high because conventional temp gauge hits red line at 120 deg C. Thermo mechanical thermostat normally opens at circ 70~80 deg C. Optimal water temp for petrol combustion engine shouldn't it be circ 80~90 deg C? Now my water temp showed 108~118 deg C for town driving and only when cruise highways, dropped to circ 88 deg C. Thanks.

[@klchew88]

Ops.. Just saw your reply to another dude. So the 2 wires are to heat up the thermostat to premature release.. :)

[@Haxxorfreak]

Thanks so much for this video, it's very clear and easy to follow. Looking forward to changing the fluid in my E92 328i this weekend!

[@andytof47]

Hey mate, just wondering if you can point me to a vacuum tool for changing the fluid. Cheers

[@BMTroubleU]

Can't find the exact one, but it's something along these lines. Just need to find the appropriate cap with fitting now. www.ebay.com.au/i/152823540360?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=152823540360&targetid=482048470245&device=m&adtype=pla&googleloc=9071911&poi=&campaignid=1491967134&adgroupid=63107608968&rlsatarget=pla-482048470245&abcId=1139406&merchantid=7659802&gclid=CjwKCAjwscDpBRBnEiwAnQ0HQFkfu-6uC5F2xKsqkCY00lKjLGRTSuMpAQuchPuoKli47EKrIZGrvxoCrB0QAvD_BwE

[@BMTroubleU]

yes

[@isma909]

My bmw 325i 2006 is leaking coolest and it seems to be coming from the transmission. Any ideas?

[@BMTroubleU]

sorry for taking so long to reply, ive been away for a while. is it just a clear liquid or definitely coloured coolant? if its just clear water then its just your air conditioning condensation running out and its nothing to be worried about

[@BMTroubleU]

no worries mate, have fun

[@renell]

thank you

[@nastraightsix]

Fantastic video! Very informative, & well explained!

[@harleyzheng]

When i went to get the coolant in my bmw e87 118i changed, the mechanic didnt even put the car onto a lift. I dropped the car off and went away for 30 minutes, when i came back the car was in the exact same location but the reservoir was empty and there was a garden hose inside of it. Any idea what kind of procedure he did?

[@quietatse]

Harl0 283 ... did you find out how the mechanic managed to drain the reservoir with a garden pipe? I'm looking to bleed the system but don't know where to begin

[@jereisluke]

Sounds like he did the ghetto procedure. You shouldn't flush hose water through the cooling system, just distilled water. I wouldn't go back to that mechanic.

[@nathan21388]

on a 2002 318 n42 engine what does the bottom left radiator hose coolant temp sensor do? does it control the thermostat

[@BMTroubleU]

its either for the temp guage, low level warning, or it might be to control the fan IF you have a thermo fan instead of a viscous fan. bmw thermostats have only ever been heat controlled as far as i know (some have a 2 pin plug on the termostat housing which incorporates a heating element which can utilise computer control to heat the thermostat prematurely, but the thermostat itself is still only really a heat controlled wax pellet type)

[@nathan21388]

its for the fan the botom pipe seems to stay cold all the time going to check water pump propeler

[@BMTroubleU]

good idea. if the bottom hose stayed hot then the thermostat might be stuck open. does it have an aftermarket radiator or is the thermo fan going all the time? that could cause it to be colder than usual all the time. do you have any issues over heating?

[@nathan21388]

BMTroubleU the fan is spinning all the time no over heating issues i have left it idling with the obc on the coolant temp in head eventually goes to 100 no more big fan doesent kick in due to no coolant temp sensor in bottom hose well there is but no wiring due to properly being damaged

[@isma909]

*coolant

[@khalid38]

MERCI BIEN

[@renell]

another question I have is, What is the average kilometer/mileage do you see electric water pumps on e90 fail, and what are the signs of it failing? I have an e90 n52b25 engine with 103,000 kms should I change the pump or should I wait a bit ?