Canuck328i
11-23-2004, 06:26 PM
First off, THE place to view a DIY on coolant change is here: http://www.bmw325i.net/maint_coolant_change.shtml . I couldn't possibly explain the procedure any better, so check it out first. The following is my addendum to the procedure.
For the DIYers who change their own coolant, one of the things that has always made it such a crappy job to do is the mess it makes. This usually is because of the drain plug on the motor - it doesn't really have a "clear path" to the drain pan and coolant gets all caught up in the exhaust and structure, dumping it everywhere on the floor. I found a little trick that makes it go way easier.
When you get to the part of the procedure when the engine block must be drained, do the following. Loosen the plug on the side of the engine until it is almost ready to come off - a few drops may get by the threads but no big deal. Now take a length of 1 1/2" flexible hose (the type you would find on a sump pump or, in our case, a fish pond filter setup). It should be about 2 feet long, enough to reach the drain plug and drop in the drain pan - just depends on how high you have your car when you do this.
Now hold the hose up to the plug, covering it, and put the other end in the pan. Hold your hand around the engine end of the hose on the front side (the hot exhaust is on the other side), pull it away from the engine an inch or so and undo the drain plug the last few turns with the tips of your fingers. This sounds somewhat difficult, but it really isn't - you want to fold your index finger and drivin' finger over the edge about an inch and "roll" the plug between them. Now when the plug lets go, just let it fall down the hose into the pan and quickly push the hose back up over the raised drain hole until the engine empties. You can actually "wedge" the hose against the chassis with the weight of the fluid in the pan and let it completely drain. Then just go to the pan and retrieve the plug - the rest of it is done as in the above linked DIY.
Mark
For the DIYers who change their own coolant, one of the things that has always made it such a crappy job to do is the mess it makes. This usually is because of the drain plug on the motor - it doesn't really have a "clear path" to the drain pan and coolant gets all caught up in the exhaust and structure, dumping it everywhere on the floor. I found a little trick that makes it go way easier.
When you get to the part of the procedure when the engine block must be drained, do the following. Loosen the plug on the side of the engine until it is almost ready to come off - a few drops may get by the threads but no big deal. Now take a length of 1 1/2" flexible hose (the type you would find on a sump pump or, in our case, a fish pond filter setup). It should be about 2 feet long, enough to reach the drain plug and drop in the drain pan - just depends on how high you have your car when you do this.
Now hold the hose up to the plug, covering it, and put the other end in the pan. Hold your hand around the engine end of the hose on the front side (the hot exhaust is on the other side), pull it away from the engine an inch or so and undo the drain plug the last few turns with the tips of your fingers. This sounds somewhat difficult, but it really isn't - you want to fold your index finger and drivin' finger over the edge about an inch and "roll" the plug between them. Now when the plug lets go, just let it fall down the hose into the pan and quickly push the hose back up over the raised drain hole until the engine empties. You can actually "wedge" the hose against the chassis with the weight of the fluid in the pan and let it completely drain. Then just go to the pan and retrieve the plug - the rest of it is done as in the above linked DIY.
Mark