How To Bleed Bmw Electric Water Pump

BMW coolant systems are not the well-nigh well renowned for being reliable. They accept lots of plastic parts and BMW engines tend to run hot overall. This makes it especially important to maintain your BMWs coolant system properly, and one of the near important things to do is bleeding the air out of the coolant organization.

Air in the coolant system is a common issue with BMWs, merely luckily information technology is an result you can resolve in nether twenty minutes! In this article, I will discuss what air in the coolant arrangement is, problems it can crusade, and the procedures for bleeding the BMW coolant system. There are ii unlike procedures, one for older BMWs equipped with a mechanical h2o pump, and i for newer BMWs equipped with an electric water pump.

If yous would like to watch a video DIY on bleeding a mechanical water pump, I have included ane in the mechanical h2o pump department.

What is air in the coolant system?

"Air in the coolant system", "air pocket" and "air bubble" all refer to the aforementioned thing, air has gotten into the coolant arrangement. Air gets into the coolant system in a variety of ways. Ofttimes whenever you alter a part on the coolant organization such every bit a radiator hose, water pump, or thermostat y'all will need to bleed the system of whatever air you introduced. Air can besides go into the arrangement through a faulty h2o pump gasket or through a faulty radiator cap. Air bubbles in the coolant system can also be a symptom of a significantly more problematic issue such as a blown head gasket.

Basically whenever yous change any components on a BMW coolant system and you lot have to add coolant, and then you lot also have to bleed the coolant organization.

What problems can an air pocket crusade?

Air bubbles in the coolant system can cause the vehicle to overheat and then driblet back down to optimum temperature. Air bubbling may likewise foreclose constant rut from getting through the vents. Finally, air bubbles tin crusade a crude idle, the idle will fluctuate up and downwardly.

What has happened is an air pocket has gotten trapped somewhere in the coolant system and is preventing the coolant from flowing properly. An air pocket certainly is not the end of the world but it should be removed as presently as possible to prevent damage to the engine due to overheating.

If y'all suspect that you have air in the coolant system and the needle is passing the heart CUT THE VEHICLE OFF. BMWs are known for blowing head gaskets due to overheating engines.

Bleeding a BMW Coolant System

Employ a Buddy

BMW E36 overheating — A BMW possessor's worst nightmare.

It'southward best to have a helper with you when bleeding the coolant system. I employ ane person to watch the coolant gauge while I'k nether the hood. The second person should be watching the coolant needle. If information technology ever passes the middle, then the second person should cut the engine off immediately! The air pocket can disrupt the flow of the coolant, and cause the aluminum head to overheat. BMWs aluminum heads are susceptible to warping, and a blown head gasket entails an extremely expensive repair.

Hot Coolant

This is an obvious one but information technology makes me experience amend to mention. Never open a coolant fill cap when the engine is hot. Coolant gets extremely hot and is under pressure afterward the engine has been run for a while. Opening a coolant cap can cause a fountain of extremely hot h2o to shoot at you. Even if the temperature estimate is not in the exact middle do not take the chance of injuring yourself, look for the engine to cool down. That beingness said, it'due south also worthwhile to mention that coolant and nice wearing apparel practise not make very skillful bed partners. So if you just got home from work at the law office and want to mess around with the coolant organization, modify into something you don't intendance about getting stains.

Distilled Water

BMW recommends that you use distilled water mixed with coolant, not tap h2o. Plenty of people use tap h2o, notwithstanding, the official guidance from BMW is to employ distilled. Why? Considering distilled does not have any minerals. The minerals in tap h2o tend to cling to metal surfaces. This can worsen heat exchange and even clog a passage in older/high mileage vehicles. That existence said, there are enough of BMW owners, I chance to say most that use tap instead of distilled.

How to bleed a mechanical water pump (older BMWs)

Tools You'll Need:

Jack (depending on model)
Jack stands (depending on model)
Screw Driver
Car Key

How practise you know if y'all have a mechanical water pump? If your BMW was produced pre-2004 you most certainly accept a mechanical h2o pump. BMW began installing electric h2o pumps on the iii Series in 2004 with the E90. Every 3 Serial before that, including the E46, E36 and E30 are belt-driven mechanical water pumps.

These older model BMWs must be manually bled. Although it's a pretty quick and like shooting fish in a barrel process, it does take more time and patience than the "self-haemorrhage" electric water pump models. These vehicles feature reservoirs that are mounted on the side of the radiator and they accept mechanical water pumps and thermostats.

**For these vehicles I apply a jack and jack stands or ramps to become the front of the car in the air. Why? Because this makes the radiator and the bleed spiral the highest point on the coolant organisation and will facilitate the movement of air. Although plenty of people do not exercise this, I have plant that it's the most effective way to ensure that all of the air bubbles are removed from the coolant organisation.

**If your heater does not piece of work this bleed process will yet work just fine. I have performed this process numerous times later on someone'southward a/c command module had gone bad. Just skip the step nigh turning the heat on.

Jack upwardly the front end/ put it on ramps. (This stride is recommended only not required)
Open up the bleed screw and fill up the coolant to the fill line. Go out the fill cap off.
Prepare the heat at max temperature, and fan speed.
Start the engine and allow it to run up to operating temperature. As it heats up loosen the bleed screw to release air and and so re-tighten.
Put the make full cap dorsum on and tighten it back downwardly. Put your pes on the gas pedal and rev the RPMs up to 2000-2500 RPMs. At this point, if your rut works it should be bravado hot air on total smash. This shows you that the heater core is full of coolant.
Tighten the drain screw, put the motorcar down, and drive the car around for a chip, y'all are done!

bmw e36 climate control module — The heater is at full blast

bmw e36 open coolant reservoir — The larger circle is the reservoir cap and the smaller circle is the bleeder screw.

Check out this YouTube DIY video on bleeding BMW mechanical h2o pumps!

Does your BMW nevertheless overheat?

Finished bleeding and the car still overheats? About half the time it's just because you did non get some air bubbles out of the system. Older BMW coolant systems can be finicky, and that's why I jack the front end up to help ensure I get all of the air out.

The other half of the fourth dimension you lot still take a coolant problem. The first thing to check is the coolant level. If you are losing coolant then y'all have a leak somewhere. If you recently did some work on the coolant system I often find that information technology'south merely a hose that I did non tighten plenty. 9 times out of 10 information technology'due south the lower radiator hose clamp. This clench is in a hard to achieve identify so information technology often doesn't become tightened enough.

Alternatively, there may be a more meaning mechanical problem such as the thermostat or water pump gasket is leaking. There is also some hoses running underneath the intake manifold that sometimes crack and leak.

How to drain an electrical water pump (newer BMWs)

How do yous know if yous have an electric water pump? If you have an E90 BMW (2004-2013) or annihilation newer so you accept an electric h2o pump. You can also pop open the hood and take a look at the water pump. If the pump does not have a serpentine belt on information technology then it is electric.

I have heard some people think that "self-bleeding" means that once you finish any piece of work you were doing on the coolant organization you tin can merely fill the coolant dorsum up and bulldoze away. This is inaccurate, the procedure is simple and takes twelve minutes merely it must exist washed to forestall whatsoever air bubbles from overheating the engine.

Tools You'll Need:

Yourself
The central

**For newer model BMWs (E90+) with electric water pumps and thermostats the process to remove air is extremely elementary. There is no need for any tools or even to first the engine!

Insert the primal into the nuance and hit the starter push but DO NOT First THE ENGINE
Ready the heater to the highest temperature and set the fan on low.
Concord downwards the accelerator pedal for 10 seconds then release. The electric h2o pump will be activated and it volition run for nigh 12 minutes to vent all the trapped air into the coolant reservoir. You lot volition hear information technology making a noise kind of similar a washing machine.
Don't open the reservoir cap or bleed screw while the water pump is venting.
Once the water pump stops after 12 minutes, open up the reservoir cap (information technology will hiss a fiddling) and add coolant until the measuring stick is at optimal coolant level. Check the owner's manual if your uncertain what the level should be.

That'southward it! You've already bled the system! Sometimes people volition perform this a second time, and I often encounter a small corporeality of additional air come out of the reservoir cap on the 2nd try, simply it's not required.