URGENT. Can't bleed cooling system!

[eek142]

I just installed a new water pump, thermostat, and thermostat cover on my 1989 325i. I also drained the block and radiator while I was at it, and filled it all up with fresh coolant.

The car is overheating (going to the 3/4 mark) and there is no heat. I have kept warming it up and loosening the thermostat bleeder screw, and I get coolant to come out and I end up closing it immediately after. The car is up on rhino ramps right now.

What am I doing wrong? Is there a radiator bleed screw? I couldn't find one.

Also, should I be warming it up with the expansion tank cap on? I warmed it up the first time with it off and coolant started boiling out of it, causing me to immediately shut off the car. Any help is appreciated.

[StereoInstaller1]

I assume heater worked fine before?

[eek142]

I remember it working.

[Leeroy]

I just installed a new water pump, thermostat, and thermostat cover on my 1989 325i. I also drained the block and radiator while I was at it, and filled it all up with fresh coolant.

The car is overheating (going to the 3/4 mark) and there is no heat. I have kept warming it up and loosening the thermostat bleeder screw, and I get coolant to come out and I end up closing it immediately after. The car is up on rhino ramps right now.

What am I doing wrong? Is there a radiator bleed screw? I couldn't find one.

Also, should I be warming it up with the expansion tank cap on? I warmed it up the first time with it off and coolant started boiling out of it, causing me to immediately shut off the car. Any help is appreciated.

If you just poured water in the reservoir after draining the entire block its going to take you a couple hours of loosening and tightening that little bolt.

Let me put it to you this way, you drained the entire block so there is a lot of air in the cooling system. Only so much air can come out of that little bolt and the e30 cooling system will not work with a big air bubble in the block.


1. Start with hose #10 disconnect the highest part of the hose. Poor coolant into hose #10 until it starts to come out of the thermostat housing. Reconnect hose and tighten clamp.

2.Then poor water into hose #4, reconnect hose and tighten clamp.

3. Poor water into hose #1, Reconnect hose and tighten clamp.

It will get rid of a lot of the air and make bleeding a lot faster.

Sorry for any spelling errors

[jlevie]

Bleeding the system isn't difficult, if you do it right. My procedure is below:

1) Using ramps or a jack get the front of the car 1' or more higher than
the rear. That will make the radiator and bleed screw the highest point
on the engine and facilitate removal of air.

2) With the bleed screw open, add coolant until no more air comes out of
the bleed.

3) Leave the filler cap off, or at least loose, and set the heat for max
temp and fan speed. Leaving the cap loose will prevent air that's still
in the system from causing a "coolant fountain" once the engine heats
up. Start the engine and allow it to warm up to operating temp. As it
warms up occasionally crack the bleed screw to release any air and top
up the coolant as necessary.

4) Once the engine is at temp bring it up to 2000-2500 for a few seconds
several times. Then crack the bleed until no more air is released. At
this point the heater should be throwing lots of hot air, which
indicates that the heater core is filled with coolant. You may have to
repeat this a few times to get all the air out.

5) Drive the car a bit, allow it to cool back down, and recheck the
bleed for air. Over the next few days you may get very small amounts (a
few bubbles) of air out of the bleed screw.

[eek142]

Thanks for the help everyone. I just parked it on the steep part of the driveway and started bleeding it again. The heater now blows hot air!

The temp needle was still moving past halfway and I did see some small bubbles coming from the thermostat bleeder. I'm letting it cool down before I go at it again. I was bleeding it the entire time with the expansion tank cap on...otherwise, nothing would come out of the bleed screw.

[eek142]

It's bled! I just drove it around and also let it idle in the driveway for 10 minutes and the needle stayed pegged at a hair past the center-line.

For anyone else in the future, here's what I did:

1. Always make sure the front of the car is as high as possible...use a really steep driveway if possible. This made the biggest difference for me.
2. With the car off, remove each hose one at a time from the thermostat housing and see if it's full of coolant. The instant I loosened the hose clamps on some of them, coolant started gushing out, so I knew those were good. The hose that goes from the housing to the radiator inlet tank was NOT completely full, so I pulled it off of the housing and filled it up through its mouth with coolant/water until it started flowing out of the housing and then I reattached it.
3. With the car off, I filled up the expansion tank with the bleeder screw on the thermostat housing open until I reached the full level. I then closed both and turned the car on. Once the car was on, I reopened the bleeder screw just a few threads and then watched as air bubbles continued to come out. I had the heater on full blast the whole time. Once I started feeling hot air come out of the vents, I turned off the heat.
4. It seemed like there were no more bubbles coming out of the bleeder, so I closed it and turned the car off after. I was keeping an eye on the temperature gauge the whole time to see if it was passing the center-line.
5. I took it for a test drive and things looked good. I'm guessing whatever air is left in the system is minimal and will evacuate as the car is driven more.

[thereisnoyun]

it should not stay pass the center, it should be at least lesss than the center line. esp with all new things you put it, it should be very efficiently running below center.

[bmw325csi]

Not really^
depends on his thermostat, water/coolant ratio, etc

[MR 325]

I bleed a cooling system today. Cold engine, not running, bled in 30 seconds.

You gotta know the tricks. :)

[MR 325]

I bleed a cooling system today. Cold engine, not running, bled in 30 seconds.

You gotta know the tricks. :)

[Wh33lhop]

I bleed a cooling system today. Cold engine, not running, bled in 30 seconds.

You gotta know the tricks. :)

Well? Spill the beans! :p

[bmw325csi]

i bleed a cooling system today. Cold engine, not running, bled in 30 seconds.

You gotta know the tricks. :)

double post of bullshit, details?

[SpecM]

You gotta know the tricks. :)

open the bleed screw as you pour the coolant in?