» Site Navigation | | » Recent Threads | | | 1999 M3 Swap 09-07-2023 10:10 PM 06-01-2024 03:04 PM 7 Replies, 476,863 Views | | | | | 03-31-2007, 05:21 PM | #1 | Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 41 | draining coolant system I want to drain my coolant system; I have found the blue drain plug at the bottom of the radiator, but I can't find the drain plug on the engine block for the core. Can anyone describe its location, in words of one syllable, for a dummy like me? Remember my car is right-hand-drive, so if you say something is "on the driver's side", I'll be looking on the right side of the engine, looking forwards. Thanks. __________________ 2000 316i SE Compact 1.9 | | | 03-31-2007, 06:56 PM | #2 | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 1,587 | It's on the exhaust side of the engine, just below the exhaust ports. So, when you're under your car, you have to reach up a fair amount. Also, I think it's on the back half of the block too, lined up with cyclinder 3 or 4. EDIT: oh, I see you have a 316. That's where it is on my 318, but yours may be the same. | | | 03-31-2007, 08:30 PM | #3 | Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 41 | Thanks for that; I have the 1.9 litre M43TU engine, but I will follow your directions and see what I can find. __________________ 2000 316i SE Compact 1.9 | | | 04-01-2007, 09:02 PM | #4 | Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: state college, pa Posts: 3,431 | If you check the parts diagrams on realoem, it will show an exploded view of the block and drain plug. __________________ I scream, you scream, we all scream for ZOMBIES. | | | 04-01-2007, 09:31 PM | #5 | Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 41 | I spent a couple of hours underneath my car today, also trying to change the gearbox oil and the front brake pads. I could not loosen the drain plug for the gearbox, I found out that I did not have a 7mm allen key for the pads, and I could not find the drain plug for the block for the coolant. I just could not find ANY hex-head bolt under the manifold anywhere on that side of the block. I DID find a sort of plug, but with an internal hex, which none of my tools would fit. Bad Words. Finally got the tranny plug loose after using a steel tube over the handle of the torque wrench to increase the leverage, and changed the oil. One out of three. Finally got the pads out after a mate helped me out, but then could not force the caliper back enough to fit the new pads. Put the old ones back in and gave up. I'll get a mechanic to look at the brakes and the coolant. __________________ 2000 316i SE Compact 1.9 | | | 04-03-2007, 04:40 AM | #6 | Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Arroyo Grande, CA Posts: 61 | Um.... be sure and bleed. | | | 04-03-2007, 08:18 PM | #7 | Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Scotland Posts: 41 | My hands were bleeding quite a lot, actually. Oh, you mean the radiator? Gonna farm that one out to somebody who knows something about cars. I like to think that I'm not exactly dumb, but something about cars has me beat. I mean, who on earth designed the microfilter housing on the Compact? Must have been a german with a sense of humour. My knuckles were down to bone before I got that job finished. __________________ 2000 316i SE Compact 1.9 | | | | Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | |