I used the gel on the inner sills of the Coupe
Temperature gauge
- Thread starter Braz86
- Start date
Did you rate it? I think it's amazing stuff
Yeah really good stuff
How did you get on with this? What coolant did @Mnbrennan use?
I've a problem with the temp gauge not rising above the 11 o'clock position so I know, especially in this warm weather, that there's something up and ZedShed Midlands is closed and a small indie mechanic is on holiday so I'm not venturing very far in my car at the moment.
Errrrrr...I ask for blue coolant? Make? Name?
I was out and about in heavy traffic in my car on Thursday and it made for a rather stressful drive, tbh. I kept my eyes on the temp gauge continuously, on red alert that if the needle started to climb towards the red side, then I would need to stop and call breakdown recovery services.
I got the cheap stuff from euro car parts, triple qx concentrate, plus de-onised water. The zed takes 10.5l I think, but also best to dip some toilet/kitchen roll into the fill point to see what colour is in there as some don't mix well
What are the benefits of using de-onised water?
Is it 10.5 LITRES of coolant??? I'm shopping...got to get it right!
@Mnbrennan please - any insight would be gratefully received.
Tap water has stuff in it that engines don't like. I use de-ionised too but many would say it's OTT. I live in Swindon which has the hardest water in the country (limescale). So I don't risk it.
Thanks - that makes sense.
BMW handbook recommends distilled water as impurities are removed through the distillation process. Some say de-ionised water serves the same purpose and is fine for this application. Still others will say tap water is fine and have used it for years without issue.
I say I'm not qualified to comment so I just followed BMWs recommendation and bought distilled water for my imminent coolant change. The cost difference to deionised is negligible for the peace of mind - couple of quid which is nothing in the context of nearly £100 for coolant, thermostat and belt that will also be changed.
10.5 is the capacity of the system and it's filled with a 50/50 mix, i.e. 5.25 litres of coolant and 5.25 litres of deionised/distilled/tap water
I say I'm not qualified to comment so I just followed BMWs recommendation and bought distilled water for my imminent coolant change. The cost difference to deionised is negligible for the peace of mind - couple of quid which is nothing in the context of nearly £100 for coolant, thermostat and belt that will also be changed.
10.5 is the capacity of the system and it's filled with a 50/50 mix, i.e. 5.25 litres of coolant and 5.25 litres of deionised/distilled/tap water
Right, so I'm halfway through my coolant change. Drained radiator and block but only got about six litres out. So presumably the balance is in the heater matrix.
Am I right in thinking that if I removed the heater matrix from the car, I'd be able to get the rest of the coolant out?
And am I also right in thinking that most don't bother doing this because it's an absolute mission that involves removing the centre console? I'm tempted though if it means I get the last few litres - the stuff I drained was yellow (Prestone?) and I've got BMW blue to put in.
@mrscalex - appreciate your thoughts
Am I right in thinking that if I removed the heater matrix from the car, I'd be able to get the rest of the coolant out?
And am I also right in thinking that most don't bother doing this because it's an absolute mission that involves removing the centre console? I'm tempted though if it means I get the last few litres - the stuff I drained was yellow (Prestone?) and I've got BMW blue to put in.
@mrscalex - appreciate your thoughts
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2012
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- 178
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- Newport, South Wales,UK
- Model of Z
- Z3 M43 1.8 (1999) and Z4 E85 2.0i (2007)
Connect a hose to one of the cooling pipes and one open top of rad then flush it with heater control set at max hot so flow passes through heater matrix run flush till clear water runs out of rad reconnect and refill get front of car as high as possible so any air in matrix gets pushed out use bleed screw with engine running till no air comes out
Did you remember to help drain the heater matrix by setting to hot and turning the ignition on? This opens the heater solenoid valve. Not sure if you can still do this after partial drain.
And no - I certainly wouldn't remove the heater matrix!
You can't flush it through with a hose. As then you get plain water stuck in it which will throw the 50:50 mix. And is also not good if you want to use de-ionised water for the refill.
I guess compressed air might also push it out if connected to the inlet hose.
This is worth a read.
https://zroadster.org/articles/bmw-z3-m52tu-thermostat-replacement-by-mike-fishwick.64/
And no - I certainly wouldn't remove the heater matrix!
You can't flush it through with a hose. As then you get plain water stuck in it which will throw the 50:50 mix. And is also not good if you want to use de-ionised water for the refill.
I guess compressed air might also push it out if connected to the inlet hose.
This is worth a read.
https://zroadster.org/articles/bmw-z3-m52tu-thermostat-replacement-by-mike-fishwick.64/
You could just use de-ionised water from a height and compensate for the coolant...
I did do the heater thing but still only got about seven litres out in total. Point taken - won’t mess with matrix. Will just refill as much as I can with 50/50 BMW and water. If it was Prestone that came out, I understand it’s safe to mix with any other brand