give this a shot!!! I devised a simpler,cleaner, and more effective way to bleed a E36

[hefftone]

Hey Wayne, give this a shot!!!
I devised a simpler,cleaner, and more effective way to bleed a E36 or others with built in expansion tank.
Go to your favorite hardware store, and buy about 1-2 feet of clear vinyl tubing 1/4" ID x 3/8" OD...this tubing is just the right size to fit down in the bleed hole..to aid in the release of air, use some diagnoal cutters Dikes or a razor and make a little notch in the tubing about 3/16" x 3/16" shove the tubing down the bleeder hole, with the notch facing the driver side of the radiator. Fill radiator to cold mark when cold.
Put on some gloves, because the tube gets hot enough to be uncomfortable to bare fingers, safety glasses are a good idea too. Keep a clean jug nearby...you'll need that to capture fluid as it expands. If you can. slightly elevate front of car on ramps or something just to get the bleeder a little higher. Have someone competent start the car, turn heat on high. Let engine run and heat up tube in bleeder, rad cap off You will start to see bubbles come up the tubing. You can divert the tubing right back into the overflow tank....as coolant heats and expands the coolant level will rise, so divert some coolant into your clean jug, to avoid a mess.
As you hold the tube and watch for bubbles, have a competent person hold the engine at about 1500 rpms, that should be enough to pump coolant though the tubing, and back into the expansion tank or jug if necessary. You will be holding and watching this tube for a while probably 5-10 minutes. Adjust engine rpms so that coolant moves slowly through the tube 1500-2500 rpm As bubbles come out of the system, the coolant level will drop, so just add a little to the tank from your jug....eventually, there will be just a steam of tiny little bubbles in the tube, which may be turbulence...use your judgment as to when you are done....when done, drop rpms to idle, the coolant should back down the tube. Install bleeder screw, then the cap BEFORE SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE. If you mech fan is deleted, you may want to put a box fan in front of your radiator just to aid in preventing a boilover. When you removing the tubing, it will have little identions from the threads, as the tube gets hot it softens, and expand from the water pressure, making a tight seal.

__________________
This post was auto-generated based upon a question asked on our tech article page here: Pelican Technical Article: BMW 3-Series E36 Cooling System Flush

[Nick at Pelican Parts]

Thanks for taking the time to share this process with us. We appreciate it!

- Nick