how to top up coolant

[dba7108]

i drained the coolant from the radiator valve at the bottom. i then topped up with new fluid but could only fit 6 litres in. the car is meant to take 14.9 litres

its a bmw 645 2004

[steveo3002]

first thing they wont ever drain even close to 100%

second you need to run the engine with the cap off and top it up as it circualtes and the air bubbles come out

im not bmw expert but ive always ran it with no cap until the fan comes on , switch off and let cool then top up if required , might be worth asking on a bmw forum incase theres a special procedure for that engine

[BritishRacinGrin]

With respect you don't sound like you know what you're doing and you could quite easily destroy that big expensive engine if you get it wrong. If the coolant needs changing it's surely worth flushing it properly?

[Collectingbrass]

dba7108 said:

i drained the coolant from the radiator valve at the bottom. i then topped up with new fluid but could only fit 6 litres in. the car is meant to take 14.9 litres

its a bmw 645 2004

Most BMW engines have a plug on the driver's side of the block as well as the rad plug. It's a bit of bh to get to, on my E39 I ended up using a short T bar wrench.

Even when you've drained this plug as well as the rad, you wont get it all out, and as others have said it's best to flush the system. Even with the engine flush I got about 80% of the capacity out of my E39. This guide will help:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/BMW-E60/2...

Don't forget to turn the cabin AC up to max heat & fan speed to draw water through the heat exchanger when you refill the system, and don't forget to bleed the system once full and engine back on. The bl;eeding will need doing after a few engine runs from cold to normal temp IME.