How to Bleed and Fill Engine Cooling System | BMW E39 540i

Today I’m bleeding the engine cooling system on my 2000 BMW 540i. I recently replaced the thermostat, meaning I introduced unwanted air into the system when I sealed everything up. This procedure will help extract the air and replace it with coolant so the engine doesn't overheat.

This procedure is for a 2000 BMW 540i, which is fitted with the 4.4L V8 M62 Engine. BMW used this engine across a couple of different vehicles, including the 1998-2003 540i (E39), 1999-2001 740i (E38), and the 1999-2003 X5 (E53). There are even some non-BMW vehicles with this engine including the 2000-2004 Morgan Aero 8, and 2002-2005 Range Rover (L322).

BMW's coolant does not come premixed so distilled water is needed to dilute the mixture to the suggested 50/50 ratio. I suggest ordering the coolant online from Amazon, ECS Tuning, FCP Euro, or wherever you can find the best deal. After bleeding the air from the system, my expansion tank was slightly overfilled as evidenced by the fluid level bobber protruding a couple inches beyond the max fill position. BMW expansion tanks are notorious for failing, so I used a fluid extractor to bring the level down and prevent the system from over-pressurizing. If you don't have a fluid extractor, you can achieve the same result by using a Turkey baster and a thin hose to remove some coolant. The diagram next to the expansion tank shows that the system is full when the fluid level bobber is even with the rim of the tank. The video's thumbnail shows the what this looks like. Above this position and you'll need to remove fluid. Below this position and you'll need to add fluid.

Overall, this is an easy repair that will definitely take less than an hour to complete. Please leave a comment if you have any questions, thanks for watching!

Parts:
1. BMW Antifreeze https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-b...
2. Distilled Water

Tools:
1. Phillips head screwdriver
2. Fluid extractor / Turkey baster + thin hose

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