Charged-Air Cooling System Does Not Want To Bleed

[N55lif3]

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I just changed my intercooler to a VRSF one

Before the removal, I drained the coolant from the hose coming from the cooler on the passenger side of the vehicle.

After installation, I initiated the bleeding procedure after I filled the reservoir to max.

The pump turns on after 6 minutes and runs for 1-3 seconds before shutting off for about 30 seconds and starting again. It does this for about 5 minutes, and I also get a drivetrain code for low coolant even though the reservoir stays at max and doesn't seem to move or create any bubbles from the bleeding process.

1. I did not fill the coolant with the vacuum system tool
2. Yes I am talking about the coolant system for the turbocharged air that features an electric pump and has its own bleeding process using the set sequences inside the car.

Any ideas?

[M5D]

Is your battery fully charged, are you connected to a charger?

[mapster37]

Vacuum bleeding makes this much easier. The pump can shut down when there is not enough coolant or air pocket in the system- which is when you get the drivetrain malfunction warning for coolant level....

[AlmondJayRoM3]

Originally Posted by mapster37

Vacuum bleeding makes this much easier. The pump can shut down when there is not enough coolant or air pocket in the system- which is when you get the drivetrain malfunction warning for coolant level....

Not only is it easier, BMW’s procedure for filling the charge cooler calls for it. Vacuum fill then bleed with the recirc pump.

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by AlmondJayRoM3

Not only is it easier, BMW’s procedure for filling the charge cooler calls for it. Vacuum fill then bleed with the recirc pump.

+1

[Kilabyte]

Originally Posted by AlmondJayRoM3

Not only is it easier, BMW’s procedure for filling the charge cooler calls for it. Vacuum fill then bleed with the recirc pump.

Did not know that, when my top mount failed I installed the new one and ran the bleeding procedure 3 times until the coolant level stayed the same.

[AlmondJayRoM3]

Not absolutely necessary but definitely makes coolant changes easy and foolproof. Vacuum fill rigs aren’t expensive either but you do need an air compressor to use them.

[TopJimmy]

You could do the bleed procedure a few times. Just make sure to run your engine for 20min in between purges so your battery is charged up.

Don't overfill your reservoir, just be at the Max line (top of toilet). If coolant gushes out it can drip down and short the DME connectors, they are not fluid tight. I like to have a 16oz water bottle of mix in hand for when the purge starts to suck down the coolant.

[N55lif3]

So after finding a forum post, I poured it into the inlet hose that goes straight down to the water pump.

After that, the bleed procedure fully commenced. After the 4th time bleeding, it airlocked again and I did the same thing. I then kept bleeding it manually by activating the pump through ISTA as it is much quicker than waiting for the bleed procedure to initiate.