OK, it really is conspiring against me!

[doogie]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

After what feels like forever with my bimmer off the road (driving mother in law's Ford POS), I finally sorted out the cooling system, drove it to work today with not too much trouble (20 mins drive, and except for forgetting how fabulous it is and the pedals are in a different position to the Ford everything was fine)

Get into work, pop the hood, loosen the rad bleed screw, dribble of coolant coming out, and what do I do? I manage to snap the fecking rad bleed screw!!!!!!!!!!!!

(this is after snapping the water pump top bolt, and the ez-out I drilled into that, then grinding that flat, then snapping one of the water pump belt mount bolts...... but this was with a screwdriver and not really excessive force )

I know I can Macgyver something on the bleed screw with duck tape (god I hope I've got my duck tape in the boot, worst case I'll blag some brown parcel tape from work)......... I guess I'm looking at an ez-out on that and a new 17111712788 (without breaking the rest of the rad!) - but now I look at the ETK, it looks like I can remove that whole panel, which might make the screw removal easier.

After driving that Ford POS for what feels like forever, it felt amazing being back in my baby

[Bill R.]

stick it right in the middle of the broken plastic screw just long enough to melt a slot in the screw then remove the screwdriver and let it cool. then unscrew the broken screw... IF you have a pencil tip soldering iron sometimes you can melt a groove with it that you can use a screwdriver in also... easy out not needed on this...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

After what feels like forever with my bimmer off the road (driving mother in law's Ford POS), I finally sorted out the cooling system, drove it to work today with not too much trouble (20 mins drive, and except for forgetting how fabulous it is and the pedals are in a different position to the Ford everything was fine)

Get into work, pop the hood, loosen the rad bleed screw, dribble of coolant coming out, and what do I do? I manage to snap the fecking rad bleed screw!!!!!!!!!!!!

(this is after snapping the water pump top bolt, and the ez-out I drilled into that, then grinding that flat, then snapping one of the water pump belt mount bolts...... but this was with a screwdriver and not really excessive force )

I know I can Macgyver something on the bleed screw with duck tape (god I hope I've got my duck tape in the boot, worst case I'll blag some brown parcel tape from work)......... I guess I'm looking at an ez-out on that and a new 17111712788 (without breaking the rest of the rad!) - but now I look at the ETK, it looks like I can remove that whole panel, which might make the screw removal easier.

After driving that Ford POS for what feels like forever, it felt amazing being back in my baby

[E34-520iSE]

Hey Doogie, I got a complete E34 radiator here (weeping cores), with top and bottom bleed screws intact. If you want them, let me know, I'll put them in the post.

[doogie]

Thanks for your kind offer E34-520iSE but I popped over to the dealers today and picked one up (it was about £1.40) and I managed to get the old one out (drill and knife) and the new one in at lunch time

I really should get something I can open the thermo bleed screw with - it's mangled from a PO, so I need to get some decent straight vise grips. I seem to have done not bad with jacking her up and bleeding through the radiator though