e46 2000 m43 thermostat (changing)?

[ah]

Can anyone give me some instructions on changing this thermostat as the last one I did was on my 318 E30.Can I change it without draining the system?any tips would be very grateful.

[harry_p]

on my m43 compact the thermostat comes inside a plastic housing and is bolted to the front of the engine above the waterpump.

3 10mm bolts which are a bit awkward to get to as the fan is in the way, i removed the shroud from the radiator to get a little more room.

you will lose coolant, but it's quite high up so you won't lose all of it, if youre carefull and have a suitable container you might be able to catch quite a lot which will come out when the hose is undone.

i don't know how similar the e46 m43s are, but i would assume they'd be pretty similar

[ah]

Cheers mate for the info.

[Simon13]

took me less than 30 mins to change one on my sisters E36 318i, including bleeding it back up! Loads of room in the engine bay! i didn't have to take anything off to get to it either

[town325i]

if it is one in the plastic houdsing make sure it is the stat that is causing the problem as they are not cheap