[2017F30]

Picked up my vehicle this afternoon after the repair was completed and can confirm the campaign referenced is 17 80 21 for the replacement of the cylinder head ventilation line. As previously mentioned part #17-12-9-845-173 was replaced for defect code #00 17 15 02 00. Unlike other paperwork referenced no additional coolant was mentioned during my vehicle’s repair so I will verify levels when cold.

[GeorgeF31]

So my repair went through yesterday and on the way home the car suddenly started throwing low coolant and engine heat warnings, followed by limp mode.

Called the dealer and they flat-bedded my car to the dealer this morning. Turns out the connection at the block either wasn't seated correctly or failed -- hopefully the latter. The small puddles of coolant in my garage were right behind where the wheels sit so the location of the leak checks.

They're running a longer pressure test before I pick up again. Preferably -- because I don't want to have to take the time to bring this up with BMWNA -- without any issues.

Fun fact I learned (besides "drive in concentric circles for a while before taking your car home from the dealer"): BMW's coolant is blue, not the usual day-glow yellow.

Follow up: Apparently "wasn't seated correctly" describes the situation best.

[mvdbogaard]

[QUOTE=GeorgeF31;28876644]For anyone that might wonder, that website encapsulates the info returned from this BMW Group webiste: https://vehiclerecall.bmwgroup.com/index.html

Thnx for that link!

[jtalweezy]

Originally Posted by GeorgeF31

So my repair went through yesterday and on the way home the car suddenly started throwing low coolant and engine heat warnings, followed by limp mode.

Called the dealer and they flat-bedded my car to the dealer this morning. Turns out the connection at the block either wasn't seated correctly or failed -- hopefully the latter. The small puddles of coolant in my garage were right behind where the wheels sit so the location of the leak checks.

They're running a longer pressure test before I pick up again. Preferably -- because I don't want to have to take the time to bring this up with BMWNA -- without any issues.

Fun fact I learned (besides "drive in concentric circles for a while before taking your car home from the dealer"): BMW's coolant is blue, not the usual day-glow yellow.

Follow up: Apparently "wasn't seated correctly" describes the situation best.

This is where removing the ECU holder and snaking the line around the underside of the intake manifold is key. If anyone does this themselves and they pull the charge pipe and front engine cover/dust protector, you need to get a new charge pipe to plenum gasket. Removing the ECU and holder does not require you to break any engine seals/etc. Also, the plugs for the ECU are all keyed. they can only go back into the connector they came out of so no risk of plugging the wrong thing in the wrong spot.

[2017F30]

Originally Posted by 2017F30

Picked up my vehicle this afternoon after the repair was completed and can confirm the campaign referenced is 17 80 21 for the replacement of the cylinder head ventilation line. As previously mentioned part #17-12-9-845-173 was replaced for defect code #00 17 15 02 00. Unlike other paperwork referenced no additional coolant was mentioned during my vehicle’s repair so I will verify levels when cold.

Approaching one month since replacement and pleased to see the coolant level is exactly where it should be. It’s been warmer and the A/C has been used for the first time this summer season so will give it another month and reverify.

[CoopersF15]

Well F my life. This happened to me in 2021 just as my warranty ran out (on the very day), freaked out and and I bought the extended warranty that day to cover my ass.

They never said this had a service bulletin attached to this issue, or that it would have been handled free of charge out of warranty

I'd have cancelled that extended warranty so fast and instead put the money into upgrades of wear and tear stuff like the suspension, brakes, tires etc all not covered under warranty anyway.

[CincyBearcats]

Originally Posted by jtalweezy

I looked up the repair manual in ISTA

Thanks so much for this very useful information. I'm a very new BMW owner. Just purchased a 2017 F31 a week ago. It looks like I'll be doing this repair very soon if I can find the parts. I don't want to risk getting stranded on the side of the road.

I've been searching for a service manual for the LCI F30/F31 (B46/B48 engine), but I haven't had any luck. The Bentley manual is only for the pre-LCI F30/F31 (N20 engine). Is ISTA the best way to access a shop service manual for the LCI F30/F31? If so, have you been satisfied with it? Thanks!

[Aziego]

Instead of trying to replace the hose yourself, you should call the dealer and ask them if your car is part of the recall. They will replace the hose for free since you are in the US.

To specifically answer your question, ISTA is a very good tool to have for both repair and diagnostic.

[K@mpf3R]

Service Information Bulletin:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...12788-9999.pdf

[F20bimma]

Originally Posted by jcdub

I'd this coolant pipe recall only in the States or is it in Europe too?

Good one... never heard about that issue here...

Greetings!

[Sean750]

I am living in Europe and most definately we are experiencing the same problem. I have heard about it in several cases. But unfortunately in Europe it isnt a recall. They prefer to let you blow your engine on the highway and pay big bucks to repair it. I sometimes really hate BMW for making such decisions here in Europe.

I ordered the vent hose and will replace it as preventative maintenance by myself.

[drcc2]

I'm not anywhere near a dealership. Is the service reimbursed by BMW in some way if it's done at a shop other than a dealership?

[BRMD]

Happened to me this weekend; engine coolant low message, radiator went nuts, was stuck in traffic and watched as my engine started to heat up. Was befuddled when I didn't see much more than pooled antifreeze and couldn't see where it was pouring from, then when searching the lines, the other end of the vent line tube snapped right off from the coolant-tank head with a mild touch! There's the answer..

Thank God for this thread and the youtube video of the guy replacing the vent line saying this is now a service recall as of 12/2!

Called in BMW service center today and they're aware of it, but apparently backed up because people are coming in for it now. Will update if there are any issues. Good luck to everyone!

Edit: They inspected and found no heat damage to the engine, fixed the part in question, but claimed there was a leak from a "Crusty input" in the turbocharger line feed (I'm guessing this part https://www.bmwpartsdeal.com/parts/b...537643094.html). Wanted $2k to fix it. Declined, will fix it myself.

[Sean750]

I replaced the line myself. It can be done if you are an experienced DIY'er. A couple of tips: disconnect electriical connectors in front of engine to gain more access. You need move the engine isolation forward(no need to remove entirely), then remove a black bracket holding the mass airflow meter (e-torx sockets needed). A long thin metal rod with a bent hook is needed to disconnect the vent line from the cylinder head. If you careful move and position the hose under the intake manifold (look closely how you remove it) there is no need to remove intake plenum and/or ECU.

[keithyo88]

As noted by K@mpf3R, this TSB applies to specific cars. I have a 2018 340i and thought that I might be affected. I emailed and then called the BMW dealer and got no response. I then drove in with the TSB in hand. Service advisor said he checked my vin and it does not apply. I then asked for part number so that I could do it myself. He checked and found out that, although the TSB notes F30, and my production date is within guidelines, it applies only to 4 cylinder engines.

[AtlantaDan]

Just had my coolant pipe break. Was able to do the repair in the driveway in about 30 minutes. No, you do not need a pneumatic tool to bleed the air out. No, you do not need to remove the manifold. If you have skinny arms, the job is a breeze.

Yes, the car was part of the recall, but it would have cost more to tow it there and have the line replaced than just get the line and DIY it.

[mike25resident]

Just wanted to share on this thread since last year i went through pretty much 60% of the cooling system, it all started with the mysterious loss of coolant with no evident leaking, pretty much i was toping it off every two months, but one day i just got home and parked the car and literally the car vomited all the coolant, you would put in more and it would just leak instantly, at that point the culprit was the Oil filter housing, did that but still had loss of coolant, so now i had an evident leak from the water pump, changed that and all hell broke loose, car would drop coolant from below the manifold, so i went for this vent line and there was still a coolant leak from below the manifold, ended up removing it and there where two culprits: the connector to the engine block that's made of plastic was leaking, of course this vent line was broken from the block side, so those were changed and i still had a leak, this time is was easy to spot, it was from the water pump assembly, it has a gasket that was completely worn out, they usually don't sell the gasket by itself, in the dealer the sell the whole assembly, however after digging in the internet i manage to find the gasket, changed it and no more leaking from below the manifold, however after that the pressure build up in the system and two hoses went out, changed those and finally no more coolant leaks, ohh yeah the bleeder screw also went out, lol so just to summarize this is what i changed to fix the coolant issues on my f30 330i 2016:

Oil Filter Housing (11-42-8-596-283)
Water Pump (11-51-8-638-026)
Coolant Vent Hose (17-12-9-845-173)
By-Pass Hose (17-12-8-616-914)
Engine Connector (11-11-8-511-205)
Turbo Coolant Hose - BMW (11-53-7-643-226)
Water Pump Assembly Gasket (11-51-7-644-809)
Expansion Tank Bleeder Screw (11-53-7-793-373)
Expansion Tank Cap (17-11-7-639-020)

Im happy to say i have no more coolant leaks from the main system, the manifold cooling system seems to have no issues, i also solved all the oil leaks i was having at the same time of the coolant issues but that is for another thread i think.

Hope this helps anyone that hasn't gone through this, car had around 70,000 miles when this started to happen.

[JBH6612]

Thanks to all here posting and having conversations about this issue. I went down the rabbit hole on unrelated issues and found this SIB. Called dealer and scheduled appt. You guys saved me a huge potential headache so thank you to all.

[JBH6612]

Can someone chime in if coolant flush is part of this SIB?

[Ph4zed]

I have a 2018 230i with just over 40k miles.

The other day I was driving 40 miles or so to my destination, and in the last mile of the trip, I got a coolant low message. Pulled up to my destination and noticed a leak, checked coolant level and it was empty. Luckily my mechanic is right down the road from where I was driving, so got it towed and repaired. Now I’m just reading about the service action on this thread.

Can I get my money back or any sort of reimbursement from BMW? I was not aware this problem existed. The dealer never notified me. My car is out of warranty.

I guess, are dealers/BMW even required to notify you if it’s not a recall but just a service action? Additionally, my local dealer seemed to indicate it was a recall, but I don’t think that’s the case.

[Craig380]

Just to add to this, the coolant vent line broke on our F36 2018 420i Gran Coupe last night. Got a 'Coolant level low, top up ASAP' message but no overheating message, thankfully.

Babied the car home for 5 miles, saw the hose had completely broken off at the cylinder head (car is 4.5 years old with 47,000 miles). It had lost around 2.5 to 3 litres of coolant.

BMW UK and local BMW dealer claim there is no service action / recall / bulletin on this at all in the UK, and further claim that "just because there's a service action in the US does not mean it's valid in Europe too." Yeah, right. Of COURSE not.

What's more, the dealer will not replace the hose without a diagnostic session, as they "don't accept external diagnoses." Dude, the f*cking hose is broken, there's your diagnosis.

Have ordered up the hose (which interestingly, is the latest revised part number, just fancy that!) and will get my local mechanic to fit it and pressure test the cooling system. BMW UK are a bunch of arrogant idiots.

[boomer]

Has anyone who had the vent line replaced prior to the TSB gotten
reimbursed by BMW?