Stuck Coolant Cap?

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DickymintZ4

Member
I feel I bit of an idiot asking this question but I have only recently bought the car and know little about the quirks of ownership.

A low coolant warning came on yesterday and so I tried to open the reservoir cap this morning to look at the level and top it up. The cap initially turns easily but then slowly tightens up as I turn it (anticlockwise), before the cap is off it becomes too tight to turn by hand. To turn it any further I would need to use some big water pump pliers or similar. Being plastic that feels a bit drastic and likely to break something.

Its a 28, 2012 model.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated

Thanks
Richard
 
The last N20 engined E89 we had was exactly the same. The one before with the same engine was fine.

Get a set of pipe grips on it and just don't grip it too tight. It will come off. You may have to use the pliers to put it back on aswell.

Good luck.
 
When you put it back, clean the threads and the cap. A bit of sillicone spray or dry ptfe wouldn't hurt. They are quite difficult to remove anyway, but you should be able to turn by hand.
 
Update; you were correct, I got it off with a strap wrench. The O rings were bone dry and sticking, a little O ring lube fixed it and now it goes on and off easily. However the O rings look quite tired with a big flat on each so I have purchased a new one from the local BMW dealer for a cost of £22.31 inc VAT.
 
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