[simpleM3]

Does anyone know why my 2006 E90 330i doesn't have the red floating/measuring stick? I opened the reservoir housing to inspect the coolant level and of course it was low, but more suspicious to me was the fact the floating leveler wasn't there. I plan on doing a coolant flush soon, so is this something I can purchases and drop in or what do I need to do?

Thanks

[Needbmwpartzz]

Your coolant may be too low to make the stick float up,fill up and report back.
If it's not there just fill the reservoir to full just by looking or there's the expensive option to just replace to reservoir.

[BashShah]

It is also possible that the coolant stick is stuck in the sides of the reservoir bottle.

DN

[simpleM3]

I actually filled it up already and still did not see the stick. I was definitely low on coolant so topped it off. I'm going to perform a flush this weekend and look inside of tank while empty to see if its in there.

[andysat]

Let us know how it goes.

[Efthreeoh]

Assuming you bought the car used...

Probably some knucklehead non BMW mechanic or previous owner broke it off. Unfortunately it is not a replaceable part and a new coolant tank is the only way to replace it.

[mike3000fl]

My 2006 stick came loose from the foam block that floats inside. When I tried to push it back into the block, the stick was brittle and crumbled and broke. At that point I feared particles entering the cooling system further and damaging or clogging the water pump impeller. I ended up disconnecting the expansion tank underneath and replacing it with an aftermarket one that fit perfect and has been flawless. I did some testing with the old one by dropping the crumbled pieces of the old stick into it, it does turn out that the crumbled up pieces are able to pass thru the expansion tank and fall thru the large opening on the bottom.

Long story short, if the stick is in the tank loose, be careful with it, and see if it is brittle first if you do try to push it back into the foam block.