Anyone have any good experience with Graf Water Pumps? Need some suggestions on pump.

[Johnny_5]

I was thinking of picking up a Graf Water Pump. Has a metal impeller compared to the oem composite impeller. Need some feed back on types of water pump you all would recommend and where would be the best place to pick one up? Since were on the topic any good online retailers for oem parts at a very reasonable price?

[cn90]

Graf is not bad.
But the best bang for the bucks is HEPU.

I have had the HEPU WP now for 8 years in my 1998 528i. Zero issues whatsoever.
Eeuroparts dot com has it for about $55.

[bmw540san]

Don't dismiss OEM WP with composite impellers just yet. While it's true that long ago there was an issue with type of composite materials used, BMW fixed that issue long time ago.

I've pulled OEM WP out of my 97 528 out of fear of composite impellers disintegrating to find out they were fine and bearing had no play. This was 10 year / 80K miles WP.

Also, everybody is talking about metal impellers. While it's true that they can't disintegrate like composite ones, they also have their weaknesses:

Metal impellers are heavier and therefore create more wear on bearing,

It's much harder to balance metal impellers compared to OEM composite,

Metal impellers that are not cast but tacked on with few small welds can fall off.

I had 0 issues with OEM WP with composite impellers and I'm sticking with them.

[Ricky Bobby]

^^^I agree with above. Spoke about this with Jeff (JCL) recently and he basically said the same, the composite impeller on the OE pump is nothing to be worried about and not like the late 80's/early 90's bimmer WP horror stories of old.

If I were to replace mine I would go OE pump (considering original is now 11 yrs old), or EMP Stewart which is pricey but bulletproof.

[cn90]

Thanks for info on the modern BMW composite impeller.

I have been using HEPU for along time in Volvo, BMW and am very happy with HEPU.
At $55, it is a steal.

[JCL]

The water pump impellers that failed years prior to the introduction of the X5 were plastic, not composite.

[Johnny_5]

Originally Posted by cn90

Graf is not bad.
But the best bang for the bucks is HEPU.

I have had the HEPU WP now for 8 years in my 1998 528i. Zero issues whatsoever.
Eeuroparts dot com has it for about $55.

I don't see that brand for the X5. But thanks for the suggestion!

[Johnny_5]

Originally Posted by bmw540san

Don't dismiss OEM WP with composite impellers just yet. While it's true that long ago there was an issue with type of composite materials used, BMW fixed that issue long time ago.

I've pulled OEM WP out of my 97 528 out of fear of composite impellers disintegrating to find out they were fine and bearing had no play. This was 10 year / 80K miles WP.

Also, everybody is talking about metal impellers. While it's true that they can't disintegrate like composite ones, they also have their weaknesses:

Metal impellers are heavier and therefore create more wear on bearing,

It's much harder to balance metal impellers compared to OEM composite,

Metal impellers that are not cast but tacked on with few small welds can fall off.

I had 0 issues with OEM WP with composite impellers and I'm sticking with them.

Im not saying OEM is bad and the composite impeller is a huge improvement over the past years trust me I know. I had a few go bad on me. I was just thinking of trying out another alternative pump as a lot of people are stating its not worth going OEM and that aftermarket pumps last just as long if not longer. I can see where the metal can cause issues with the bearings due to weight.

My car has about 200k on it and don't think the pumps ever been replaced. That's a very good sign stating oem is probably the best wp to go with as Im not seeing any leaks or loss in coolant but for my own comfort Im thinking of replacing it. Im sure its about to retire soon.

Where's everyone going for there OEM parts?

[cn90]

HEPU is for I6 engine.
When posting threads, it'd be great if you could post engine sizes etc.
If eliminates unnecessary confusion.

[Johnny_5]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

^^^I agree with above. Spoke about this with Jeff (JCL) recently and he basically said the same, the composite impeller on the OE pump is nothing to be worried about and not like the late 80's/early 90's bimmer WP horror stories of old.

If I were to replace mine I would go OE pump (considering original is now 11 yrs old), or EMP Stewart which is pricey but bulletproof.

Yes that's what I was referring to as well was the older 90's bimmers the plastics would explode or fall apart. Not cool. I went with a EMP pump great pump and for the money its well worth it. BUT...they are only for the 3.0L they don't have anything for the V8 models so im out of luck there!