Thermostat & Water Pump DIY **PHOTOS***

[Bimmer360]

Im glad to hear that and thank you for sharing your experience!

[ARTRIGA]

.... So ... I am actually doing this, thanks to you!
I do have a question..... why does the damper have to be removed in order for the pump to come off? How did your friend do it without taking it off?....because, it is a back-breaking pain to brake loose the 27mm center nut. ... you did state it loosens clockwise right? like the fan clutch. (reverse tread) ?? Thanks!

[ARTRIGA]

Thank you for the fast answer!! ... A friend of mine told me that the main bolt in the middle of crankshaft pulley does not need to be removed to get the thing off ? .. you only have to remove 8 bolts around it and smack it with a rubber hammer to loosen the hub and it should fall off. I will try it first and let you know if it works. Also, the long bolt on the pump...I did get it out by reaching with a 10mm wrench...tight reach though ... if only the EGR pipe was not on the way, I would have finished it all in one day.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bimmer360
hey there! thanks for the question....the reason why the damper needs to be removed is because there is a long screw that holds the water pump that u cant loose without removing the damper. My friend cut it off.

The damper can be removed by either using a long handle torque wrench and tie on the frame and crank the engine. be cautious though when performing it. Hope this helps!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ARTRIGA
.... So ... I am actually doing this, thanks to you!
I do have a question..... why does the damper have to be removed in order for the pump to come off? How did your friend do it without taking it off?....because, it is a back-breaking pain to brake loose the 27mm center nut. ... you did state it loosens clockwise right? like the fan clutch. (reverse tread) ?? Thanks!

[ARTRIGA]

.....yup..... NO NEED TO GO THROUGH GETTING THE CENTER BOLT OFF THE CRANK PULLEY....
I had to smack it around a little with a piece of a 2x4 ...and it fell right off the crank and on my toes.. ...man, that thing is not very light weight.

[wpl11972]

Im in the middle of changing my waterpump too. removed the pump today. Waiting for new parts from Bavauto. Any tips you guys have will be helpfull.
Also replacing valve cover gasket on driver side. Passanger side done. Trans. filter and gasket and new fluid. also replacing front and rear diff. fluid. Im gona be busy for awhile.

[butundo]

Originally Posted by ARTRIGA

.....yup..... NO NEED TO GO THROUGH GETTING THE CENTER BOLT OFF THE CRANK PULLEY....
I had to smack it around a little with a piece of a 2x4 ...and it fell right off the crank and on my toes.. ...man, that thing is not very light weight.

Does the bolt stay attached to the pulley? I will be doing this job in the near future. I just want to know if I need to purchase the tool for holding the crank.

[ARTRIGA]

Yes, it stays on. Do not attempt to remove it. All you have to do is..... remove the 8 bolts around it..... the thing has a large hole in the middle, and that's where the crank bolt rests seperately from the unit.

[renfrja]

Just finished this DIY (water pump/thermostat/belts) on a '01 4.4i w/ 105k. This article was very helpful; however, I did have a few issues that might be helpful to others to know about ahead of time.

• The fan blade nut was 1 1/4" on my vehicle - Tried it with a crescent wrench; however, there was not enough room to counter-hold...needed the open-end wrench
• The 'quick-disconnect' hose fittings were a total pain - I ended up breaking the upper (4 way) hose fitting. It was like somebody had glued it on. I had to use a dremmel to cut the fitting off the radiator. The replacement hose was $70 from the dealer (I was in a pinch)
• As mentioned above, removing the crankshaft bolt was not necessary...but, getting the water pump to slide out is a bit of a puzzle...but possible.
• Removing the radiator is not necessary either (but probably is if you want to completely flush the system...as you should).
• The smaller belt is fairly easy to get on and off and its route is pretty obvious. The larger water pump belt...not so much. I felt I could remember the belt's route and ended up spending 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get it back on (realoem.com has the belt diagrams...but they're a little cryptic)...I would definitely snap a pic or something...it isn't as obvious as you'd think
• After putting everything back together, my temperature gauge registered hot before even starting the vehicle. I thought I had damaged the sensor...but resetting the ECU (unhook the battery and hold the brake down) fixed the issue

At the end of a very long day, it did go back together with no leaks...so far.
FYI - After removing the water pump, I noticed it already had a metal impeller...so I'm guessing it had already been replaced. That was a bit of a bummer.

[X5-limo]

Originally Posted by renfrja

Just finished this DIY (water pump/thermostat/belts) on a '01 4.4i w/ 105k......at the end of a very long day, it did go back together with no leaks...so far.

FYI - After removing the water pump, I noticed it already had a metal impeller...so I'm guessing it had already been replaced. That was a bit of a bummer.

....bummer indeed, man! I'm getting ready to tackle mine in a few weeks, (preventative maintenance) - hope I don't find 'metal propellers' when I change mine.......

Thanx for the 'FYI'!

[X5 Meister]

I believe BMW did away with the plastic impeller a long time ago (last I heard was E36 3 series). Also some have said that the crimp style hose clamps are a pain to get off. This is true. BMW sells a set of pliers that make the job easier.