coolant leak

[HPIA4v2]

My upper radiator hose developed small crack, I saw the low coolant message on the way home from work two-weeks ago. Pulled into the garage, turned the engine off and heard the hissing sound and small steam coming out of that crack. Temp was normal throughout, added about half gallon distilled water to check how the situation was. I ordered WP, all hoses, thermostat the next day. So if you still onthe original hoses, you may want to replace them. For reference, mine has been garaged all the time and Seattle is probably not as hot as Arizona climatewise.

For WP, you don;t need to remove radiator, just the fan clutch and belt to spin it to see if the ball-bearing still smooth and see any leak around it. But at this time it's probably not a bad idea to replace WP and thermostat. FYI, mine @58000 miles (8 year old) the WP and thermostat look like new.

Hard to say if you have valleypan leak or not, I heard from E38 740i people that parking on incline will make the leak from valleypan worse, so something you can check if you think it is.

Good luck.

[Steelo]

Check the Bell housing at the bottom for any build up from the coolant. There is a plate on the back of the block that can leek, this will mean Trans out for repair.

[we350z]

Well I removed the belly pan plastic protective splash guard cover thing from underside front of the vehicle and I can see the condensation right away even after the vehicle has been sitting for over a day:



I'm not 100% positive but from what I can see I think it might be the water pump that has sprung a leak. Is the WP directly above the underdrive (large) pulley? I filled the empty reservoir once again and started the engine. Once the water temp started rising a little bit I could see the spray on the ground from the coolant on to the fan.



It looks like there is some fluid pooling on the ground around the center right (towards driver side). It is brown, i think either from rust or dirt or something but definitely is coolant/water.



It looks like its dripping off the bottom housing piece for the small pulley (tensioner?)



A little bit closer inspection with the flashlight I can see some spray up above the underdrive (larger) pulley. Is this where the water pump is located?



You have to look closely but you can see the moisture:



Even closer:

[Weasel]

Yeah, looks like your waterpump is leaking and you are due for a coolant flush. The V8 waterpump is a bigger job than the I6. And make sure you get the o-rings that go in the top/back of the waterpump for the coolant pipes that run front to back, and the small rubber coated water pipe that goes to the alternator housing.

Just make sure whoever does the job knows what they are doing and has done this job before because even the crank pulley needs to be removed to gett he pump off.

[HPIA4v2]

Just FYI, an Indie shop quotes me ~$950 after $35 BMW CCA discount before tax for this job. Dealer hint me north of $1200.
Weasel may have better idea on number of hours but I think around 4-6 hours.

Not sure if Indie uses OEM pump or Graf. For hoses, WP, thermostats you are looking around $500 in parts alone if you want to do it yourself.
BTW, ask the indie shop to use BMW coolant or Zerex G05.

Good thing you find this before the WP completely ceased.

[jst2878]

good luck. if you havent replaced andy hoses yet than get ready for this upcoming debacle. best thing is to remove the black plastic skid plate and look at all that is above it. if you smell coolant while your driving than that could be the result of coolant cooking on the block where the valleypan leaks.

[we350z]

Yeah - it's overdue for a coolant flush. I'm just glad it doesn't appear to be the valley pan leaking. So anyway, it looks like my cooling system needs some TLC. I am debating whether or not I want to take on this DIY. Maybe I can find another X5 gearhead locally to help me that has done this job. It doesn't look too difficult but I would have to do it in my apartment garage parking space. I have done a coolant flushes on my Z before and I sat in recently on it's 60K maintenance so I am somewhat familiar with what needs to be done with regards to belt and pulley removal. I also remember reading to be very careful when actually pulling the pump off so the coolant pipes don't fall off (though supposedly they can just be placed back on). Any tips regarding this part?

So what all should I replace? Just slap a new water pump on after removing the old one and sanitizing the area? Is it recommended to use the OEM gasket? The guy who did my 60K on my Nissan uses silicon and tosses the gasket he says they are shit. Pretty sure the belts are new as of 60K (though one squeaks like something fierce - so I could take this opportunity to adjust it).

- Water Pump
- Water Pump Gasket or Silicon Gasket Maker
- Coolant Pipe O-rings

Part #'s?

I don't want to mess with the radiator and hoses if I don't need to - but will a new water pump cause these parts to wear at an accelerated rate? I have read a lot around here about ppl saying you should change out entire cooling system at once... that sounds expensive and perhaps unnecessary.

Which water pump should I get? Are the Cardone ones available at regular auto parts stores necessarily bad or should I just get OEM? Please advise.

Originally Posted by Weasel

Yeah, looks like your waterpump is leaking and you are due for a coolant flush. The V8 waterpump is a bigger job than the I6. And make sure you get the o-rings that go in the top/back of the waterpump for the coolant pipes that run front to back, and the small rubber coated water pipe that goes to the alternator housing.

Just make sure whoever does the job knows what they are doing and has done this job before because even the crank pulley needs to be removed to gett he pump off.

[we350z]

That's a little steep. Did they use all new OEM stuff? So your indy charges about $100/hr labor?

Not sure what the big deal on using specific coolant is but I guess I will do it :-)

Originally Posted by HPIA4v2

Just FYI, an Indie shop quotes me ~$950 after $35 BMW CCA discount before tax for this job. Dealer hint me north of $1200.
Weasel may have better idea on number of hours but I think around 4-6 hours.

Not sure if Indie uses OEM pump or Graf. For hoses, WP, thermostats you are looking around $500 in parts alone if you want to do it yourself.
BTW, ask the indie shop to use BMW coolant or Zerex G05.

Good thing you find this before the WP completely ceased.

[we350z]

Thanks - I just went through the service records and It looks like the only thing that has been replaced with regards to the cooling system was the reservoir which had a pin hole leak (I think this was fairly common issue among early X5's).

I might just take my chances and replace the WP only and deal with the hoses later if need be. I don't drive the car a whole lot and it sounds like it would be kind of a bitch to pull the rad. I think the coolant I smelled was definitely coming from the water pump.

I was looking at prices - $200 for an upper rad hose? WTF? Surely there must be some viable alternatives, probably something of even higher quality for less...

I hear the radiator is not the best in the world but it's hard for me to not adopt the if it's not broke don't fuck with it attitude.

Originally Posted by jst2878

good luck. if you havent replaced andy hoses yet than get ready for this upcoming debacle. best thing is to remove the black plastic skid plate and look at all that is above it. if you smell coolant while your driving than that could be the result of coolant cooking on the block where the valleypan leaks.

[we350z]

Does this come with everything I need?