Cooling System Overhaul - 2003 BMW X5 3.0i

[olsen27]

Good Afternoon,

Hope everyone is well. I'm new to this site and find it AWESOME. I have a 2003 BMW X5 3.0i with 69,000 miles on it. I just ran a new diagnostic test with my new Bavauto tester and came up with the code that my thermostat is stuck open.

If I replace the thermostat should I do a whole cooling system overhaul with the parts recommended "below" from Bavauto. Is this overkill or is it time for my ride to have these parts replaced. Your expertise and thoughts are much appreciated. I don't mind doing this project now if these are components that will need to be replaced down the road.

My car runs great "except' for cold start ups the starter runs an extra second I thought this might be fixed with the thermostat.

THERMOSTAT W/HOUSING
WATER PUMP AND GASKET-
BELT-SERPENTINE M52
DEFLECTION ROLLER
DEFLECTION ROLLER
BELT PULLY-M50,M52,M42/4
FAN CLUTCH-
EXPANSION TANK-E46
COOLANT TEMP SENSOR
COOLANT LEVEL SENDER
HOSE-X5
HOSE-X5 3.0
ANTIFREEZE-

Cheers,
Chris

[CharlieHustleX5]

I just did this overhaul on my 04 3.0i w/ 92k miles. Here's my suggestion...

THERMOSTAT W/HOUSING - Replace
WATER PUMP AND GASKET- Replace since access is easy w/tstat replacement
BELT-SERPENTINE M52 - Replace
DEFLECTION ROLLER - Replace if noisy.
BELT PULLY-M50,M52,M42/4 - Replace if noisy.
FAN CLUTCH- Test before replacing. I've had mine for 93K and still not worn out.
EXPANSION TANK-E46 - Mine leaked @ 84k miles.
HOSE-X5 - If your radiator hoses are soft, might as well.
ANTIFREEZE- Flush out the coolant, replace. You'll need 2 gallons.

Suggestion: Replace the expansion tank cap.

[olsen27]

Charlie Hustle,

Your advice is much appreciated. On a scale of 1 to 10 what would you rate the dificulty of this project at? How much did you end up spending on the parts?

Cheers,
Chris

[ecproductions85]

how do you test the fan clutch

[CharlieHustleX5]

The two ways i've heard so far:

-Turn the fan by hand counter clockwise, obviously with the car off. If the fan clutch has resistance and only turns about a quarter of a revolution, it should be ok

-Get newspaper, tightly roll it up as if you were going to swat a fly with it. Turn your car on, then carefully allow the tip of the rolled up newspaper to make contact with the revolving fan blade. If the fan stops and little to no damage is done to the newspaper, its time to replace the fan clutch. If the fan shreds up the paper, its still in working condition.

[lo7100]

Quote: You'll need 2 gallons.

is it 2 gallons of 50/50 mix or just the coolant?

[NY98M3]

Is the themostat housing plastic or aluminum? I know my M3 came with a plastic one and the upgrade is to an aluminum one...

[rlabair]

For what its worth I just replaced the thermostat, waterpump, hoses and belts on my wife's 530i. I'm not a pro for sure but I found it to be relatively easy. The only problem I ran into was tracking down a 32mm wrench to remove the fan. I went to autozone and bought a 1 1/4 in. standard that worked just fine.

I bought my parts through Pelican with the total including coolants coming in around $250. Took me about 6 hours taking my time. Removed the shroud and fan but left the radiator in and still had plenty of room to work. I just purchased my X5 with 78K on it and I think I will perform the same on it soon.

Good luck!

[dipstick]

I purchased my 2003 X5 with 100m on 2/1/09. I replaced the plastic bladed water pump with a stainless blade new one, thermostat, temp sensor, two radiator hoses, all of the pulleys and tensioners, new belt, and new bmw anti freeze shortly after acquiring it. The job was not difficult. it would only have been a matter of time before I would have been stranded with an overheating engine.

[rlabair]

Roger that, I am ordering my parts tonight to do the same.Did you face any challenges?
RA