I have 62k miles on it now. The plastic pumps usually shatter at about 75k - 85k miles. That gives me a few months.
I also have a 95 M3 that came with a plastic impeller, it shattered at 82k miles and left me stranded on the road. A tow to the dealer and thermostat/H2O pump replacement went about $500. Now, at 125k miles, I replaced the thermostat and H2O pump on it a couple weeks ago (the thermostat was bad, the H2O pump, I replaced since I was in there and dirty anyway).

Hayaku, thanks for those copies! Judging by those directions, it seems replacement is the same as the '96 and later models, in general. With the thermostat/housing one single piece, that makes it a hair easier than the 95 models. That coupling plastic radiator/hose thingy is different though. i guess that should be replaced as a preventive maintenance thing.

Ahhhh! - did not know about plastic water pump :wow: - Will definitely plan likewise :) - Thanks for the heads up :thumbup:

I thought BMW when to a metal impeller from 97 on.....does anyone know? :dunno:

They did for a short time then went back to plastic. Which ones specifically are metal or plastic is a guess to me. I'd go ahead and have the pump replaced before 80k just to be safe. Metal pumps can go bad too. Water pumps are not made to last the whole life of the car. Preventive maintenance never hurts.

I believe there it was a metal pump on my 00 4.4 that went on me. The impeller (i think) just became very loose and the belt snapped off. No warnings... the entire dash lit up and the car died. This happened at 40k.

Good luck when you replace it.

I agree 100%.....you are much better off replacing before you are stuck on the side of the road.

Very good information in this thread.
On the special tools required portion, picture 2. I have used a piece of metal electrical conduit that I flattened. Then I drilled two holes in it, the width of the two screws on the pulley. Then I took the two screws off and bolted the the flat bar to the pulley. Then I just used a normal cresent wrench to take the fan off.
Jes

The main engine fan should never be a problem. BAVAUTO sells the tool, which is a double ended flat wrench with a 32mm and 36 mm ends (if you have a Land Rover, the 36 mm end works for that fan), the threads on the fan need to have that silver, anti seize paste liberally applied to it. Too much is not a bad thing. Then, when the time comes to replace that fan, sometimes a quick jerk on the wrench is all that is needed. I recommend everyone remove the fan and apply the paste to the threads. The fan needs to be removed for thinds such as belt replacement, hose replacement, etc. and is a good way to get yourself comfortable with doing your own maintenance. If you're a newby at it, this is a good way to get your feet wet. When I was new to these things, I actuall put a little bit of locktite blue on the fan threads. BIG MISTAKE. Talk about beating with a hammer.

ok, people I did the water pump/thermostat/belts/hoses change over the weekend. UNFORTUNATELY, I did it on a whim at my parents house and did not have access to a digital camera so I dont have any photos. The job was relatively straight forward and "easy". Surprisingly, with the air intake, the fan shroud, fan and radiater bracket removed, there's loads of room to work in. If anyone has any questions, I will be glad to answer them.

Also to note: There are reports of plastic water pumps shattering as low as 75k miles. I know for a fact BMW used plastic as early as 94. Then they switched to metal, then back to plastic. What surprised me, is that the water pump in my X5 (build date of 10/2000) was a metal pump (original to the car). So, sometime after that, they went back to plastic. Even still, the pump seemed to be rusting and leaking slightly. So, if you notice a small coolant loss or are think you might have a plastic pump, get it changed.

Replacing the pump seems like a good idea. Our thermostat went at 45k. They replaced the pump then too. They said, they're quite prone to failure. Not like window regulator or final stage resistor, but like control arm severity. My .02.