Write up on water pump/ thermostat replacement
 

Hello, does anyone know of a link or write up that details R&R of the H2O pump and thermostat in the 3.0? I'll be doing it in a couple months and want to know the details ahead of time. thanks for any help.

I think you might be the first :D

I guess if I do it, I should take photos. I'll try to remember to do so.

Question? - If you need to replace the water pump, WHY are you "doing it in a couple months"????

I know from doing it on a 7 series that you have to remove the radiator and intake to get to the pump easily. You're also gonna need a ladder unless you're 7 feet tall.

JV

Water pump replacement on a 4.4... took mine to my mechanic, besides, it went while I was driving. It wasn't easy to do and hurt my wallet (and that was after he hooked me up on parts prices and knocked a good hour off labor).

Look at other 3.0 engines (ie on the 5 series). My water pump replacement followed the same steps as the e39 540 and previous gen 7 series.

I would make an article out of this post, put I can only upload 5 pics at a time...

I have not performed this service procedure yet because I didn't keep my X5 long enough to need to. But the instructions are fairly simply and straight forward. You do seem to need 2 special BMW tools tho.

Here are the instructions via BMW TIS:
1. Remove the Fan Clutch and Fan Impeller (BMW has 2 special tools)
2. Remove the A/C Belt
3. Remove the Alternator Belt
4. Drain the coolant fron the enigne block
5. Release belt pulley
6. Release water pump
7. Tighten 2 M6 screws into the housing of the pump to extract/push the pump off the front of the engine.
8. Replace the 0-Ring and lube with coolant

The pictures are from the BMW TIS and valid for all inline 6 engines.

the rest of the pics

and the torque values.

Also, if you have an email account that can take large files, I have the original sized pics I can send to you.

and the thermostat procedure