Yes it does, the pipe to the alternator I was thinking about is on the newer V8s fron the 745i..... my bad! But that does have the o-rings I talked about. Just be careful as the metal tubes/pipes that slip into the back of the waterpump have the same slip in o-ring seal at the back end. So you really need to make sure the front comes loose vs the rear as if the rear pulls out you will be forced to remove the intake manifold and replace a second pair of o-rings.

As for the radiator hoses, the tell tale signs of aging plastic in a cooling stsyem is the black plastic turning brownish. If it looks brownish it needs to be changed. Look at the inside when they are off as well, you will see if the inside is turning soft/coming apart.

hmm thats not too bad then. Do I/should I replace the thermostat too? Figure I might as well since its a maintenance item and it's buried. I looked on eBay it looks like the OEM unit is manufactured by BEHR as far as I can tell. I wouldn't want to have to do this job again - but do tstats go bad or do they get destroyed when you move the WP? I thought you really only need to replace them if you overheat? Do I need any special tools for this job? What about removing the pulleys? I think my hoses might be fine then b/c they are still all black including the black connector parts.

It looks like there is a nice writeup in the FAQ section unfortunately the pics are gone :-(

I bought everything from pelican parts (w/ free shipping) but unfortunetely you may have to pay CA tax if you buy from them.
BMW X5 4.4i M62 - Water Pumps & Hoses - Page 1
In any rate get the OEM gasket for WP, see page 2 for it. ($2.75)

If I were you replace the thermostat, you don't want to do this again later for thermostat replacement, not to mention if it goes bad (remain close) on long trip. I know it feels like a ripp off for $98 but it comes with housing and sensor.

I bought these as well from ZDMAK tools:
TOOL Page (¯`·.¸(¯`·.¸ ZDMAK SPECIAL TOOL STORE ¸.·´¯)¸.·´¯)

You would need the 32mm wrench to take off the fan clutch, and it's either a t45 or t50 torx to remove the crank pulley... there are 8 bolts in a ring that hold the pulley on, and one alignment pin to make extra sure you line up when putting it back on.

Yeah i think i will replace it and prob the drive belts too while i'm at it. Do I need the tstat housing too or just the tstat?? still lloks like a better deal on eBay for the parts...

Two more questions:

1) Is it best to drain the cooling system @ the radiator? Is there a drain plug on the bottom?
2) When removing the water pump - is vapor lock something to be concerned about? Also should I use the supplied gasket or just use silicon gasket maker?

Is there a trick to removing the WP so that I don't pull the coolant tubes out? I'm sort of worried about this step.

I think the bearing has been going on the WP for some time now based on the sound that was coming from it. I'm guessing if I grabbed onto the fan shook it a little it would have a little play in it.

Thermostat

What about drive belts? I guess I could take em off and inspect them and if they are cracked I'll get new ones or maybe I should just get new ones for piece of mind.

Which belts will I be taking off for this job - just the one for the water pump?

There is a drain plug on the bottom of the radiator as well as one on the passengers side of the block. You should drain from both of these since you are overdue for a coolant flush anyways.

As for the tubes, I usually spray some penetrating lube on the front of them (at the back of the waterpump) to help loosten the front o-rings and keep the rears intact. And when you refill it have the bleeder screws removed when you fill it to the top, then put the bleeder screws back. With the main fill cap still off start the X5 (with the heater on as well) and you should see a stream of coolant pissing across the opening. Have someone hold the throttle to about 2500rpm and the stream should be solid and strong. If that is the case you should be good and fully bleed. and you can go ahead and cap her off.

Cool - where exactly is that drain plug located on the block? how do i get to it? Pics? While draining should I jack the rear up to try and get more of the of the old fluid out? I'm not quite sure i get what you are saying about the pb blaster on the water pump with respect to the coolant pipes? can removing the wp itself or installing the new tstat dislodge the pipes or are you talking about re-assembly? Confused.

The block drain plug is on the passengers side of the block behind the ac compressor. And the coolant pipes actually slip into the water pump, which is the point they need to slip out of. If the rear of the pipes lets go and they come out with the pump it will mean more work.

I'm sure there are writeups all over this site, just search it and see if you can find pictures.