Water Pump DIY Article w/pics (External Link)
 

I just replaced my water pump today and wanted to share this article (for a '99 740) that helped me out tremendously! Usually I can find everything here but the pictures for the DIY article for this project were broken. (maybe we can merge the two)

Water Pump Replacement | BMW 740iL | Magnum

Show the author Magnum some love, because he did an excellent write up! BTW, my X5 is a '01 4.4L, E53, with 110k miles. The water pump removed was OEM with plastic propellers.

Nice - this is right up my alley. I am getting ready to take this job on myself. See my post regarding my failing water pump. This writeup does look better than the other 740 one I found - for instance he mentions that you do need a 'thin' 32mm wrench (not adjustable) to clear the pulley face.

Do all these steps apply exactly the same (i.e. removing air box, etc...)? It is the same exact engine (M62) - same setup so I would suppose so.

I'm not sure I understand the significance of the steps regarding the expansion tank attachment.

Lastly did you replace all your coolant hoses, belts, water pump and thermostat? Which water pump did you get? How long did this job take you?

--Thanks!!!

Nope, not all of the steps apply. I didn't have to remove my air box nor the expansion tank. I'm guessing he did to get plenty of room in there...I'm not sure if our trucks simply have more room under the hood but I had no problems leaving those in.

I replaced all hoses and the thermostat, but not the belts since they were recently changed about 10k miles ago when the alternator crapped out. But I would definitely change as much as you can and inspect everything for any worn out components while everything is dismantled.

My water pump is a Graf that I purchased from PelicanParts.com, which I'm very satisfied with! And it took roughly 2.5-3 hours, working at it on and off.

Good luck and let us know how it worked out for you!

hey dude - did you remove the vibration damper? Did you have to remove the center 27mm crankshaft hub nut?

thanks!!!

Yes and No
 

Yes you have to remove the vibration damper but not the hub. Just remove the 8 smaller bolts around the damper. I had to whack it a few times with a rubber mallet to work it free too.

Magnum is a good guy, I've had interaction a few times w/ him on the Bimmerforums. There are lots of good writeups on www.e38.org that are usable for us X5 owners also.

yup I am using his writeup infact :-)