Water Pump Replacement
 

Hello everyone, I am the second owner of my 2002 X5 3.0. I am just turning the 90K miles, I am thinking on replacing the water pump, I bought the vehicle when it had 60K from Carmax, so I don't know much (if any) about work done before me.

The question is, don't all water pumps fail at around 95-100K? it did on my 328i, so I was thinking of saving the grief of being stranded on the road.

Is it a good idea to go and be proactive and replace it now?

Thanks in advance for the (shared) expertise.

I replaced mine around 93k (2001 3L). When I pulled out the original pump it looked like new. I still have it, just in case. If you do the job by yourself I'd change it. If you have to pay someone else to do it I wouldn't, but that just me. If you do it by yourself then I'd change the belts (anyway you have to remove them) and check all tensioners, pulleys and water hoses

+1. Replaced mine around 65,000 miles last November. Pretty easy to do.

Daniel

...well I don't think I can do it myself; the reason I want to change it is because I read more stories about them breaking at 90-100K than lasting all the way to 130K. I don't have a trusted shop so I always go to the stealership and pay extra for the peace of mind. I am aware of the belts and all that.

Is there a DIY for it? Perhaps if I take a look at the pictures I may adventure myself, the thing is, I would not know how to re-tension the belts, that's my biggest "fear".

"Re-tension?" The belts are the easiet thing to do. I would suggest that you purchase a Bentley manual for the X5 (can be had for around $90 on Amazon). That book will answer most of your questions on the X5.

Daniel

If you don't really know how to do it then I'd stay away. It is a little bit more than just a few screws. You'd have to remove the fan, make sure you don't hit and crack the radiator if a key slips, first drain the antifreeze, fill the engine when you're done. Again, a little bit more than a few screws if you've never done it