DIY for electric water pump replacement?
 

Water pump is toast and I'm praying the engine is ok after my DW drove it till overheat shutdown.

Anyone know of a DIY for replacing the electric water pump on an 08 3.0si? Otherwise I'm buying the service manual.

Thx

OK, FWIW....for the next guy looking to do this DIY. I will be attempting it this week. I have found two good sources of info:

1) DIY for a 330i but very similar process for the E70 from what I can tell:
DIY: 2006 330i Water Pump and Thermostat Replacement - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

2) Posting here about a user experience replacing the water pump on an E70
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...nt-loss-2.html

Once I am done I will update. I hope to have the parts tomorrow so....wish me luck.

Step 1 - Raise the truck
Step 2 - Drain "lifetime" coolant.
Step 3 - remove electric fan assembly

So far, steps 1, 2 & 3 are complete. It took a couple of hours for this and frankly, there is very little room to get around the t-stat and water pump. Not looking forward to tomorrow.....

Thanks keep us posted. I've replaced the water pump on the E46 a few times. it was pretty easy.

Thanks. I've worked on E30's and E36's plenty of times but never expected to have to work on E70.....this soon any way.

None the less, between kid's baseball games and life in general, last night I got the thermostat and water pump removed. The new pump is in position with one hose hooked up and one to go. I'm hoping to have some time to get it wrapped up and back on the road today.

So the job is finished! In all it took about 7 hours for me to do and the X runs like new now.

A few take aways for anyone considering to do this job.

- Be prepared to get dirty and be ready to get antifreeze everywhere, even on you. Even with strategically placed buckets, you can't prevent it. You can try to minimize it by stuffing paper towels in the hoses. Also be prepared to get nicks and bruises. There is alot of stuff in your way doing this job plus it is a very confined space...my forearms are still sore.
- Getting the X up in the air was more complicated than I thought. Use a normal pump style jack at the front jack point under the engine area (as shown in the manual) to get it lifted. Quick note here, be sure that you remove at least the plastic "skid plate" before lifting. Otherwise, when you have it lifted at that jack point you will have to lower the jack to get the plastic plate out. Then you can use the jack pads on the left and right for jack stands. There are really only 3 lift points in the front and if you try to jack it up on the sides, you will not have any place to position the jack stands (you see what I mean when you get into it).
- You will want to remove the pass side tire so make sure you loosen the studs before you get it in the air.
- I can comfirm that you do not need to remove the radiator but you do in fact need to remove the electric fan. When you remove the fan, just below the rad hose on the driver side, there is a piece that folds back into the fan assembly. It will be hard to fold back. I didn't understand how it worked so I ended up just disconnecting the the top rad hose and slide it out.
- You need to remove the metal brace/shroud that goes across the front of the engine bay. It is only held on by 4 bolts but you need to disconnect the small return hose on the rad expansion tank to be able to move them out of the way to remove the brace.
- I would recommend buying the service manual if nothing else, I referred to it several times to see the orientation of the hoses during reassembly. The manual that I bought was terrible in that it didn't show clearly a start to finish DIY for water pump but it was a useful reference otherwise. Ie. It did not take you through the entire procedure of removing the skid plates, elect fan, or anything else. It just assumes you are already there and need to R&R the water pump.
- Having short and long VE12 sockets was useful.
- You will need to use a long extension and universal joint to get at some of the bolts as descriobed in the above mentioned posts.
- The hose clamp bolts are a mixture of 6mm and 7mm sockets (I think). A long handled, flat head screwdriver is extremely valuable here too...at least 16" long.
- Pay attention to how the wiring harness is routed and where the metal clips that hold it are located. I had to remove the pump once to reroute the line because I wasn't sure.
- The front most radiator hose is difficult to push on and clip in. I used vise grips to pull up one side and used a long socket extension with leverage from the frame, I put the square head of the extension on one of the nubs on the rad hose to to force it on.
- Make sure you connect the top hose of the water pump before you bolt it up otherwise the hose it too short and will get jammed out of place once bolted in.
- When in doubt that you can't get to one of the hose clamps, do not under estimate coming through the wheel well.
- You might as well change the oil while you are here. If you find yourself needing to change the water pump then most likely you either got the warnings that the engine temp is increasing or an Overheat. BMW has gotten smarter over the years....If this happened in an E30/E36 then you most likely needed to replace a head gasket and had coolant mixed in your oil. The X is smarter than that and knows that we are stupid and will drive it until the engine blows up. So yes, it shuts down before that can happen but I guess there is still a chance that a head gasket blew (or worse). Since the X doesn't have a dipstick to look at the oil consistency, it's already up in the air and you are laying under it anyway so you might as well change it and look at it as it's coming out. Luckily for me, all was ok.

This is my submission to the forum, I hope that it helps the next backyard hack mechanic like me. I've worked on older BMW's for years and when we bought the X I never in a million years saw myself laying under a $60k car repairing it. Up front warning....if you buy an X be sure to buy the extended warranty. This job ended up costing me just about $500 and 7 hours of labor with almost a week downtime before I could get to it. If I had the foresight to buy the extended warranty, I would have definitely used it here.

Good luck to you, when you think you can't do it...take a break and come back to it. Keep pressing on and you will get it done.

Thanks and props to both guys who contributed the stuff in the links above. This job would have been 100 times more difficult without them. To me this is what this forum is all about.

Thanks for the info! Good to know this info is here when the time comes to replace mine.

Thank you for taking the time to share what you have done. it is appreciated.

I have told my entire family that when an overheat situation occurs to stop the car period. My wife's A8 began to overheat and she parked it where she was. A replacement T-stat ( not an easy job) and no issues or worries as it never really got hot.

Thanks for the write up. I will try to take this all in consideration when I attempt my repair in the next couple of days.

Also if you have any other tips. please let me know.. I will try to take pixs of my install to go along with the details you gave.

Thanks wish me luck :)

Guys who's replacing the water pump, what mileage was on your car when the water pump failed?

Mine went out around 62k

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My wife's X5 overheated today for the first time. The coolant was really low.

I think I'll start with the t-stat first. If that doesn't fix it, then I'll do the water pump.

I would verify by seeing if you can flush the system first there is a YouTube video on how to do that. It basically starts the motor to circulate the fluid. If that is successful you may have a thermostat problem but if you have to replace thermostat you shoukd will replace the water pump too so you don't have to go back in there

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I have a 2007 x5 e70 3.0si automatic transmission, w/ dynamic
stability control system, left hand drive, and I cannot stress how much of a pain in the ass it is to get the thermostat off that I would never ever want to do it a second time to get to the pump.

The DIY instruction really could have warned people how tight of a space we're dealing with here.

The tstat and water pump are mounted together on the front,
bottom, right corner of the engine, below the air conditioning
compressor, just above the steering rack.

There are 2 bolts connects the tstat to the pump, and 3 bolts holds the water pump to the engine chassis.

There an electric connector on both the tstat and pump, but they are easy to disconnect, lift up the small clip and separate.

The biggest problem you'll run into is that disconnecting the hoses is one hell of a time. The hoses don't come off very easily, you'd have to pull HARD to get them off, and then push HARD to get them back in. The hoses are in awkward positions so you'd have very little leverage to push and pull on the hoses. You got to pull the hoses off before unbolting the pump or else the pump will be flapping around and it'll be impossible to pull on them at all.
I've seen some people just cutting the hoses and replace them with new ones to avoid having to struggle with them. You might serious want to consider this way to go to save your back. 2 big, 2 little hose connections on the tstat, 2 big hose connections on the pump.

The idea, like everything else when working on cars, is to keep taking stuff apart to make room until you can get to the part you need to get to. You'll be reaching in through the top, bottom and through the wheel well to get to the things that you need to get to. You will find all kinds of things in the way, and a lot of things look like they are not easy to remove. (I really wanted
to remove the entire front axle support subframe just to get it out of the way, but to do that seems like it'd be an insane amount of work, so I just had to manage without doing that.)

At the minimum, you'll want to remove the air filter assembly, radiator fan, right wheel, wheel well covers, engine bay bottom cover, heat shield, and just struggle on.

It took me 4 hours just to get to a point where I have a good
look at the thing and have confidence that I can get to the bolts
I needed to remove. Then it was a few more hours of cursing and
pulling on hoses and finally getting both the tstat and water
pump off. and 2+ hrs to get everything back on. I worked pretty
slowly but, I don't see how someone can do it in 3 hours unless
they know exactly what needed to be done and have done it
before.

Lastly, don't forget to drain the coolant first so it doesn't
splash everywhere, and refill coolant and bleed afterwards.

Parts i needed to buy are: which would be different if you don't have xdrive or dynamic stability control
Coolant pump 11517568595
Thermostat 11537550172
Set of 3 one-time use alu. screws 8X32 11510392553
(E12 torx socket- you could use a 3/8" 12-point socket if you're in a pinch)

~2 gallons of coolant, but have more handy just in case


RealOEM.com * Diagram Selection


edit: optional: there are 8 blind rivets for the bumper that seems to be non-reusable. BMW part 07142151750
PS. 67K miles on the car. Rides like a dream, PITA to maintain.

Mine had to be replaced at 63000 miles. This seems to be about the lifespan of the electric water pump

so if i make to 120k miles i will be happy!

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Mine just went out 2 weeks ago at 59,000 miles. It's MY2008 3.0si. I replaced both waterpump and thermostat based on instruction from this thread. It took a while to do but with patience, it wasn't too bad. I'm sure we saved a ton of $$$ by DIY as oppose to bringing it to the stealership.

Same here. 2007, 58k miles

Luckily the CPO did cover this failure on the 09. I read about it when the car told us to park it and it wasn't even fully warmed up yet. Guess another 65K or so it will go out again :(

Thanks for posting this.

I particularly liked the 'conversational' tone, along with the insights. ;)

I firmly believe you can cut times dramatically with repetition. Even doing something once before will cut that by33-50%...imagine if you did it 4-5 times?

Good advice re: cutting and replacing hoses.

A

Old thread, but just to add another data point on water pump failure:

Just had the water pump on our 2007 E70 go out at about 84,000 miles. Wife got it home, but the fan was making loud noises continuously. The dealer is only about 2.5 miles away, so I drove it over cold, coolants temps climbed to about 220 F just at the very last block, but that's just a bit over normal.

$1600 to replace the water pump, another $450 to also do the thermostat at the same time! Ouch! But now fixed and running steady at about 205-210 F.

Wow. Did you get a reach around with that?


;)

:rofl:

At those prices, he should have.

I agree, pump went out in our '11 2 days ago, 74k miles; BMW pump and thermostat $775 out the door for both installed.

must be at an Indy shop? or did you DIY??

Indy, he used to be a tech at the dealership where I purchased the vehicle. Bonus is that he is 10 miles from my house vs 90 to the dealer.

Couldn't justify DIY for the $160 in labor he charged.

An old but excellent thread, Thanks Ohio for taking the time to post your work. I am getting ready to do the job my self now, pump and Tstat (w/bolts) on order. I do have a diagnostic question though. My vehicle (07, 3.0, @79k) is not showing the same symptoms. My symptoms are; coolant leak (~1l per day) from the pump/Tstat area, 2 low coolant alarms, and the loud fan noise. At 79k I am going to install the parts no matter what, I am just doing extra research to plan for the worst. Anybody have an additional thoughts? Thanks in advance.

lt2mc, the loud fan noise was the indicator for me. Lasted for about a week then the day I was on the way to my Indy to have him check it out, the pump gave out about a mile from his shop.

Thanks DJ, that makes me feel a little better about my diag. I thought the fan sounded odd when my wife was backing out the car and I saw a small coolant puddle. I dead-lined the vehicle so it wouldn't totally fail at an inopportune time... now comes the fun part. Thanks

Just wanted to add to this post since I have done this repair twice (don't ask). Anyway, I strongly suggest take the extra step tp remove the radiator, its only 4 additional screws and 2 more hoses to remove. By taking out the radiator it made it MUCH easier to access and get leverage on the top water pump bolt, and I was able to manipulate the hoses onto the thermostat much easier. Also, if you remove the radiator, you don't have to take off the passenger front tire and cover for the wheelwell which was a HUGE PIA the first time I did it!! This also lessens the chance you will puncture the radiator which trust me is NOT CHEAP!!

I had an indy do my pump and thermostat and belts last weekend. I didn't have the time to do it myself and the weather was too cold.

There were no issues with my pump, but I think my thermostat had lost its ability to close properly and car was running cool.

Anway, I should be good for another 145k km:nanana:

Are the belts really recommended at 80k Or is it better to wait? How much did the belts add to the cost of the job?

My indy charged me $60 (1/2 hour labour). The belts are inexpensive, may as well do it at the same time, its cheap insurance. Coolant temp is now consistently 87C


Attachment 68913

11.4l/100km
how i hate you diesel owners right meow...!

Thats mixed driving. Back road driving to our cottage at about 90-100 km/r, I average 8.4 l /100 km ;)

well, i've done 9.9 on the way home from northern alberta but generally it's around 16.

2011, 42k miles, just changed it out myself.

I only removed the intercooler and lifted up the fan, which gave me ample space for the parts.... one lesson learned is pay attention to the passenger side of the QD connector(the metal side) of the intercooler plumbing, mine was not connected coeectly (my fault). It created lots of unmetered air problem.

Reviving an old thread just to say thanks! I'm half way through with the job (t-stat and WP finally out) and am about 3 hours in.

Removed the fan, radiator, and TRIED to remove the entire wheel arch/fender liner but quickly realized that I'd have to break all the fender arch rivets which I didn't want to do b/c we have a road trip planned tomorrow with the X. Instead, I removed the smaller bottom fender liner in the wheel arch. Only gives about 4-6" of extra room but definitely a blessing. Not sure how this job is possible without going in from the side.

Taking the WP itself out was a nightmare just from the sheer size vs how much wiggle room you have to pull it out. Was afraid of slicing the belt that's in the way, but finally got it out nonetheless.


~Saeed

Water Pump Failure....
 

My Water Pump failed on Sunday (e70 3.0si 140K); it was a hot day (35 C+) and I was cruising in the highway when a Yellow alarm got off indicating that the temperature was high; then 10 seconds later a Red Alarm came and the car went into limp mode...there was no time to get to the next exit and at least I had a place to pull over. Had to wait until the engine cooled off and called a flat bed to get the car home.

I'm in the mist of replacing the water pump & thermostat (started last night....still in progress.....) and looked for several hours for a full procedure; this is the best one ! and wanted to contribute some additional details:

1. I disconnected the Battery before starting...not sure if is a requirement or a precaution but just in case....

2. My radiator had a Drain Plug (Blue) in the bottom driver side and one Red a bit above in the same side (I read in other forums that some X5 models had no drain?) I removed both and drained as much Coolant possible. The Drain Plug (Blue) was stuck and broke when removing so I had to drill it out and have ordered a new one....hope it works...

3. Removing the Electric Fan assembly required to remove the Top Driver Side Radiator Hose connection; I could not take it out without doing this (or at least could not figure out).

4. As I had a drill already set (see #1 above), I decided to drill a small hole in the old Thermostat housing (is being replaced anyway) and that allowed me to drain the coolant there to avoid more mess when removing the hoses. It took a while (it was a small hole) but I was done for the night anyway.

5. I'm seriously thinking on removing the radiator as suggested on this chat; the space is very tight and I do not want to remove the right wheel / wheel cover. (I have the car on solid ramps).

..... will see how far I get tonight.....

Definitely remove the radiator!! It is only a few extra steps, saves you the hassle and headache and removing the passenger wheelwheel cover (you will never get all those push ins back in, trust ME). Also, removing the radiator allowed much better access to the the water pump bolts for much easier removal, and you dont run the risk of puncturing the radiator if you slip up (ouch). Saved me a ton of time.

Ditto on the cooling fan/radiator. For the few extra minutes it is well worth it. It gives you plenty of room to inspect your work, and cuts down on frustration which can lead to bad things$$.

Yep. definitely worth to take out the Radiator. Took a bit more than 5 minutes (one of the lower hoses was really tight), but there was way more room. I have now managed to disconnect all hoses from the WP/Thermostat and removed 2 main bolts of the WP.

Have no idea how to get to the third and last bolt of the WP; can't even see it :yikes: .....but done for the night, so will see if I can wrap all Tomorrow. Got the new WP and Thermostat but still waiting for the new blue drain plug for the radiator.

Slow and steady, don't rush if you don't have to. I assume the "3rd" bolt is the one I got to through the wheel well with a 1/4" drive and extensions. ;) good luck, reassembly is much faster. BTW make sure all your hose o-rings are wiped clean and verify the hoses are fully seated when reconnected. I had to go back in to re-seat one hose.

Finally :thumbup: !!!

The short story, managed to remove to WP and Thermostat, so technically, I'm 50% done ....

The long story; it was [ :yikes: > :swear: >:bawling: > :loco:>:rant:] painful, taking the third bolt was indeed challenging but it was nothing compared to remove the hose that connects the WP to the Engine (I guess it should have been removed before taking the bolts but how you would have taken it out if you can't see the hose clamps?) ; I honestly do not know yet how I will be able to put all this together.... saying that the space is tight is a huge understatement !!!!

Questions:

Do I assemble the Thermostat + Hose + WP before? or should the WP be bolted first and then connect hoses + thermostat????

The aforementioned hose was twisted and stretched so I have decided to buy a new one just in case is damaged

>> repair on hold - waiting for parts :-(

last week got all parts and managed to get everything back on.

it took time to decide if i wanted (and if it was required) to change the Pipe/Hose that goes from the Waterpump to the engine Block (p/n 11537555281), part #3 here RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

Some posts I found said that to remove such pipe I would need to remove the exhaust header (!!!!) ...so decided to wait until I could confirm that the pipe could be removed as it is; finally found a very detailed entry that indicated that it could be removed without taking the exhaust header.

Just to be sure, I decided to check if I could at least "see" and access the two bolts that attachs the pipe to the engine block. I decided to remove a plastic cover that goes in the bottom passenger side (right) section, just below the water pump.

After removing this piece --see picture below-- I was not only able to see the two bolts but also, it gave full access to the"back" of the water pump, this made the whole re-assembly process easier and faster (I should have removed this piece and recommend to remove it to anyone doing the WP). See piece #9 here RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC08505.jpg

To remove the bolts, I used a flexible extension; the bolts are quite a bit difficult to access but managed to remove both. The pipe disconnected with just enough space from the exhaust header.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC08500.jpg

After I removed the Pipe, I compared the hose ends and definitely I'm glad I decided to replace; the hose was completely deformed and had lost any compression / form; this picture shows the new Pipe/Hose on the left and the old one at the right (see the difference in diameter)

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC08493.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...s/DSC08495.jpg

After setting up this pipe, I just went ahead and assembled everything back. removing the radiator made a lot of difference as there was a lot of space to work. See below....

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/...DSC08502_1.jpg

Cheers

Do all the people that are removing the radiator have an n/a motor (Pre-LCI)? I am considering attempting to replace the water pump and thermostat on a 2013 X5 35i and the most thorough DIY i have found is a video (link below) by BavAuto on the 1 series. Would love to be able to work on ramps instead of jack stands if possible though.

DIY electric water pump VIDEO for N-series (N51/N52.N54/N55) engines...

Can't comment for other members or for your specific X5 model but I did remove the radiator and it gave me a lot of room and facilitated the WP replacement.

I was able to do it with the car on ramps and without having to remove wheels despite posts that indicated that was a requirement.

I have some links that I used as well....not X5 though

Pictures: Electric water pump + thermostat replace

this post was the best, specially as I ended up replacing a few hoses as well....(I hope is ok to post these here...)

DIY - E60/N52 Cooling system overhaul - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

Wow, working with the wheel on seems doable, but with a lot of additional challenges. I always try to get as much of the kr@ out of the way as I can. Besides using jack stand will the suspension drop a few extra inches for more room. The greater the frustration level, the longer and/or the more expensive the project becomes. If using jack stands makes you nervous, also leave the floor jack (if that is what you are using) in place and locked while you work, and slide the tire under the vehicle just in case. Good luck, and have fun.

Hmm,

I just find this and I may try this way.
It seems the best way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmdEqBvKO8Q

Wish I had seen this thread earlier.
I have a 2012 X5 with 110,000 miles. I've had the ridiculously loud fan thing going for a while, didn't think much of it (other than that my car seems to be trying to speak whale), most Mercedes seem to have loud ACs so I figured it was normal for zee Germans. Then one day I get the red thermostat symbol in the cluster and the car went limp. Got it to the dealer and was told $1900 out of pocket for a water pump and thermostat. I laughed and said 'do you really think i would have come to the dealership if I didn't have a warranty?' lol. So he calls back later to tell me I only have to pay the deductible ($400) the warranty will cover the remaining $1100. Can't wait to find out why the price dropped once a warranty was involved. :D

Just did this job on a 2011 X5 3.5 at 88k mi. I removed the fan and radiator. Made things much easier. I also removed the plastic shields inside the wheel. I made a plastic rivet puller from a little piece of sheet metal originally for my e46, and it worked great on this. I did not remove the metal cooling pipe that goes to the block. With everything else open it was pretty easy to get the rubber connecting hose on the end hooked up. It is pretty supple. I did pump, thermostat and expansion tank. I also changed the serpentine belt while I was in there. I was going to change the pulleys and tensioner but I only ordered one idler and the tensioner. There are two idlers. :-( The idlers still dragged a bit like they still had grease in them so new belt was it. Next time I go in, I'll have the other idler. By the way you need a really big torx (maybe T70???) bit to work tensioner. neither of my sets had it. a 9mm allen wrench worked but wasn't pretty. I used OEM parts and figure I saved $1500 by doing it myself.

For people who had the water pump replaced, do you still experience the occasional high fan speeds? I do and it worries me :(

I just did mine last week, and I still do get the high fan speeds if I climb a steep hill....but only for like 5-10 seconds.

Same...usually when I stay on my driveway hill on idle. I also feel like it happens more often when you don't have the AC on... I now try to keep my air on AUTO and adjust the temps, rather than completely turning it off.

I no longer get the high speed fan. The fan does come on low every once in a while but I think that is to move some air though the AC condenser. I do not know if it was water pump or thermostat that caused the original problem. There was no way I was not replacing both. Also it is cold here now if that makes a difference :-(

Just read through this thread getting ready to do my 2013 x5 3.5 at 90 k mi. My previous post was referring to my 2011 x5 which hit a deer and was totaled. I thought I had all the parts but after reading this I may be short the second belt tensioner and the radiator drain plug.

Not too bad of a job
 

II debated taking mine in to the shop for this job, as I was a bit intimidated by reading up and watching videos. My thermostat had gone out, however I'm the second owner and with 110k on the odometer decided to do the pump too.

FWIW, I have an 08 with the 4 zone AC and was concerned that would create additional challenges. Other than the pump being about twice the price as a non-4 zone, it was the same. I just tackled this job, and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

HUGE thanks to Ohiobimmer for his post, I referred to it throughout the job.

I found it unnecessary to remove the passenger wheel well, just the small liner at the bottom. I left the radiator in, just took the fan out. I also replaced pump to thermostat hose, upper and lower radiator hoses as well. I'm very glad I did, as at 110k, they appeared to be original - and your right there anyway. In hindsight I probably should have done the expansion tank and its hoses as well, but will tackle that another day soon.

The only tools that I needed other than what are "standard" in most tool boxes were the ve12 socket, and a 22" flathead ($10 at harbor freight). All in, it was right at 6.5 - 7 hours, including referencing Ohiobimmer's post. MAJOR thanks to him and helping me save some 800-ish in labor!