Hi wsmeyer,

sorry I have a 4.8L N62, so it isn't alternator bracket seal, it should be oil cooler thermostat gasket. is it very difficult to DIY? is there a DIY instruction somewhere? thx

I posted a bit in this thread:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...at-gasket.html

So....I noticed my belts were chirping upon start up the other day, spot check shows a small pool of coolant build up at the top of the water pump which looks like it's coming from somewhere above that then trickling/dripping down onto the pump and belts.

Going to pull off the all the plastic bits etc tomorrow in the day time for better observation, either way it's probably related to the CEP or VPG. I was about to get rid of this thing too...maybe not now after I have to drop more $$$ & labor into this bi@&h!

This is a decent option that only requires removal of the water pump - Bimmer Fix | Coolant Pipe Repair System

I installed one of these stents in my 4.8l as a PM while I had the water pump off for replacement.

Take your time, clean and dry everything and this should work just fine.

If I understand correctly, I should expect to see a pool of coolant when the valley pan is removed, right? And it's only a problem when some of this coolant spills up and out of the valley, and not when it's there?

I did the Bimmerfix stent along with water pump, etc. but now I am seeing a bit of a leak coming from the right front bolt on the valley pan on the driver's side, next to the fat return pipe above the water pump.

Is it advisable to replace the exchange pipe even after the Bimmerfix stent fix while replacing the valley pan gasket?

There are three tings up there that could be leaking:
- short plastic pipe from water pump to valley pan
- gasket inside water pump on small pipe located on passenger side of center
- a rubber hose that connects vent cylinder head left and right coming off top radiator hose.

This is a question to the OP:

Can you provide more information on how to "unclip the fan shroud"? I followed your initial steps, per the first message of this thread, to take off the cross member. However, I had a hard time to remove the fan shroud. I saw the "clips" but could not manage to unclip the shroud. I did not want to use blunt force, yet. Should I just hold the fan shroud and force it upward to loosen it from the "clips"?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Sure.

- Once you have the top cross member removed, take a look in in passenger side and locate the fan disconnect.
- Disconnect the fan
- Once fan is disconnected you will notice one of two ears of the fan clipped in place. Take a look at this image and in the circled area.
To release this fan clip you will have to puss (towards the front of the car) the peace over the top of the fan ear

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...psnqjjtsz7.jpg


- Here is a picture after the fan is removed. The passenger ear of the fan is circled in red

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...pssialywkb.jpg


- Here is a picture on the fan removed that shows driver side ear of the fan. This also is circled. The driver side will need to be folded once un-clipped, before you can remove it

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...psnz3iotjh.jpg


Final point.
It is a little challenging to remove the fan. It's challenging because you have to push both clips in and pull the fan at the same time.
You can try to do this one side at a time but it would be helpful if you had someone who could apply an upwards pressure (pull up) on the fan as you un-clipped passenger side and then driver side.


Let me know if it helped you.
Good Luck.

Thanks for the QUICK reply. I will give it another try later this week (too late today). The tips are very helpful.

My task is to replace the belt (the alternator one), the deflection pulley and the tensioner. Any tips on removing the bolts of the pulley & tensioner? I think they are 16mm bolts and hopefully removal is straight forward.

Cheers ...

The deflection pulley has a cup placed over the bolt that holds it.
The tensioner pulley I dont remember.
Here are some parts images.

2008 BMW X Series (E53,E70,E71,E83) X5 4.8i Belt Drive Water PUMP/ALTERNATOR