another failed n5x water pump: news at 11

[i_love_cars]

yeah IMO it's a DIY job for most mechanically inclined people, at least on n54/n55 cars. The suspension configuration allows you to just unbolt the sway bar bushings and pull it down and rotate out of the way. IMO it is also best to disconnect the fan shroud and lift it a few inches up (no need to fully remove it) - it will give you a TON more space to work with when lining up the E12 for the top water pump bolt. The first time I swapped one of these was on Pat's car and it took 3 hours on the floor. Not a huge job.

I can tell you that my old 135i was under CPO when its water pump failed at 63k so I naturally had BMW replace it and the work sheet read just shy of 1500 for parts and labor, if that helps give you any idea of dealer cost.

[Bobdudeman1988]

The bolts on the pump are easy.but when you have the old aluminum t stat housing those hoses are pure evil to remove lol

[i_love_cars]

dude, those hoses are a fucking rats nest. The first time I did this job I was in disbelief. The 2 supposed "quick release" hoses with the clips required a screwdriver tip to wedge and twist in order to pop them loose, they were ON. A couple of times I thought I had all hoses disconnected only to find another one. That's a couple of times too many  

EDIT: Still better than doing the water pump/timing belt on my old V6 acuras. Never thought I'd say that but removing the electric water pump is way better than dealing with a belt driven pump on a J-series honda

[wally509]

i_love_cars said:

yeah IMO it's a DIY job for most mechanically inclined people, at least on n54/n55 cars. The suspension configuration allows you to just unbolt the sway bar bushings and pull it down and rotate out of the way. IMO it is also best to disconnect the fan shroud and lift it a few inches up (no need to fully remove it) - it will give you a TON more space to work with when lining up the E12 for the top water pump bolt. The first time I swapped one of these was on Pat's car and it took 3 hours on the floor. Not a huge job.

I can tell you that my old 135i was under CPO when its water pump failed at 63k so I naturally had BMW replace it and the work sheet read just shy of 1500 for parts and labor, if that helps give you any idea of dealer cost. 

Thanks for the tips.  Do most guys change the thermostat also?  If they aren't really prone to failure, not sure if I will mess with it.

[patsbimmer1]

wally509 said:

Thanks for the tips.  Do most guys change the thermostat also?  If they aren't really prone to failure, not sure if I will mess with it.

It's a good idea since you have to pull the water pump to do the thermostat.  I have read that the pumps are prone to failure when they are removed if they are not stored properly, even for short periods of time.  I don't know how true that is but at about $400 a crack for water pumps i'd say it's worth it to do the thermostat as well.

[i_love_cars]

do the thermostat. I was able to get a full kit - thermostat, water pump, and a gallon of coolant for 459 shipped from OEMBimmerParts.com.  It shipped from Illinois too so it got here next day

[Bobdudeman1988]

What brand pump did you go with? I got the continental brand with the mann bhear tstat

[patsbimmer1]

Bobdudeman1988 said:

What brand pump did you go with? I got the continental brand with the mann bhear tstat

Mann bhear pigg?

[reckedhim]

I picked up a water pump and t-stat for $391 shipped from partsgeek.com.  I found a $15 off coupon to bring it down to that price.  Just in case anyone is interested...

[Bobdudeman1988]

patsbimmer1 said:

Mann bhear pigg?

Im so serial right now..