Thermostat & Water pump?

[Zchild]

Hello bimmer dreamers and gearheads, I planning on trying to change both my themostat and water pump at the next DIY. The reason for this boogle is that the last 2007 DIY is only 4 hours long. Can both the thermostat and water pump be reasonably accomplished in under 4 hours or should I prefer one over the other and if so, which one, neither has gone bad. Thanks for all of your inputs. Happy Motoring...

[mlytle]

not sure what kind of bmw you have, but on an e36, this is maybe a 2 hour job. absolutely do both while you are in there. once the prep work is done to get to them, it only take a couple of minutes each to swap them out.

marshall

[ea-sport]

I know this is an old thread but Zach, have you replaced the waterpump and thermostat? I think you drive an E46 right? I also have an E46 and I am also planning to change my waterpump and thermostat during one the DIY events this year. If you haven't done it yet I can come and help you out so I can learn how to do it myself (may not be too much of a help since I've never done it ). If you've done it, let me know how long it took and may be you can help me when I decide to do it .

[AG]

Do you have an automatic or a manual transmission? Removing the fan is more difficult on the auto due to the fan clutch. Once the fan is removed, it's a matter of draining the radiator/engine block and removing the belts. Next comes the thermostat. Not difficult, but can be a bit of a pain working the hoses free. The water pump itself is quite easy.

How old is your car and how many miles on it? Depending on age, you might consider replacing the expansion tank, radiator, and hoses too. Tackling the entire system will definitely take longer.

[Scany]

I think I spent 4 hours first time I did it on my E39. It looks to me that the E46 has a little tighter fit, but I would believe you could do it with an extra hand. Make sure you got the right tool for the fan.

[Zchild]

I know this is an old thread but Zach, have you replaced the waterpump and thermostat? I think you drive an E46 right? I also have an E46 and I am also planning to change my waterpump and thermostat during one the DIY events this year. If you haven't done it yet I can come and help you out so I can learn how to do it myself (may not be too much of a help since I've never done it ). If you've done it, let me know how long it took and may be you can help me when I decide to do it .

I changed out both my thermostat and waterpump at the December 1st DIY at BMW of Fairfax, it took approximately 2.5 hours, my bimmer is a manual transmission therefore I had no clutch fan issues. The thermostat was easier than the waterpump because pushing waterpump out with the screws was tedious. My car heats up exceptionally fast now, I didn't know that my thermostat was as bad as it was... Please sign up and come out to a DIY and I'll be there to help you. Just my two and a half cents worth. Happy Motoring...

[ea-sport]

Thanks for all the info guys. Mine is a manual too and it has about 73 Kmile. I thought about replacing the radiator, expansion tank and hoses but I am not sure if it will take a lot longer than replacing just the waterpump, thermostat and maybe the belt.

My plan now is to replace the waterpump, thermostat and belt at 75 Kmile and replace the radiator, expansion tank and hoses at 90 Kmiles. I may take you up on your offer Zach . I think you helped me with my rear brake pads replacement during last year' s DIY at J&F.

[AG]

Are you t-stat and water pump bad now? If not, I would wait and do it all at once. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and coolant. Granted, you probably can't get through the whole thing in under four hours unless you split up the work.

[ea-sport]

Are you t-stat and water pump bad now? If not, I would wait and do it all at once. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and coolant. Granted, you probably can't get through the whole thing in under four hours unless you split up the work.

I have probably been brainwashed by Roundel and Bimmer magazines into thinking that I need to preventively replace my t-stat and water pump after 60 Kmiles and the radiator at 90 Kmiles. AFAIK, they are still fine now at about 73 Kmiles. Plus, if I replace the t-stat and water pump at 75 K and the radiator at 90 K, that's like two years gap since I only drive about 7.5 - 8 Kmiles per year so it won't be too much of a coolant waste.

On another subject, I bought 2 quartz of BMW oils at VOB BMW today to top off my engine oil. They told me that I couldn't get any BMWCCA discounts for engine oil (and fuel additive purchase, but I didn't buy fuel additive). I thought this is strange since I've always received BMWCCA discounts when I buy oil at BMW of Fairfax. I usually go to BMW of Fairfax but VOB is closer to my office that's why I went there. I guess different dealership has different standard on what can get BMWCCA discounts.

[Zchild]

I have to agree with your assessment, I waited until my coolant light came on more than once before I replaced my OEM expansion tank, and radiator. I than waited until 210,000 miles before I replaced my OEM themostat and waterpump. I did have the advantage of 30,000 mile scheduled maintenance to give me great advice on which parts are wearing out and which to replace next or soonest versus which can wait. Remember that most folks who post to forums are those who are having the most trouble with their bimmers, you seldom hear from those who are having the ultimate owner experience, every car is different and different as each driver, therefore while some problems seem the same others are different. Get to know your vehicle. Just my two and a half cents worth. Happy Motoring...