[netzel2002]

Just want to let you guys know that my water pump failed at 97,800 miles. I was on my way home at 11pm. 2 miles away from home Engine overheating yellow light came one, then only after 20 seconds or so the red light came on. Stopped the car for like 20 minutes. Checked the expansion tank, no green stuff in there. Bone dry. I finally made it home driving in limp mode 25mph with the heater on. ( Our bmw's are smart enough to cut down to only 3 cylinders). The light stayed on but at yellow, so I was ok. The next day I called BMW road side asistance ( my car still under waranty up to 100,000 miles), they towed my car to the dealership and got me up and running within 3 hrs. Everything was under waranty.
I was told by the SA, that the water pumps on all the BMW have a tendency to fail at around 100k miles mark.
The dealership was nice enough to replace my serpentine belt for free. they charged me only $55 for the belt. The old one was still in good condition.

[Hops128i]

thats good it failed before 100k! do you have an extended warranty?

[netzel2002]

No, I bought the car pre-certified at 30K. So, automatically they give you 100K engine and transmission warranty.

[Chriztofor]

Good to hear, I hope mine will last another 30,000 miles! Curious, did you (or prior owner) ever change the coolant before the pump died? If so, when and at what mileage. Thx.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by Chriztofor

Good to hear, I hope mine will last another 30,000 miles! Curious, did you (or prior owner) ever change the coolant before the pump died? If so, when and at what mileage. Thx.

Chriztofor, I know you and I are at odds on the waterpump replacement issue. And you posted elsewhere that you understand I have 135,000 miles on my original pump. So just for the record and for full disclosure, it's possible my coolant was changed at about 12,000 miles after I hit a deer and the repair required replacement of the core support (the repair order from the bodyshop did not specify drain and refill of the coolant however so maybe they just left the radiator connected and didn't break down the cooling system). Then I changed my coolant for sure at 75,000 miles. Then at 134,192 miles (about three weeks ago), I changed the coolant again when I swapped out the (defective) thermostat.

Hope that helps.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Chriztofor, I know you and I are at odds on the waterpump replacement issue. And you posted elsewhere that you understand I have 135,000 miles on my original pump. So just for the record and for full disclosure, it's possible my coolant was changed at about 12,000 miles after I hit a deer and the repair required replacement of the core support (the repair order from the bodyshop did not specify drain and refill of the coolant however so maybe they just left the radiator connected and didn't break down the cooling system). Then I changed my coolant for sure at 75,000 miles. Then at 134,192 miles (about three weeks ago), I changed the coolant again when I swapped out the (defective) thermostat.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for posting your history. Whenever I see a water pump failure I like to ask if they changed the coolant to see if that may be a reason why it failed or why it lasted so long. As you know, anti-freeze also lubricates the pump. I am changing mine every two years just to feel warm and fuzzy plus I DIY so it is cheap insurance.

[Bcube]

I changed coolant at 102K miles. (First and only coolant refresh, I've owned the car since new). Complete coolant system still original.

Seems the 2006 models go out "early" ...haven't read that many issues about 2007+ onwards.

[gdlauth]

Has anyone replaced the water pump themselves? Is it hard to do other that parts replacement since it's NOT bolted to the engine block? What about step-by-step instructions (maybe w/ pictures)?

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by gdlauth

Has anyone replaced the water pump themselves? Is it hard to do other that parts replacement since it's NOT bolted to the engine block? What about step-by-step instructions (maybe w/ pictures)?

Hope this helps, http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ight=waterpump

[fdriller9]

You know why it fails around 100k? Because that's when they want you to change the fluid.

My fathers e65 water pump was failing at 97k.

[johnbuz]

My pump died at 42k. I bought it with 40k on the odometer 6 months ago, and I don't remember what the maintenance history shows for a fluid change. I had an indy shop do the pump and thermostat at the same time. cost me $425 (pump) $140(stat) and $200 (2.5 hours labor).

[abcommercial]

My water pump just failed at 86k miles. Same symptoms - warning message popped up, car went into limp mode. Still under CPO warranty, so being towed to dealer under CPO and most likely replaced under CPO as well.

I just had my coolant changed for the first time a few weeks ago. That service was done by a respected independent German auto shop. They were the ones who checked the car today and determined it was the water pump. They said there was no correlation between having the coolant changed and the pump failing 2 weeks later, that it was a coincidence. Interesting to know these are known to fail at around the 100k mark - I suppose I am in the ballpark.

[dnice]

Originally Posted by gdlauth

Has anyone replaced the water pump themselves? Is it hard to do other that parts replacement since it's NOT bolted to the engine block? What about step-by-step instructions (maybe w/ pictures)?

no its not hard at all ,on the 2006 bmw the water pump is located on the passenger side underneth the exhust manifold theres 3 bolts an two bolts to the thermostat drain all the antifreeze an there will b more antifreeze when u take the water pump out theres about a cup full in there ,to get the pump out theres a swaybar in the way under there take the 4 bolts off that hold it up it will swing down then u will see two bolts to the engine block take the bolts off then theres 1 bolt higher next to the thermostat its a little hard to get it off u need a open rench for that 1 then unplug the water pump an hoses an it will come right out u mad as well change the thermostat too to b safe cuz its all conected then after u get it back all together u got to bleed the system this is how u do it put the key in push the start botton but dont start it as u do that hold down the gas pedal for about 10 secends u will hear the pump kick on if u dont hear it kick on u blew a fuse the fuse box is located underneth the wiper cover take all the plasticks off to get to it then change the fuse an repet the system again put the key in hold the gas pedal down then push the start botton an hold the gas pedal down for 10 secends now u should hear the pump kick on then add more antifreeze untill u reach your levels hope this is help full for u ....

[e90will]

To the pros:

If you change your coolant every 33K for example (drain/refill), does that prolong the life of the water pump??


P.S. To the op & members, sorry if i hijacked this thread...i can start a new one if needed.

[UncleWede]

480 pump, 110 t-stat, 200 labor about 4 weeks ago. Car had 82,000 on it. Is fluid change part of regular maint? Otherwise mine wasn't done. Indy said pump was fine mechanically, but the electronics were fried.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by e90will

To the pros:

If you change your coolant every 33K for example (drain/refill), does that prolong the life of the water pump??


P.S. To the op & members, sorry if i hijacked this thread...i can start a new one if needed.

No. As stated elsewhere the pump control electronics fail. The pump motor and impleller do not fail.

[Phil325]

it's a good thing yours was still under warranty...mine died at 115k. car was popping up the overheating emblem for me a few miles after i added coolant.

[jacobsed]

Anyone know if the replacements last any longer?

[GoRomeo]

Mine still holding on at 101k miles. I dont think coolant has ever been changed. Im planning to do so soon, but does anyone know how hard is it to drain re-fill coolant on a 330i? I will look for DIY if available.

[dhc905]

Btw, is an indication that mine is on its way out if the cooling fan stays on after I shut the car off? It's not particularly hot 60's, and I don't take it on the highway. I just moved to CA from Chicago, so never really had a good baseline to compare it to.

[jfcody3962]

Newbie here. I just replaced the water pump and stat on my 06 325i. 65K miles. Same story...amber light, red light, limp mode.....

This forum was a great help with this project! Thanks all for the comments, the DIYs, and all the great support.

It took me about 4 hours start to finish...including the bath and eye wash with antifreeze.

[youngdoc1]

Originally Posted by e90will

To the pros:

If you change your coolant every 33K for example (drain/refill), does that prolong the life of the water pump??


P.S. To the op & members, sorry if i hijacked this thread...i can start a new one if needed.

Same question I'm wondering... Similar to the question: has changing AT fluid been shown/described to prolong the life of the transmission? Does changing the oil more frequently than BMW recommends prolong the life of the engine?

I'd be curious to know the answer to any of those things. So far, my research on the forums has come across anecdotal evidence and nothing more...