[mweisdorfer]

What's your take on the new, all-aluminum water pump for the N54 made by Pierburg? Anyone installed it?

[Tyc0]

I don't think this is new, seen it on zero to 60 (YouTube channel) a good while ago. Though I do think it's a great idea being one of mine cracked at the plastic seam after less than 15k miles. That is why you get FCP parts .

[whyzee125]

I think O'reilly has been selling an all aluminum one for a while, the pics look identical but I didn't know it was made by Pierburg (or at least labelled that way). They make the OEM pump for the n52 I think which is less problematic than the n54/n55 pump.

I would definitely rather run this than the Conti pump. My last n54 was on pump number 6 at 166k miles lol.

That being said, I've seen two people run this pump and one of them already got a bad one so it may not be any better.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

I think O'reilly has been selling an all aluminum one for a while, the pics look identical but I didn't know it was made by Pierburg (or at least labelled that way). They make the OEM pump for the n52 I think which is less problematic than the n54/n55 pump.

I would definitely rather run this than the Conti pump. My last n54 was on pump number 6 at 166k miles lol.

That being said, I've seen two people run this pump and one of them already got a bad one so it may not be any better.

I'm on pump 2 right now. My first one was the original OEM pump, which lasted 108,000 miles. The current pump is at 74,000 miles.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

I'm on pump 2 right now. My first one was the original OEM pump, which lasted 108,000 miles. The current pump is at 74,000 miles.

That's pretty good! Oem pump from FCP may be the move then. I seem to have bad luck. My original on my n55 crapped out at 33k and one of my replacements on my previous n54 lasted less than 1000 miles lol. My current car had its original replaced at 83,000 and the replacement is still doing fine at 96k.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

That's pretty good! Oem pump from FCP may be the move then. I seem to have bad luck. My original on my n55 crapped out at 33k and one of my replacements on my previous n54 lasted less than 1000 miles lol. My current car had its original replaced at 83,000 and the replacement is still doing fine at 96k.

I'd say you are in the normal spectrum of reliability for the OEM water pump. It seems 75,000 miles is probably the magic number. Any mileage beyond 75,000 miles, IMO, is "borrowed time"

[mweisdorfer]

Well, the time has come to take the plunge. I ordered the Pierburg 11519455978

https://oembimmerparts.com/products/...37012171882656

I chose 4-5 day shipping for $10.00 & it came overnight. I think oembimmerparts is in Texas. I'm in Michigan. Customer service gets an A+ on this one!

The box from UPS was labeled fragile like 6x. The packaging was like a Russian Doll.🪆 Literally. The actual part was in the 3rd box.

I'm planning on doing this during Labor Day Weekend. I still need coolant & a thermostat. I ordered the coolant & coolant booster from Amsoil & the Thermostat from FCP Euro.

Too bad FCP Euro doesn't carry this part. I did ask the sales rep why they didn't carry it, and he said they can't find a reliable carrier/ distributor 🤔 Hmm… they carry other Pierburg parts… 🤷

I attached some pics etc.

[_N54]

Looks like an electric turbocharger lol

[Steve Sas]

Have any of you guys opened the faulty pumps to see what failed?
Not 100% sure but the pump on my faulty unit has cracked plastic casing on the submersed rotor assembly which may have overloaded the electronic as it was rubbing on the stator assy. Suspect oil in the coolant may have caused this but not sure.
So best to flush cooling system out to remove oil just in case.

Thinking there may be multiple reasons for pump failure as the failure rate is nearly 100%. These are designed to run the life of the car. You should get 20 years/ 200k miles.

I didn't know they had an all aluminum aftermarket version as i would have tried it.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by Steve Sas

Have any of you guys opened the faulty pumps to see what failed?
Not 100% sure but the pump on my faulty unit has cracked plastic casing on the submersed rotor assembly which may have overloaded the electronic as it was rubbing on the stator assy. Suspect oil in the coolant may have caused this but not sure.
So best to flush cooling system out to remove oil just in case.

Thinking there may be multiple reasons for pump failure as the failure rate is nearly 100%. These are designed to run the life of the car. You should get 20 years/ 200k miles.

I didn't know they had an all aluminum aftermarket version as i would have tried it.

Pierburg is an OEM supplier to BMW. They just don't make the pump for the e90 335.

I have 183,000 on my 335. This will be pump #3 for me. The OEM pump went out at 108,000 miles. No. 2 is on 75,000 miles & will be coming out this weekend, as I'm not interested in getting stranded somewhere & paying the tow truck $100.00 (minimum).

The OEM pump just quit. No. 2 is still working, but I did get a code the other day on it. I cleared it and it hasn't come back. Good thing I'm changing it out this weekend.

Maybe those that have had the plastic crack live in warmer areas of the country? I don't doubt that heat cycles play a part. The N54 runs hot to begin with due to the twin turbos.

Personally, I run Amsoil coolant with a coolant booster & the coolant almost never goes above 203, even on 90 degree days.

That's been my experience.

[mweisdorfer]

Installed the new Thermostat & Pierburg all Aluminum water pump today. I brushed up on this DIY using the FCP Euro DIY. I know how to do this repair, but I always like to look at a DIY just to make sure.

I did the bleeding procedure (2x). Interesting, if you go to 30:36 of the video, the guy uses a version of the Lisle funnel & fills it pretty full with coolant. He leaves the funnel & coolant in place & then runs the bleed procedure. I just happen to have a Lisle Funnel. So, I did it this way. I think I got more air out of the system this way. It's a similar concept to bleeding brakes.

I run Amsoil Coolant with their coolant booster. The coolant temp never goes over 203. Even on hot days & long drives.

I will say the Pierburg water pump is much quieter. I also made my own version of the ECS tuning connecting pipe.

Last, I ran an oil flush (liqui moly); I love liqui moly oil flush - this stuff rocks!!! Changed the oil & filter etc. I run Amsoil 5w-40 euro blend. All my seals are new or newer, so I don't worry about springing a leak when using an oil flush & I've been running oil flushes on this car for over 150,000 miles so far..

[ph335]

Hey ma how has the pierburg waterpump been holding up? Still working fine for you?

[turbohugh]

Originally Posted by ph335

Hey ma how has the pierburg waterpump been holding up? Still working fine for you?

No news probably good news