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      08-18-2014, 12:15 PM   #1
lagwagon
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DIY: Thermostat & Waterpump (Video)

Disregard the intro. We were tired and I was mocking those rather common & extremely uninformed shadetree DIYs. Hopefully this isn't going to be one of them

Couple of notes about the job:
This is for an 08 so check with realoem to make sure the parts match up if you have a newer model

Parts Needed:
11537836155x1 THERMOSTAT
11517838201x1 WATERPUMP
11531406249x2 O-RING (for thermostat housing connection pipes, optional but recommended)
1x BMW Blue coolant gallon
1x Distilled water gallon

Mistakes in video
The two chrome caps that are on the top of the plenum don't do anything. Don't bother removing them

Oil separators do not need to be loosened but it doesn't hurt anything to loosen them. When/if I have to do this again I will leave those in. Just a heads up.

Be CAREFUL with your intake boot when removing the hose. If you are unlucky like me the job will take half an hour longer while you wait for epoxy to dry on the breather hose male end on the boot.

Here's the video:


Thanks to the video uploader for doing the bulk of my work for me and letting me use some shop space to shoot the video.
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      08-18-2014, 12:33 PM   #2
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Very nice DIY. Thanks for that!
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      08-18-2014, 12:38 PM   #3
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At about what mileage is this job recommended? 100k?

Solid DIY btw.

Last edited by lsmkr01; 08-18-2014 at 12:53 PM..
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      08-18-2014, 12:44 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lsmkr01 View Post
At about what mileage is this job recommended? 100k?
I'd say so. It's not like the E36 where there are plastic parts everywhere. The thermostat housing and water pump impellers are made out of metal, so you should be OK.
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      08-18-2014, 12:55 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by W/// View Post
I'd say so. It's not like the E36 where there are plastic parts everywhere. The thermostat housing and water pump impellers are made out of metal, so you should be OK.
The pump he pulled looked pretty good besides the O-ring and he said that car has over 120k miles. Good to know the parts are robust on the S65. The impeller looks plastic on the video but you could be either way look like they age well.
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      08-18-2014, 01:11 PM   #6
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The impeller is composite and everything was in very good shape with the exception of my thermostat which looked like junk. Even the o-rings on the connection tubes were still really good and made an audible seal when pressing the housing back on.

I have 120k miles and got the increased emissions CEL ( P0128 ) which is related to the t-stat and decided to just knock out the water pump at the same time.. because.. well, its a BMW.

Last edited by lagwagon; 08-18-2014 at 01:21 PM..
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      08-18-2014, 04:51 PM   #7
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Awesome video sir thanks a lot .can u specify what kind of torque lb needed in some of those bolts on water pump
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      08-18-2014, 05:58 PM   #8
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Nice video. I just completed the thermostat repair last weekend. Not sure why you removed the coil covers on both sides or loosened the reservoir as those items don't affect thermostat or water pump replacement.

Also good time to drain the radiator and replace as much coolant as you can.
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      08-18-2014, 09:23 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VictorH View Post
Nice video. I just completed the thermostat repair last weekend. Not sure why you removed the coil covers on both sides or loosened the reservoir as those items don't affect thermostat or water pump
Believe it or not those steps save you time because they make everything slightly more accessible

Last edited by lagwagon; 08-18-2014 at 09:53 PM..
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      08-18-2014, 09:53 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kninjak View Post
Awesome video sir thanks a lot .can u specify what kind of torque lb needed in some of those bolts on water pump
We just made them hand snug. Didn't torque them down. They will never be an issue
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      08-07-2015, 10:18 AM   #11
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Great DIY! Thank you.
I just replaced the water pump and thermostat on my '08 because of a check engine light and a stop at Advance for a free code read.
The code actually said that there was a difference between what the temperature was and what was expected, and the thermostat needed to be replaced.
Code P0128, btw.
I ordered the Cooling System Refresh Kit from ECS tuning, part ES#2777070 because I wanted to replace the hoses while I was replacing the thermostat.

Couple of things that I learned:
1. You don't need to replace the expansion tank and cap, I read where previous generations of M3 had expansion tank cracking issues, but my 80k mile e90 looked great
2. ECS "recommends" a coolant evacuation tool (part 2712734) for $95. I wasn't impressed. The grommets supplied in the kit didn't create a solid seal with the expansion tank, I wound up getting a gallon of 50/50 into the system, running the engine with the heater on high until the car was hot, then letting it cool down and adding the second gallon by hand.
3. When replacing the hoses, remember that they are "keyed", do not twist to remove them from the radiator! Let me tell you, they were a pita to remove from the radiator. Especially because the radiator neck material appears to be the same material the hose connections are made of. You could as easily break the radiator connections as the hose connections.
3. You will need a 1/4 hose clamp to replace the one you will have to break off of the overflow tube on the old radiator upper hose.

edit - ECS sent me the wrong belts, the correct one for my pre May 2008 M3 are 6PK1460 and 6PK1067

Last edited by jfirwin; 07-02-2016 at 05:13 PM..
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      08-31-2015, 09:33 AM   #12
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Thanks for the nice DIY instruction! I just replaced my thermostat over the weekend and it was a breeze. Now my car warms up much faster :-).

I didn't replace all the coolant though. I added in Hyperlube (or Water Wetter, your pick) and distilled water to replenish the lost coolant during the process.
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      12-29-2016, 11:15 PM   #13
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Bumping this thread to add my experience performing the thermostat replacement.

When unclipping the fuel line from the thermostat housing, be gentle with it. My line started dripping fuel slowly after unclipping it and continued to do so until it was clipped back in. Car seems to drive normally after all was done but just something to be aware of.

Also, if your thermostat is seized to the housing and the rubber seal has become brittle, get a phone line or an ethernet cord and thread it through the "spokes" of the thermostat. Secure the other end of the cord to a bench vise or have someone pull on it. It should remove the thermostat from the housing but may leave behind the rubber seal. Clean that up with a razor blade.
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      02-17-2017, 07:29 PM   #14
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curious if i were just to replace the water pump, could I avoid messing with the:

coil covers
expansion tank
oil seperators
2 intake clips
8 itb worm clamps on the intake manifold

Or should I still take the intake manifold off for room.
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      05-21-2017, 01:57 PM   #15
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I could be wrong folks but the video doesn't address removal of the water pump pulley. It seems that there is a fair amount of work and additional expenses that can block you from completing the project until you can make it to the parts store.

My assumption was that once the water pump pulley screws are removed then you can slide the pulley off. Apparently additional pulleys and hoses need to be removed. Can anyone verify this?

Update:
I was able to force the water pump pulley through obstructions without loosening other pulleys nor disconnecting any lines whatsoever. Hope it goes on the same way.

Last edited by L4ces; 05-21-2017 at 02:55 PM..
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      05-21-2017, 02:00 PM   #16
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The video is helpful. However, I believe I have bitten off more than I am willing to chew because the water pump pulley is obstructed by another pulley that I think needs to be replaced once removed. Were you able to avoid loosening other pulleys?

How did you manage to get the water pump pulley off?

Update:
I was able to force the water pump pulley through obstructions without loosening other pulleys nor disconnecting any lines whatsoever. Hope it goes on the same way.

Last edited by L4ces; 05-21-2017 at 02:55 PM..
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      05-22-2017, 09:47 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by L4ces View Post
The video is helpful. However, I believe I have bitten off more than I am willing to chew because the water pump pulley is obstructed by another pulley that I think needs to be replaced once removed. Were you able to avoid loosening other pulleys?

How did you manage to get the water pump pulley off?

Update:
I was able to force the water pump pulley through obstructions without loosening other pulleys nor disconnecting any lines whatsoever. Hope it goes on the same way.
The idler pulley on the oil filter housing may cause some headache when removing the WP pulley but if you need to create a bit of room just loosen the bolt 1/2" or so on the idler pulley to allow enough clearance to slip off the WP pulley. You should already have removed tension from the belt and slipped the belt off of the WP pulley.
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      05-22-2017, 12:11 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deansbimmer View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by L4ces View Post
The video is helpful. However, I believe I have bitten off more than I am willing to chew because the water pump pulley is obstructed by another pulley that I think needs to be replaced once removed. Were you able to avoid loosening other pulleys?

How did you manage to get the water pump pulley off?

Update:
I was able to force the water pump pulley through obstructions without loosening other pulleys nor disconnecting any lines whatsoever. Hope it goes on the same way.
The idler pulley on the oil filter housing may cause some headache when removing the WP pulley but if you need to create a bit of room just loosen the bolt 1/2" or so on the idler pulley to allow enough clearance to slip off the WP pulley. You should already have removed tension from the belt and slipped the belt off of the WP pulley.
Thanks again deansbimmer. I managed to get the WP off without needing to loosen the idler. I was concerned of loosening things a no mucking with factory torque settings and stuff because I am a wimp. I was much bolder when I owned a home and a garage!

Anyway, thermostat, sensors, water pump, water pump pulley and hoses changed. However, the problem with the fan running at full speed remains!
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      05-22-2017, 09:30 PM   #19
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Check the DME for fan related codes. It can self diagnose so if there's a problem it should store a code. It will also run full speed as a fail safe if it can't read sensor input from A/C or engine temp.
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      02-08-2018, 05:50 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by L4ces View Post
Thanks again deansbimmer. I managed to get the WP off without needing to loosen the idler. I was concerned of loosening things a no mucking with factory torque settings and stuff because I am a wimp. I was much bolder when I owned a home and a garage!

Anyway, thermostat, sensors, water pump, water pump pulley and hoses changed. However, the problem with the fan running at full speed remains!
Does anyone have a full list of all the parts needed (with BMW part numbers) to refresh the cooling system - water pump, thermostat, temperature sensor etc as preventative maintenance ie. the bolts, gaskets, hoses, pulley etc?

I don’t know exactly what parts should be changed and I don’t want to find myself halfway through and need to go back and order more bits. I don’t mind spending a bit more to get it all done properly once and for all...

Thanks

Jack
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      02-08-2018, 11:12 PM   #21
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I am so happy I found this, as this is a project I will be doing soon. On my 2008 too... perfect!! Thank you!
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      03-16-2018, 05:31 PM   #22
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Hey everyone,

I'm doing this over the weekend. For anyone who has done this before: do you have any advice for me? Any special tools needed? Any other bits of info that would be helpful to know before I start pulling my engine apart?

Thank you!!
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