Well for the third time since I've owned the car the water pump on my old BMW was on its way out so I replaced it. In theory it should be a relatively easy job, just remove the fan, shroud, and hoses and it comes right off. In practice though the installation of the new pump is much more difficult. There are two pipes that run from the rear collector manifold up to the pump in the front, and when you pull the pump off (or try to get the new one on) you disturb their o-ring joint at the rear, and if they don't immediately leak they will within 6 months. So to do the job properly you have to remove the intake manifold so the pipes can be removed and the rear o-rings replaced. Also there's nearly always some corrosion on the pipes so as I have done the last two times, I replaced the pipes as well as the o-rings and pump. All told it turns a $100 job into a $250 one.
Anyway, I should be good to go for the remaining life of the car. I got a Saleri pump this time as apparently Graf has ceased production of their pump. They are still available from FCP Euro but the Saleri is OEM to the BMW and it seems as though the construction is a bit better.
The other silver pipe in the valley is part of the goofy PCV system on this car.
Nothing really to see here I just thought maybe someone would be interested in how a water pump is changed on a 24-year old BMW.
Anyway, I should be good to go for the remaining life of the car. I got a Saleri pump this time as apparently Graf has ceased production of their pump. They are still available from FCP Euro but the Saleri is OEM to the BMW and it seems as though the construction is a bit better.
The other silver pipe in the valley is part of the goofy PCV system on this car.
Nothing really to see here I just thought maybe someone would be interested in how a water pump is changed on a 24-year old BMW.
