replaced water pump???? - United Bimmer Community

**SHE'S SWEET** · 06-18-2007, 04:29 PM

hey all

is there anyway to tell if my waterpump has been replaced? i have been told that the water pumps on late e36/early e46 models have a tendency to go out, and i am going to replace it if it's not been done already.

**stevo** · 06-18-2007, 05:52 PM

ok, firstly you could do a search using the "search " button at the top of this screen as there are a lot of threads on overheating and water pumps on this forum.
If you remove the water pump and it has plastic fins, it is the original pump.

**Dudesky** · 06-18-2007, 09:23 PM

The water pump issue occured in the '92 to early '97 model years, so your '99 is in the clear. However, that of course doesn't rule out random failures, and keep in mind they should be replaced every 60k miles. Just for the record- outside of convincing documentation, there is no way to tell without removing the pump.

**metalmukisha** · 06-18-2007, 11:05 PM

i had the same problem and it was replaced but i had to buy a new one, whats the problem anyway is it working? if not check if its burned or may be the fuse is burned if you want me to help u finding out whats wrong tell me the model and year of ur ride and ill send u some pics showing how to check ok... have a goodone bro

**xsperf** · 06-19-2007, 12:56 AM

a good way to check if its damaged is see if your car heats up very quickly to operating temperature, or see if gradually heats up

also, if you open your hood and see that your thermostat housing is aluminum/metal instead of a black plastic, most likely if that has been replaced, so has your water pump

**elsabor67** · 06-19-2007, 10:03 AM

Another way to check also is to open your Radiator cap and check to see if you have coolant returning into the reservoir tank. If you don't see any, your pump might be done for.

**xsperf** · 06-19-2007, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elsabor67

Another way to check also is to open your Radiator cap and check to see if you have coolant returning into the reservoir tank. If you don't see any, your pump might be done for.

i think the cap and the reservoir are all the same on the e36, no?

**elsabor67** · 06-19-2007, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xsperf

i think the cap and the reservoir are all the same on the e36, no?

Damn "ingles sin barreras" that CRS kicking in again

Yes, they are together. But you should still see when you open the cap that squirt of coolant when the car is idling and when revving the engine.

**xsperf** · 06-19-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elsabor67

Damn "ingles sin barreras" that CRS kicking in again

Yes, they are together. But you should still see when you open the cap that squirt of coolant when the car is idling and when revving the engine.

ahh i see what you mean, interesting actually thats an excellent way to see if its working or not(or just in general you see when you open the cap if there is pressure in the system)

**Dudesky** · 06-19-2007, 02:44 PM

. . all good, except by the time you check the cap and find out it's not squirting, it's already too late

**chizel** · 07-19-2007, 09:03 PM

if it is the water pump, you may want to price compare for water pumps at ebay.com they have good prices on *buzz off* I had enough! other parts and accessories.

**Dudesky** · 07-19-2007, 09:53 PM

^^^ban

**325myAZ** · 08-19-2007, 04:19 PM

Aside from pulling the pump, there's really no way to tell.

As a matter of maintenance (and concern) I replaced my pump, thermostat, belts and tensioners. It took a few hours and has given my piece of mind.

Depending on your mileage you might want to consider doing the same.

For what it's worth: My 2001 325 had a plastic impeller.

**eurocarman** · 09-20-2007, 10:51 PM

They still have issues beyond 1999, I just replaced a 2001 325i pump and it had a plastic impeller and was the original pump. The best repair is the Stewart pump http://www.stewartcomponents.com/ its a bunch a $$ but your done forever. The other thing is change the coolant every 2 years - use BMW coolant or Zerek G-05.

**Dudesky** · 09-21-2007, 06:13 AM

I guess I stand corrected about the model years having a plastic impeller, good stuff to know

**eurocarman** · 09-21-2007, 06:45 AM

The metal impeller pumps have their issues, related to bearings. The best policy is the replacing every 60k or the Stewart pump. The most important maintenance is the coolant changing. For even more info and the "best" product go here and read http://www.evanscooling.com/index2.html. Now next we need to discuss oil changes LOL