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Car Forum / BMW Cars / April 2008

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Water Pump on 99 3281

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carver audain - 18 Apr 2008 00:32 GMT
All,

I have a 99 328I with 140,000 miles reasonably trouble free so far.  Should
I pre-emptively replace the water original pump and at what mileage?  Otto
at Bavarian Autosports thinks I should.  Anyone out there has an opinion or
recommendation, or some experience?  I plan to keep the car until it dies
because simply cannot afford to replace cars unless there is a very very
good reason.

Thanks for all responses.
Floyd Rogers - 18 Apr 2008 06:13 GMT
> I have a 99 328I with 140,000 miles reasonably trouble free so far.
> Should I pre-emptively replace the water original pump and at what
> mileage?  Otto at Bavarian Autosports thinks I should.  Anyone out there
> has an opinion or recommendation, or some experience?  I plan to keep the
> car until it dies because simply cannot afford to replace cars unless
> there is a very very good reason.

Water pumps do fail.  Lots of people, including the Roundel tech guys,
prefer to replace them at some interval (ranging from 60K to 100K miles.)
However, when they do fail, it's usually not a big deal as the leak from
the bearing is easily evident.   Caveat:  if you have one with a plastic
impeller it can clog engine/other coolant passages and the engine will
probably die.

Given all that, the radiator and especially the expansion tank can
fail catastrophically and you'll probably lose the engine, unless you
IMMEDIATELY stop it.

I've got a '01 330xi; I've changed the radiator, expansion tank,
thermostat and hoses (at 100K) but still have the original pump.
YMMV.

FloydR
John Carrier - 19 Apr 2008 13:05 GMT
> All,
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Thanks for all responses.

Mike Miller, the tech guru for Roundel and Bimmer mag, suggests replacing
the water pump at 60K.  It's not that expensive unless you go with the
Stewart aftermarket pump which allegedly is made to a much higher standard
(roughly 3 times the cost).

R / John
news RR - 21 Apr 2008 01:30 GMT
isnt the 60k replace  the case with the older plastic impeller's ?
i think the metal ones will last to 100k +
my old plastic one failed at 77k .luckily no pieces went into the engine.

> > All,
> >
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> R / John
John Carrier - 21 Apr 2008 13:05 GMT
Miller had no confidence in either the old plastic impeller nor new metal
impeller pump.  Only the mode of failure changed.

R / John

> isnt the 60k replace  the case with the older plastic impeller's ?
> i think the metal ones will last to 100k +
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>>
>> R / John
carver audain - 25 Apr 2008 09:48 GMT
Thanks for the responses to my previous question.  Now I have to ask a
different to get to the answer I am seeking.  The water pump will fail
eventually, but what is the likelihood that it will also lead to engine
damage due to plastic impeller pieces getting into the cooling system?

If the likelihood is small, it may not be worth it to change the pump now
(at 140K miles).  I inderstand that at the first sign of cooling system
problems, I am to stop driving, and unless there is a visible leak, given
the circumstances, I am to change the pump and see if there is still a
problem.

Thanks again for your responses.

Carver
> Miller had no confidence in either the old plastic impeller nor new metal
> impeller pump.  Only the mode of failure changed.
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
>>>
>>> R / John
 
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