How to Take a Water Pump Out of a BMW 325E


1. Raise the front of the car with a floor jack and lower it onto a pair of jack stands, one under each side of the car. Open the drain plug on the driver's side of the radiator and drain the coolant into a container. Drain the coolant from the engine block into the same container by removing the drain plug that is in the block by the exhaust manifold.
2. Loosen the hose clamps that hold the upper and lower radiator hoses to the radiator. Pull the hoses off of the radiator. Unhook the fan shroud from the radiator. It is held on with small clips that allow the shroud to be pulled off. Remove the two bolts that hold the radiator in place. Remove the radiator.
3. Remove the 32-mm nut that holds the fan on, turning the nut clockwise as you face the car, since the nut is reverse threaded. Remove the fan and fan shroud. Place a strap wrench on the water pump pulley and use it hold the pulley still while you remove the four nuts that hold the pulley on. Unclip the distributor cap and rotor for added clearance. Leave the plug wires connected to the cap and just push the cap out of the way.
4. Loosen the star-shaped adjusters on the alternator and power steering pump pulleys. Move the pulleys over to slacken the belts. Remove the belts from the pulleys. Remove the six Allen bolts from the crankshaft pulley. Remove the pulley and then pull off the harmonic damper behind it, which is not held on with any bolts.
5. Remove the two upper bolts from the timing belt cover with a socket. Remove the bolt that holds the alternator bracket to the timing belt cover and remove the top timing belt cover. Remove the bolts that hold the lower timing belt cover on. Remove the lower timing belt cover. Remove the bolts that hold the water pump to the engine block with a socket and ratchet and remove the water pump.