My E46 M3 Maintenance Thread

Just thought I would start a thread on the maintenance items performed on my M3.

Usually I just think, screw it, let someone else do it, or it looks to complicated, blah, etc

Unfortunaletly, nowadays you cant be sure what you are getting, and if it was done right. Add in rediculous labor rates and time charged vs actual time/effort, and doing most things that you can do with the tools at hand is a no brainer

Will include part/sundries prices, and if possible time spent.

This thread can also act as a sort of FSH

Cool, look forward to your write ups :thumbs:

Cool look forward to this as our M is out of motorplan as of friday :fencelook:

Cooling system:

Had a cooling issue, and sort of tracked it down to the viscous fan clutch. Decided that while I was replacing the clutch, I would change the thermostat too, and then for good measure, change the waterpump.

So, popped round to SMG and picked up the following:

Thermostat - 115 313 182 74 - R431
Thermostat to waterpump o-ring - 115 313 184 02 - R38
Thermostat to engine o-rings x2 - 115 378 307 09 - R86
Waterpump - 115 178 381 59 - R5393
Waterpump o-rings x2 - 115 378 307 12 - No stock in ZA, but it is a 18x3, which I got from Bearing Man (4 for R5)
Waterpump gasket - 115 178 310 99 - R96
Fan Clutch - 115 278 316 19 - R2334
Water temp sensor - 136 214 330 77 - R303
Engine block water drain plug gasket - 071 199 632 25 - R1.60
5 Litres BMW Coolant - 821 529 121 52 - R265
9 Litres Distilled Water - Diskem - R60

Grand total of +- R9000

---

Today I took my car apart

The internet is really a great place, you can find detailed and concise info on just about anything.

Basically stripped the entire cooling system. Getting the radiator pipes off is a real bitch, I have the skinned knuckles to prove it

Reaching the engine block drain plug, another pain in the ass.

All components that were reused were washed and inspected. The rad hoses are still in good condition, and the radiator looks good.

Block was flushed thoroughly via thermostat point using hose pipe.

God the coolant that came out the system stank. It also had quite a bit of sediment in it.

Currently the car is sitting reassembled, except for the fan shroud and fan and belts. I have decided to replace the AC and accessory belts while I have access to them now, so will need to get those on Monday. Hopefully they have stock, and I wont have to wait 2 days.

All in all, I rate this as a 4/10. Simple, but messy. I estimate it took me about 4-5 hours, where I would be doing nothing anyway, so that is a shitload of saved money, and I know it is done right.

The culprit, disintegrated waterpump. The piece below is part of the impeller, it was destroyed


Shiney new OEM waterpump


Old and new OEM thermostat


Old and new OEM fan clutch


Old and new OEM water temp sensor


Radiator removed so I could give it a proper flush and clean


There used to be a waterpump there


Coolant and distilled water


waterpump, thermostat and radiator reinstalled

Wow Kabal maximum respect man :bravo:
That is very detailed indeed. Part numbers and everything. Do you keep the receipts in a file of sorts as well? That will really add to the value of your resale if you do dare to do that one day. With a car so well taken care of, as many of the fanatics do, esp rick, selling it is a sin.

What indications did you have that the cooling systems was going bad. Water temp needle start creeping into 3/4?

How did the bearing on the water pump feel? play?

nice to see you getting your hands dirty :rollsmile: its quite sad you have to do it yourself even though you willing to pay for a proper job

:fencelook:

Noob question here.

Why distilled water?

Caddy101 said:

:fencelook:

Noob question here.

Why distilled water?

Click to expand...

thats why look at the buildup on the old sensor... you get way less buildup with distilled water...

Andy1GP said:

Do you keep the receipts in a file of sorts as well?

Click to expand...

yah, keep everything in a file

calypso said:

What indications did you have that the cooling systems was going bad. Water temp needle start creeping into 3/4?

Click to expand...

temp needle, and a sound from the waterpump area

Gizmo said:

How did the bearing on the water pump feel? play?

Click to expand...

bad, like 2-3mm, easily moveable up and down.
compared to the new one it was night and day

Caddy101 said:

:fencelook:

Noob question here.

Why distilled water?

Click to expand...

distilled water is "free" of impurities. They basically boil the water, and condense the steam

nice thread! :thumbs:

Very nicely done! I actually need to do a full cooling system overhaul for my Wife's E46. Yep, so much better to DIY!! 'Internets' FTW!

Good work kabal :thumbs: thanks for posting this


This just goes to show why it is so important to have a temperature gauge, and not just a your-engine-is-stuffed light.

Im subscribed to this thread :thumbs:

Nice workraise:

Subscribed...

Just put everything back together.

No leaks :ty:

Just ran it up to operating temp, and am now waiting for it to cool completely to do the first underpressure bleed. They say it takes about 2 heat cycles to get all the air out. Then hopefully I am left with a stable system, and piece of mind.

Doing stuff like this really makes you enjoy your car more :=):

Next up, oil, spark plugs, airfilter and microfilter, a general service :thumbs:

You're absolutely right kabal. The more work that goes into your baby the more enjoyable it becomes. The car and the experience :thumbs:

Well done :bravo:

raise:

Nice job Kabal..

awesome :rollsmile:
the thing is you now know you getting the best possible job just prepare yourself for the amount of missing bolts you will find because someone decided you did not need them :yuck: