Let me try again as it's the passenger side O-ring. I can't see any way to access that end unless I remove the tube. I feel a clip with some wires attached when I feel around under there.

 

Are you talking about #2 below? The water pipe o-ring connects to the water pump side. The clip #3 connects to the thermostat side. It's pretty tough to work in that area for the pipe as space is very limited. You can see the clip location in this DIY here, figure 14 and 15.

 

Look at the diagram a couple pages back the tube inserts into the back of the block / water pump housing with that O ring on it. You must have bumped the wires down or something, because they are no wires in that exact location. There are some near the top under the intake manifold. Take you time on this and get the o ring back on and slide it back into the back of the waterpump housing. Take a led flashlight and shine it under the intake manifold and see whats going on.

 

There WAS a wiring harness attached to one of the tabs on the tube. I was able to get them loose after some major swearing. Now there are a couple small pieces of the outer ring on the end of the tube that hold the o-ring in place but I not in any position to wait to get the part. I'm talking about the very end of the tube. I'm going to our local rubber supply house in the morning to get a new o-ring and try to re-assemble it tomorrow. They should take whoever designed these things out back and flog them!!! For once I believe in corporal punishment!!!!! Anyways, thanks and I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Thanks, please take pics. Last time I had mine out I did not see a wire down there. Might have been a mid year update.

 

I'd love to show pics but it had to be done by feel. (Just like almost everything with these cars under the hood.) I don't know if you could even see anything from underneath it as I'm a kind of a fat guy and even on my rhino ramps I couldn't get under it!!!!

It was just a small two or three wire harness attached to the thermostat most tab on that coolant tube with one of those push post wire clamps.

 

OK. Upon closer exam, I just ordered the tube. ECS Tuning, make sure I got the right part!!!!! And any way you can have it here by morning?

 

Yes It's a bear to replace..I just replaced mine...Good Luck
Again BMW could have made this line out of white metal aluminum etc,.anything
other than plastic...

 

Anyone know the easiest way to access the hole this goes into? I want to at least feel the hole to see if there are any remnants of the old tube still there. The outer flange (very end of the tube ) broke up on mine and I want to check it before I try to put the new on one. I't didn't break completely so it should be in pieces. Anyone ever have one stick to the aluminum ? Thanks

 

from the water pump side itself, to make sure nothing fell in there.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ater-tube.html




Or pull the tube out and reach down, some people pull the intake manifold out to get to it.

 

Looks like I might as well do the walnut blasting of the intake valves while I do this job.

Thanks

 

Yes, its here , if I were there I would get it done,. Here is the DIY:


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-cleaning.html

 

Mine was broken inside as well, but I changed my water pump at the same time..I found pieces inside and around the lip. So use your finger bra...You can do it...lol

 

Have the tools already. It's just one of those things that I keep putting off doing. I'll pull the intake feel, check the hole for debris, install the tube and thermostat, then blast the valves. Thanks

 

Great, that's actually a good plan , i would get those intake valves done, one less CEL to worry about down the road. Had mine done and i huge improvement.

 

Hey ECS!
So as I was reading this thread, I too have the same issue of removing the thermostat with the pipe because it was too tight, and it came out with the O-Ring, but the O-Ring seems bigger than the pipe hole, is that normal? would I need a new O-Ring? I think I'll have to buy a new pipe since the tip on the water pump side is chipped :(. Also how would I place all the pipe with oring back in? Please help me!

 

They swell up. They aren't that size when they go in. You can get it to go back in but it takes some work. Lots of patience and some skilled trickery.

 

Yeah that ended up happening to the oring on the water pump side.
So I would just stick it back in until doesn't move anymore? I don't have to take out the water pump right? I just finished replacing that a few days ago, and it's a bit of a hassle getting it out haha

 

Push it into the water pump til it stops. There's little pieces of plastic sticking up for it to stop against the backside of the water pump

 

Thanks for your help! I'll be sure to do that. If the type of the pipe is a bit chipped, must I get a new one? Because the rest of the pipe looks good

 

If it's not affecting the side of the grove that prevents the seal from being pushed out under pressure or the clip can't come off that hold it together, it should be ok.

 

Just saw this , looks like sprintcar got it for you.

 

Ok so I changed the thermostat and changed the water pipe cause I ended up needing a new one haha. I followed the filling the coolant steps in the pelican parts site but I haven't been able to bleed the system because when I tried turning it on, it didn't want to start, and I have drained and filled the cooling system before. After, the fan just turned on and stayed on even when I turned off the car, so I disconnected the battery. I'm not sure what I did wrong, I connected the electrical cables, but it's a bit obvious that the wires connect to where the sockets go in place nicely, yet do you think that I still connected the wires in their wrong areas? or what else should I check?

 

Did you plug everything back it the the correct plug locations ? Is the ground on the ground stud in front of the valve cover ? MAF plug plugged in ? High pressure fuel pump plugged in?

 

So this plug looks like it should be in the right place

I've looked at photos and they have that one plugged in, by looking at the plastic tube housing the cables
In all there are 6 cables to reconnect right?