BMW m3: First big fix on the car

 

Welp, the time has come to get my ’97 e36 m3 looked at for the first time. My car has been making a weird noise the past couple of days, and I’ve come to find out it is the water pump bearing. I took it to Marque Motors off Macadam, because the previous owner used to go there. After getting lost 4 or 5 times trying to find it, I got it there and diagnosed the problem. I need a new water pump and belt, and the installation will take a few hours, so the grand total is about $382. The water pump was replaced 3 years ago, so it was due for a new one.

Things to look for if this happens to your car is see if your fan clutch has some play in it. I could move it around and it had about an inch of play. That means the bearing is shot and needs to be replaced. The pump is only about $80, but it is a pain to replace. Hopefully this won’t happen in the future. I’ll post again when I get it back tomorrow.