I posted this a while back...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunderguts
I replaced a few things on the ol' N52 this weekend...
The tensioner and belt were a breeze. The N52 is surprisingly easy to work on for many things. You've got much more room to work than a FWD car.
As for the hoses, nothing was too complicated, but the two quick release fittings going to the radiator were stuck on there pretty good. I cut part of them off with a Dremel rather than risk breaking the radiator neck. The thermostat and water pump proved a little easier than I expected, but the hardest part was getting the clamp on the hose from the engine block to the thermostat.
For anyone who cares, the total cost of hoses was $340. I used two BMW hoses and the rest were Rein. In retrospect, I don't think I'd replace most of them again. None of them were in bad shape. Oh well, I plan to keep this car for a long time and I'll probably never need to replace any of them again.
The only downside to everything is that I mistakenly tried to remove the radiator control sleeve rather than the drain plug and it automatically destroys itself when you do. Now I need to wait until Monday to get the replacement and fill it back up with coolant.
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With 81K miles, everything was in good shape. A few of the connectors were hard to separate, but the all the coolant gaskets were in pretty good condition and probably didn't need to be replaced. With 163k miles, I would probably replace everything because you're nearing the end of those hoses' lifespans. Eventually one will go and you'll be stranded. They weren't particularly difficult to replace.
One word of warning: the connectors on the radiator were the toughest ones to remove. You must be careful with these or you will snap the neck off the radiator. I really wish they would use metal necks, even if the radiator is plastic. That plastic is going to be brittle after that many heat cycles.