M20 Water pump and Thermo DIY?

[motorsports_3]

Does anyone have a DIY to a thermostat and waterpump on an m20.

I was driving today and out of the middle of nowhere the car started to slowly heat up, this never had happend before. I managed to get it home, but now i need to diagnose the problem. It seemed to be leaking coolant from the rear (by the ifre wall) of the motor. Could it just be a line leaking so coolant is not getting to the motor?

[strad]

ck out bimmerdiy or pelicanparts for wp diys. Dunno why you'd need a tstat diy -- hardest part about it is bleeding the cooling system afterwards, and that's simple simon.

There is one heater hose running from the rear of the block to the firewall.

[rodrigo]

I'm relatively new to BMW's and M20's, but here's what i would do:

Iddle the car until it gets to its operating temp and look around for any leaks, or drips.
I would first replace the thermostat, since its somewhere around $18 and easy to do: drain some coolant pull off the hose going to the housing, 3 10mm bolts remove the thermostat housing cover to open it up and replace the thermostat and rubber o-ring.
Then I would check the temp gauge...did you notice the temp gauge needle pulsating? did you whack the dash a little and see the gauge needle would move to a different reading? I have a faulty gauge in my car and it almost gave me a heart attack while driving on the highway...I whacked it and it went to normal. I am currently figuring out the reason for that on my car...anyway...
If you end up replacing the water pump, you may as well replace the timing belt (if you are close to being due) and the tensioner, and all the shaft seals...you're going to have to remove almost all of the same stuff as you would for a timing belt change.


good luck...post your findings.
:)
R

[motorsports_3]

...

Yeah, so it was the hose in the back of the engine bay, which goes from the heater to the head. I replaced that, and am in the process of changing the Tstat and hose for it anyway. It was original and for like 15.00 i might as well.

[ColdAccord]

you can pull the t-stat and test it in water on the stove to see if it opens fully. remember when you go to refill the coolant that you open the valve on the t stat housing, and have the heat on high