__D6 Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Hello folks, Coming from the world of E36's, metal (alluminium) stat housings were a common/must have upgrade as the plastic ones loved to crack and blow up. It's time to do the waterpump on my 46 and I figured i'd change the stat housing while I was there. Now, the car is on 164k miles and as far as i can tell it's still on it's an original plastic stat housing (deal/OEM one) and I can't for the life of me find a metal replacement. Is this a thing that just doesn't exist for the '46? I guess the plastic/composite ones are more reliable than they used to be? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjn Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 (edited) I used a Bosch waterpump with metal impeller but can't remember what the housing was..... Edited May 11, 2017 by mjn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R11CH Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Housings are all plastic on the E46 and as far as i can tell it's not a common problem unlike with the E36. Mine had done a 150k and not failed but i replaced it with a Genuine Bmw item as preventive maintenance. Bmw have also replaced the impeller on the water pumps to a lightweight metal one as apposed to the old plastic design on the Oem one and the big bulky cast aluminium one found on aftermarket items. I put all Oem Bmw on mine, 2 year warranty and piece of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__D6 Posted May 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Thanks guys! That answers my question pretty thoroughly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishman68 Posted December 5, 2017 Report Share Posted December 5, 2017 IMO best avoiding aluminium thermostats the e46 m54 block ain't designed for them, if you want the best water pump go for the EP Stewart's (Bimmers) irc sourced from the USA provides 20% increased cooling capacity but be warned it takes a while to import but is bullet proof recommended for those runnings SC/compressors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
