WANTED: E39 530i cooling system overhaul tips n tricks

Any special skills or tools required to replace the following on an E39 530i?

• Water pump + pulley
• Thermostat + housing
• Expansion tank
• Hoses
• Belts
• Coolant level sensor
• Fan switch

Also, any tips n tricks for refilling the cooling system afterwards?

EDIT: also doing the front LCA's ("thrust arms"?). any magic there? working on it for a friend, he says he's got a BMW-specific tool for changing them, but i'm just starting the research for this project so have no idea what he's talking about.

Thanks, PC

for the LCAs you need to make sure you torque them down when the car is on the ground or ramps. otherwise the pressed in bushing will twist and fail early. All the cooling stuff is pretty standard ( I don't know what kind if special tool it could be.) there is a bleed screw somewhere on the upper rad hose or expansion tank i can't rememer. I will take a look when i go home for lunch.

cdowd wrote: for the LCAs you need to make sure you torque them down when the car is on the ground or ramps. otherwise the pressed in bushing will twist and fail early. All the cooling stuff is pretty standard ( I don't know what kind if special tool it could be.) there is a bleed screw somewhere on the upper rad hose or expansion tank i can't rememer. I will take a look when i go home for lunch.

This is all correct. There is nothing really special about the cooling system job. I think the bleeder might be on the t-stat housing.

You are using genuine blue BMW coolant, right?

Most of the job is really straight-forward when doing it all at once. Do your friend a favor and replace the thermostatic fan clutch while you're in there; replace the fan as well if there is ANY damage to the blades. You might want to do the tensioner and idler pulleys while you're doing the belts. Finally, replace both bleed screws with brass O-ringed pieces; the plastic ones crack (just like all the other plastic in the system). Bleeding requires patience unless you have a pressure filler for the cooling system; elevating the nose of the car helps.

LCAs don't need anything special beyond a proper ball joint tool. Don't even attempt to use a fork; there's not enough room and you can easily mange the aluminum hub carrier. As noted, tighten the bolts at the bushing ends once the suspension is compressed.