I'd just like to say thanks to all the folks who have contributed to the FAQs on the board here.

I just spent the last couple of days (work done as time permitted) replacing the water pump on my 1989 740 GL wagon.

As per usual with the older cars, I ended up having to do some extra work along the way. First I found that the power steering pump tensioning bracket was disconnected from the block. It appears that the bolt had somehow backed itself out over time or someone had removed it and never replaced it. That, in itself was probably the reason for water pump problems. Once I got the bolt replaced, I went to de-tension the belt and had the long tensioner bolt snap (and, after reading the board a bit, I know that's a common problem and now have several replacements on hand for the future). After I got that fixed and de-tensioned the belt, I took off the water pump. There, I found that there were traces of old gasket underneath the existing gasket and traces of red RTV around the heater hose line and head seal. Whoever had done the previous job did a sloppy one. I also found several rusticle drips down the face of the block. I did a thorough job of cleaning all surfaces and tonight I got everything put back together.

Yay! She started and ran fine! So, a big thanks to all those who have posted about their experience with replacing water pumps.

Btw, though I've worked on cars quite a bit, this is the first time that I've ever done a water pump replacement.

Beth in Texas