[tphaeng]

I got a water pump code the other day while scanning my car with my bt tool. I cleared it and it came back. The code is 2e83 "electrical cooling pump, low power mode". I haven't receive any low coolant or over heating light on my dash. I check the water pump values of the water pump and it's getting the right amount of voltage (my brother has a 335i also and we checked his water pump values) but the current is at 0. It's suppose to be at 6.5 Amps.

I checked the fuse in the dme box and it was fine and I checked the fuses in the car and those were fine.

My question is is my water pump about to go out on me? Is there a fuse on the actually pump itself that I can check? Anyone have any other trouble shooting tips?

TIA

[cn555ic]

That code is a pre-requisit of an impending water pump failure, and when it does go on you, dont be surprised you are stranded in the middle of nowhere and require a tow truck to get you to a repair shop...BMW failed when it came to design of it and gives you basically no warning except like the one your getting...Once you overheat the car will not run at all...

[tphaeng]

Last night I got the yellow engine over heat light plus the red right after . Pulled over and let the car cool a little bit. Opened the hood and there was coolant the spilled out of the cap. I then i added more distilled water, turned the car on and and it was perfectly fine. drove about 10-15 miles home with no problems. I ran my bt scan tool on it last night and the same code was stored (2e83). I then activated my pump at 95% with the bt tool and it ran perfectly fine.

This morning I put the car up on jack stands, took the under shield off to see if there weas any leaks overneath and there was nothing. I then drove to the car wash and drives perfectly fine. I even went WOT 4-5 times and nothing comes up.. weird..

I read on some threads that the fuse box on top of the battery could be blown or about to be and that would cause the pump to get low voltage or none at all. So i ordered a new fuse box and going to try to replace that to see if that solves the problem.

any other input?

[malave53]

There is a good bulletin floating around somewhere where any codes resulting in 2e81 or 2e82 or a combo of both require the pump to be changed out by BMW. 2e83 is indicative of a failing pump.

Not worth getting stranded, change out the pump.

[malave53]

FWIW I got the yellow overheating icon on the dash, pulled code 2e82. Was able to clear, immediately pulling 2e83. Pump wouldn't turn on at all. You'll know when your radiator turns on full blast.... Trust me you'll notice. Turning the engine on is not going to produce a overheating warning in such a short period of time, at least in winter in NJ. I was able to leave the engine running with no pump for ~10 mins without overheating (at idle in ~ 20F outside).

The bulletin I mentioned explains where to check the electrical input for the pump too for low current, don't think it was at the fuse box. Most pump failures I've seen include the failure of the internals (water pump).

[tphaeng]

Originally Posted by malave53

FWIW I got the yellow overheating icon on the dash, pulled code 2e82. Was able to clear, immediately pulling 2e83. Pump wouldn't turn on at all. You'll know when your radiator turns on full blast.... Trust me you'll notice. Turning the engine on is not going to produce a overheating warning in such a short period of time, at least in winter in NJ. I was able to leave the engine running with no pump for ~10 mins without overheating (at idle in ~ 20F outside).

The bulletin I mentioned explains where to check the electrical input for the pump too for low current, don't think it was at the fuse box. Most pump failures I've seen include the failure of the internals (water pump).

Thanks for the input. The only code i have gotten so far is just the 2e83. I guess Should have mentioned that i was driving around for awhile before I got the engine overheat light. Then when i pulled over i was maybe pulled over for about 10-15 minutes before i put more distilled water and turned the car back on. So the coolant temperature couldnt have gotten that low in that amount of time. It was about 80 degrees last night (10:30-11pm). I drove home without any lights coming on again. Drove 10-15 miles home.

I'm going to trouble shoot some more before I give up and say its the water pump. I say this because there are thread's where people suspect its their water pump that went out and they change it and then they get engineover heating issues again. I guess what im saying is I dont want to waste my money before I know 100% that its the water pump.

I wish when we scan the car it would say "water pump failed. REPLACE IT!" LOL. but it doesnt work like that.

Does anyone have any other trouble shooting tips?

[David1]

Its the pump, replace it with the t-stat at the same time.

[e90_guy]

My car overheated yesterday while driving to work. I end up had to tow it to the dealership. They replaced the damn water pump. Long story short, get your water pump fixed ASAP if you don't want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

[hugus311]

Originally Posted by David1

Its the pump, replace it with the t-stat at the same time.

[flexinator]

I noticed my car has started making a noise after i shut it off that sounds like a pump running. its different than the lpfp when I unlock the car and i don't think it is a fan. I'm wondering if this is an early sign of water pump failure. I have an 08 with 55k on it. No codes so far...

[malave53]

Originally Posted by flexinator

I noticed my car has started making a noise after i shut it off that sounds like a pump running. its different than the lpfp when I unlock the car and i don't think it is a fan. I'm wondering if this is an early sign of water pump failure. I have an 08 with 55k on it. No codes so far...

This is normal. The water pump runs after shut-down at a certain temp to circulate coolant through the system to cool everything down quicker/efficiently, although constantly running the pump like that makes me wonder why these things go out so quick.

[malave53]

Originally Posted by flexinator

I noticed my car has started making a noise after i shut it off that sounds like a pump running. its different than the lpfp when I unlock the car and i don't think it is a fan. I'm wondering if this is an early sign of water pump failure. I have an 08 with 55k on it. No codes so far...

Also, using REST (residual heat) feature if your car is equipped with it, also utilizes the pump to switch on to filter warm coolant through the heater core for 15-20mins while the car is off.

Loved this feature, don't use it anymore after changing out the water pump myself in a cold garage using one floor jack.

[spool twice]

his pump still functions when tested with the BT tool, he started to leak coolant mysteriously at the resevoir cap.

[tphaeng]

Anybody have any trouble shooting tips that they have done?

I dont want to replace the water pump and call it good. Then all of a sudden it goes out again. I dont want to wasted $600+ on something that shouldn't have been replaced. I want to be 100% positive that it is the pump before I replace it.

[ultimateracing335]

I had that issue with a bad battery. Check all connection in the trunk. The water pump is wired to the battery.

[tphaeng]

Originally Posted by ultimateracing335

I had that issue with a bad battery. Check all connection in the trunk. The water pump is wired to the battery.

What codes did u throw? Plus could u describe the problems u were having? Tia

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

It's also worth noting any over-heat can potentially warp the head and/or blow the head gasket.

[GmoBmw]

Originally Posted by David1

Its the pump, replace it with the t-stat at the same time.

This.

[cn555ic]

Your in denial...YOu ask people that have gotten this code and everyone changed it out...Cant get help from forum if u dont believe what people who have experienced being stranded with a water pump failure..

[tphaeng]

Originally Posted by cn555ic

Your in denial...YOu ask people that have gotten this code and everyone changed it out...Cant get help from forum if u dont believe what people who have experienced being stranded with a water pump failure..

here one of many threads that dont lead to a bad water pump

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=584641

Also ultimateracer335(~4 post above this one) had symptoms like mine also and it wasnt his water pump.

I believe that they changed out there water pump and all was better. I didnt say that I didn't believe them... I just wanted some more trouble shooting tips before I spend money on an expensive part that I dont need.

Like ppl say about trouble shooting, start from the cheapest part to the most expensive.

[malave53]

Originally Posted by tphaeng

here one of many threads that dont lead to a bad water pump

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=584641

Also ultimateracer335(~4 post above this one) had symptoms like mine also and it wasnt his water pump.

I believe that they changed out there water pump and all was better. I didnt say that I didn't believe them... I just wanted some more trouble shooting tips before I spend money on an expensive part that I dont need.

Like ppl say about trouble shooting, start from the cheapest part to the most expensive.

In relation to your assumption of a possible battery issue....how many miles are on your car? Any low voltage warnings in the past. In simplest terms, Yes the pump is wired ultimately to the battery. The part that goes bad is the power distributor block on top of the battery. You can easily check to see if this is the issue, but highly unlikely. Keep in mind a low voltage issue would cause many more symptoms via the electrical system other than just the pump...

Personally, I have 73k (hours if interior cleaning with the radio on/interior lights) on a 05/2008 335i with the original battery. Knock on wood still running, but if I key down the engine along with the alternator, and leave the radio on for more than a minute, I'll get a low voltage yellow light. No other problems relating to the electrical system.

I'll post up that bulletin I was talking about earlier if I can find it..... And while the battery/power distributor block is definitely a possibility, I highly doubt it. After examining my old pump, it seems the gasket separating the internals from the pump connections failed causing the internals to go bad. Any type of moisture gets in there, you'll have electrical issues.

[malave53]

A really quick fix would be to disconnect the battery and let the ECU go to sleep. Wait 20 mins and reconnect battery. Make sure windows are up and doors locked before you attempt to put the ECU to sleep. Any electrical values that were just a hiccup will reset and maybe all will be good. Give it a shot.