I am doing a general overhaul of many aspects of my 2004 R53 with 150K; the entire front end is apart. Two questions: (1) The black plastic intake duct that connects the supercharger outlet horn to the throttle body is one of the most inartfully crafted pieces I have ever seen. It is not broken, but do some of the seams develop leaks? If it didn't cost $140 its replacement would be a no-brainer. (2) Should the water pump be replaced? Does not appear to be leaking, but do they eventually fail? If so, I certainly don't want to repeat this degree of disassembly. TIA.

 

Hi JAB. Is the water pump the original? If so I would definitely replace along with the hoses. $125.50 and you can use the NAM 10% discount.

http://new.minimania.com/part/NME768...e-Line-R52-R53

I'll see what I can find out about the outlet.

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

JAB,

Those intake ducts are fairly fragile, I've replaced a few that have cracked at the plastic welds and causing vacuum leaks, but I've also replaced some due to someone breaking the BPV snout off the welds trying to take it off.

I replaced my water pump as PM while I had the car apart doing a clutch at 115xxx, but I've seen them go under 50k and over 150k, all depends on your luck.

If you've got the time and funds to do so I would do a bit of PM while the car is apart, nothing more demoralizing than realizing you're taking everything apart again..

Quick list of fun if you're going to be in there:
SC oil change
Water pump
Water pump flange O-ring
Coolant block off O-ring (behind SC)
Seal the crank sensor with black RTV
Replace the green SC gasket
Maybe a pulley kit & belt if you haven't done so yet.
Low speed fan resistor fix, if not previously done
No need to change hoses that aren't checking or chaffed.
Thermostat, if not previously done.

Plenty of options of what to do and how to do it, but it'll all come down to funds and time. I did a lot of work in the first year of owning my car, and many of those times were a Saturday- Sunday affair all day and into the night, but there's nothing more gratifying than watching it all go back together better than it came apart.

We've got everything you'd need to do any of the above work, including the black intake duct should you deem it in need of replacing. Let us know how we can help or if you have any other questions.

 

The gasket on the supercharger outlet is made from metal, so it rarely causes any problems. However, it is a very inexpensive part and wouldn't hurt to replace at 150K especially if you plan to keep the car for a while.

http://new.minimania.com/part/NME581...em-R50-R52-R53

Hope this helps!

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.