Water pump failure leads to dead engine

[peterk9]

.....Also, there would be no core charge because the dealer keeps the old one and sends it back.

That's what I'm wondering about. That the customer gets charged the full cost while the dealer might send the old one back and get a $1000 rebate.

 

[mattbult]

That's what I'm wondering about. That the customer gets charged the full cost while the dealer might send the old one back and get a $1000 rebate.

I definitely did check into that and the core is $1000 on top of the list price of the engine. They are not charging me the core fee. Yeah, 21 hours seems high, but he said that was book time, but maybe that's book for a new long block and using all my parts. He said they would charge me actual time. I'll update with where it ends up. I feel like he is giving me a fair shake, great lakes Ford in Scottville MI.

 

[GregInBoston]

Matt, et al-
I seem to be facing the exact same issue with my 2011 Explorer Limited with 77K. Check engine light came on and engine started running rough. Engine never seized or shut down so I was able to get to original dealer. They are in the process of tearing down engine today ($750 alone) and thinks it could be water pump issue. I am hoping engine does not need to be replaced (just water pump), but I am preparing myself for worst given what I have read in this thread. Like the others before me in this post, we keep up with regular maintenance and did no hard driving (no off road, no towing, no high speeds). We bought this "dealer certified" (Herb Chambers in Braintree, MA) with 22K miles and previous owner happened to be Ford Motor Company themselves (courtesy vehicle). It is pretty clear from reading this thread and others, there is a systemic problem with Ford motor design. I will provide an update once I hear back from dealer. Wish me luck!

 

[GregInBoston]

Forgot to mention, I had purchased the 7 year/75K Premium Extended Service Plan, but now I am 2K past...again, similar to others' experiences

 

[mattbult]

Really sorry to hear that GIB... Do let us know how it turns out.

 

[peterk9]

Matt, et al-
I seem to be facing the exact same issue with my 2011 Explorer Limited with 77K. Check engine light came on and engine started running rough. Engine never seized or shut down so I was able to get to original dealer. They are in the process of tearing down engine today ($750 alone) and thinks it could be water pump issue. I am hoping engine does not need to be replaced (just water pump), but I am preparing myself for worst given what I have read in this thread. Like the others before me in this post, we keep up with regular maintenance and did no hard driving (no off road, no towing, no high speeds). We bought this "dealer certified" (Herb Chambers in Braintree, MA) with 22K miles and previous owner happened to be Ford Motor Company themselves (courtesy vehicle). It is pretty clear from reading this thread and others, there is a systemic problem with Ford motor design. I will provide an update once I hear back from dealer. Wish me luck!

Welcome to the Forum Greg.
Sorry to read about your problem. Were the spark plugs ever replaced or checked?

Peter

 

[sheltonfilms]

Here are book times for replacement of engine (all variations):

 

[blwnsmoke]

So the question is, is the $3,800 engine complete or not. Because then you are talking about 11.8 instead 14.3 hours.

I'm sure a couple hours of labor for the tear down and inspection. Either way, the motor was coming out so how much extra time did they spend tearing into it? Probably not much.

11.8 @$99 is $1,180 plus $3,800 for motor is a $5,000 repair. That seems online with what we were thinking it should be.

 

[Turdle]

Posting this information. It seems like the 2011 to early 2012 explorer 3.5's have a different water pump part number than late 2012 up.

does then V6 EcoBoost explorer have this same design and or failure rate?

still suggesting a dye in the coolant which can be checked for when checking the oil level at every fill up. If coolant was weeping into the oil the dye would show on the dip stick using the special light and glasses.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Posting this information. It seems like the 2011 to early 2012 explorer 3.5's have a different water pump part number than late 2012 up.

does then V6 EcoBoost explorer have this same design and or failure rate?

still suggesting a dye in the coolant which can be checked for when checking the oil level at every fill up. If coolant was weeping into the oil the dye would show on the dip stick using the special light and glasses.

I am seeing the same part # even though it says up to 1/2/12 and from 1/2/12

I looked at 11, 13, 14 and 15MY, all part #
DG1Z-8501-A

 

[Turdle]

I am seeing the same part # even though it says up to 1/2/12 and from 1/2/12

I looked at 11, 13, 14 and 15MY, all part #
DG1Z-8501-A

Look at aftermarket parts. The Ford part may just be the updated unit?

 

[blwnsmoke]

Look at aftermarket parts. The Ford part may just be the updated unit?

If it is updated, the number changes. Even if it is the same part but it is a different supplier, the part number changes.

 

[peterk9]

If it is updated, the number changes. Even if it is the same part but it is a different supplier, the part number changes.

There are a couple members with 2011 Explorers who mentioned in their posts that the replacement pumps were a new design.

 

[peterk9]

Posting this information. It seems like the 2011 to early 2012 explorer 3.5's have a different water pump part number than late 2012 up.

does then V6 EcoBoost explorer have this same design and or failure rate?

still suggesting a dye in the coolant which can be checked for when checking the oil level at every fill up. If coolant was weeping into the oil the dye would show on the dip stick using the special light and glasses.

There is only one report here of a 2014 Sport having a water pump failure but no water into the engine. There is also a 2013 PIU but unsure of which engine it has.
Overall there are only 6 verified 5th generation Explorers with failures in this thread.

Peter

 

[Turdle]

Ok, so, instead of just trusting Ford on this one, how about looking at the aftermarket?

Rockauto says 2011 explorer uses a single row of teeth water pump. motorcraft part number PW515
late 2012 up ( after 1 2 2012) use double row of teeth Motorcraft part number PW580

so, there is definitely a part number and part difference, and Ford might just be trying to cover their tracks is all I am saying.

 

[tripplec]

I recently doing some research into new SUV's and leap forward of 2010 to see if the 5th Gen was worthy or not to consider.

At this juncture I'd say no.

I have grown adverse to transverse mounted engines especially if they're using a timing belt rather than a timing chain. The internal water pump is another aspect to stay away from IMO. Servicing is made more complex comparing to the inline V8's even of the 4th Gen Explorer. I read some reviews and not sure what they meant but 2016 year saw Ford addressing change to the line which were not good prior. But I don't recall them detailing the points. I had not looked further into this since 2016 would be too new for me anyway. I came across the engine issue and resulted in THE END for the consideration.

 

[GregInBoston]

Update on my 2011 Explorer Limited with 77k miles (had warranty up to 75k)...dealer (Herb Chambers Ford in Braintree, MA) had to tear down the engine ($700) to diagnose the issue. The have said they need to replace the water pump, thermostat, timing covers on gaskets, and reset the timing chain ($2400). They have also said the transmission PTU is leaking and needs to be replaced ($1850). Total repair cost is just shy of $5000. Dealer reached out to Ford for some relief, but they, of course, said no. I asked the dealer if they would be interested in buying back the car and was given a low ball offer of $9000 even though they currently have similar '11 Explorers on their lot selling for $18-19k. I am planning on reaching out to a local repair shop to see if I am better off getting car towed there to get repairs. Needless to say, I am quite frustrated by the whole experience with the dealer and Ford.

 

[tripplec]

Hmm Miles is quite low for the failure. Likely because of age they backed out. But as the dealer sort of acknowledged in trying for you. It should not have happened and is an engineering issue.
Another engine from a newer year etc may be better but as my son has an 09 and looking myself maybe newer I find the reliability is not their in the 5th gen power train.

If you are changing in that gen you want one much much newer if they fixed it more reliably who knows for sure. PTU maybe just left alone for another day if needed.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Update on my 2011 Explorer Limited with 77k miles (had warranty up to 75k)...dealer (Herb Chambers Ford in Braintree, MA) had to tear down the engine ($700) to diagnose the issue. The have said they need to replace the water pump, thermostat, timing covers on gaskets, and reset the timing chain ($2400). They have also said the transmission PTU is leaking and needs to be replaced ($1850). Total repair cost is just shy of $5000. Dealer reached out to Ford for some relief, but they, of course, said no. I asked the dealer if they would be interested in buying back the car and was given a low ball offer of $9000 even though they currently have similar '11 Explorers on their lot selling for $18-19k. I am planning on reaching out to a local repair shop to see if I am better off getting car towed there to get repairs. Needless to say, I am quite frustrated by the whole experience with the dealer and Ford.

If they are already pulling the motor, it is already disconnected from the ptu It should be a very quick swap on the PTU and those are $700. No way should it be $1850 for a ptu with a motor already pulled out.

 

[Patricia Brochu]

I own a 2011 Ford Explorer Limited. I am beside myself right now, 2 weeks ago my water pump went and I limped it to the dealer. At first they said my water pump exploded and the estimate went from $700 to $2,800. After being there almost 2 weeks, I've just been informed my motor is blown. There were no warning signs such as overheating nor did the engine light come on so I'm having a really hard time grasping this news. I just read on another site that someone else had the same problem. I'm looking at a bill to replace the motor with a used one (59,000 miles) for a minimum of $5,000. Has anyone else had this issue?