2017 Water Pump? New to Ford forum.

[Buzzman12]

Hi,
I'm long time car owner, over 50 years of driving experience.
I've had lots of different vehicles over that span as you can imagine.
Some great, and some not so great.
I have two vehicles, one of which is on it's last legs (wheels).
I need to replace it, and was looking at buying a 2-3 year old Explorer.
Budget wise, I was looking at 2017's which sell at a realistic price point at the moment.
Reading through a few posts and threads on here, I'm having second thoughts about that now.
The main concern (which I was not previously aware of), is the internal water pump design on the 3.5 engine.
Last thing I want to do is buy a used truck, just to have a catastrophic failure later on.
I guess what I'm asking is, is this a real concern, or is it just a few one off occurrences that seems worse because of this forum?
Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated about any potential purchase.
The more information, the better.
Thanks

 

[Odrapnew]

Internet searching and forums will usually make issue sound worse (more widespread) than it is.

There is a multiple page thread on here talking about the water pump.

Yes, the water pump can fail and cause catastrophic engine damage. How widespread is not really known.

As a data point, my wife's 2009 CX9 has same internal water pump and is still rocking the original @ 185k miles.

 

[Buzzman12]

Ah yes, the good old days when Mazda and Ford had an affair...lol.
I'm a Mazda owner and long time member of a Mazda forum, so I knew of the relationship that they had in the past.
I never put 2 and 2 together re: water pump design though. Makes sense
I'll be interested to see what the CX-9 people over there have to say about it.

To explain a little further, I have a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder that's pretty much rusting into oblivion.
That's the price we pay for living in Canada in a snow/salt belt.
I'm still running it for the rest of the winter, but plan to replace it before the warm summer weather kicks in.
It runs OK, but has issues, like no AC for starters.
Anyway, I'm leaning towards a 2017 model year Explorer, partly because I've read that the info system was improved that year.
The earlier Sync 3 system gets brutal reviews.
(The current Pathfinder is off the table. Nissan managed to ruin a great product when they introduced the latest generation.)

If you or anyone has any pointers on what to look for, or opinions on the Explorer in general, I'd appreciate any feedback and comments.
I'm particularly interested in seeing the difference between a V6 and the 4 banger.
My old school thinking just doesn't allow me to accept a small four cylinder engine in a three row large SUV.
2.3 litres translates to 140 cubic inches, in an Explorer. I don't know about that.
Cheers.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
This may be useful. List of Useful Threads - Hints for a Pre-Pick Up Inspection & Used Ex. Check List
The 2011 - 2016 Explorers had MyFord Touch (Sync 2). The 2017+ have Sync 3.
I believe the 2.3L Ecoboost has an external water pump.

Peter

 

[94Eddie]

My advice is to buy a low mileage certified used Explorer with a 100k warranty. This will cover a water pump failure for several years. Then when it is out of warranty start thinking about doing a preemptive water pump replacement to avoid a catastrophic failure. My wife drives an Edge with this motor and once it is out of warranty at 100k miles we plan on replacing the water pump. Other than the water pump issue the naturally asperated 3.5L engines are very well designed and reliable which is why we will change the pump and drive it for another 100k miles.

 

[Michael Lopour]

I'll second what 94Eddie says, just extend your powertrain warranty via CPO or on your own. I took my new '19 out to 8yrs/100k for under $1500, if the water pump takes the engine I'd get an ROI on that of 3-5x. If not it's cheap peace of mind and if I sell before the warranty is up it will help it sell faster. All that said, if you can, drive the 2.3 ecoboost and see if it would meet your needs. Plenty of power, much better mileage, and no water pump worries if that powertrain works for you.

 

[Buzzman12]

Hey folks, thanks for the feedback.
Before even posting here, I was thinking about an extended warranty if I buy one.
I also thought about a pre-emptive strike on the water pump.
Being very familiar with Nissans, I know the Pathfinders from 2005 to 2011 had similar issues.
The radiators in those trucks would fail, and water would mix with tranny fluid and destroy the transmission.
Most people replace the radiators at 100K just to be safe.
I'd do the same with the water pump probably.
Anyway, a lot to think about for sure.
Thanks again.

 

[Timothy Powell]

Hi,
I'm long time car owner, over 50 years of driving experience.
I've had lots of different vehicles over that span as you can imagine.
Some great, and some not so great.
I have two vehicles, one of which is on it's last legs (wheels).
I need to replace it, and was looking at buying a 2-3 year old Explorer.
Budget wise, I was looking at 2017's which sell at a realistic price point at the moment.
Reading through a few posts and threads on here, I'm having second thoughts about that now.
The main concern (which I was not previously aware of), is the internal water pump design on the 3.5 engine.
Last thing I want to do is buy a used truck, just to have a catastrophic failure later on.
I guess what I'm asking is, is this a real concern, or is it just a few one off occurrences that seems worse because of this forum?
Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated about any potential purchase.
The more information, the better.
Thanks

I bought a 2017 Explorer Sport new and I now have right at 50,000 miles on it and it has not missed a beat. I have been extremely happy with the 3.5 EcoBoost other than the gas mileage .... no issues at all to date .... pulled trailers with it as well ......

 

[DelcoGary]

I second (third?) 94Eddie's advice. As far as the 4cyl EB vs 3.5 V6, I have a 2016 ecoboost XLT "4wd" and it seems fine with the boosted 2.3L. It has more torque than the 3.5L and I prefer the response in normal driving. I don't do any towing so I have no basis of comparison for that. The 3.5L may respond better in highway and passing maneuvers with it's greater horsepower compared to the 2.3L.

I am getting around 20 mpg in daily suburban-ish commute. I'll see mid-20s on highway trips with the 2.3L.

While the MFT in the 16 is fine (in my opinion), I believe the 17 and up have compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay through Sync 3, which is worthwhile.

Hopefully this helps.

 

[56_F100]

Here's my 2-bits. I bought a 2015 CPO Explorer Sport with the 3.5 EcoBoost and 43k on the odometer. Also bought the extended warranty that covers the full vehicle due to the vast amount of electronics.. Love the ride, have put on 13,600 since purchase, kept track of every fill up and get 17.6 MPG with mostly around town driving. With 365 hp and 350 #-ft this is a hot rod. Had I kept control of my right foot, the mileage would be 20+. I've learned that by putting a couple tanks thru without acting like a NASCAR driver. Had the seal on the front of the driver side rear door split (a 10 minute replacement) and had the passenger side windshield molding fly off. Learned this latter problem was caused because the windshield was replaced without using the proper tools to release the clips that retain the molding and after breaking them, the installer attached the molding with windshield sealer. I replaced the broken parts with OEM - an expensive fix. Otherwise, this has been a great vehicle, requiring no unusual maintenance.

 

[DigitalDaze]

Have a 2011 explorer, last year we had to have the water pump replaced. Just before our extended warranty ran out at 100k miles. Lucky it was under warranty.... The guy said it would normally be close to a $3K job. That was at the dealer. I pray I don't have to change it myself... Seems like a PITA.

 

[BoMan]

Hi,
I'm long time car owner, over 50 years of driving experience.
I've had lots of different vehicles over that span as you can imagine.
Some great, and some not so great.
I have two vehicles, one of which is on it's last legs (wheels).
I need to replace it, and was looking at buying a 2-3 year old Explorer.
Budget wise, I was looking at 2017's which sell at a realistic price point at the moment.
Reading through a few posts and threads on here, I'm having second thoughts about that now.
The main concern (which I was not previously aware of), is the internal water pump design on the 3.5 engine.
Last thing I want to do is buy a used truck, just to have a catastrophic failure later on.
I guess what I'm asking is, is this a real concern, or is it just a few one off occurrences that seems worse because of this forum?
Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated about any potential purchase.
The more information, the better.
Thanks

Had this exact issue last year. I have a 2015 Explorer sport. At the time, my vehicle had 57,000 miles on it and purchased it new. Purchased extended warranty when I bought the car. Took it in originally for a small coolant leak. Was advised it was the water pump issue. Dealership had my car for a month due to needing a heavy engine tech to repair and I was #11 in line for repair. Not sure if all in front of me was for same issue. If you look it up it will tell you it's a very involved repair hence the expensive repair cost. My issue is they didn't repair it correctly and I wasn't getting boost after the repair. Took it back with no resolution from dealer. Took to another dealer and it was repaired and they repaired it for free advising that the CAC tube simply was loose. Got boost back but was now making a loud whooshing noise like i have seen when some guys were leaving a tube disconnected when achieving boost. It wasn't noticeable before repair but I was just glad to have boost back. Reason I now know this is due to lack of boost, had terrible gas mileage. Then I screwed up engine changing spark plugs to increase gas mileage and spark plug broke while changing that I was unaware of. Needless to say not good. 13,000 repair cost later due to not wanting to buy a new car right now, car runs the same which is good, without the loud whooshing sound and plenty of boost. Gas mileage still bad at around 14 MPG. So goes life. I think there's actually a class action against Ford due to the water pump issue. Not sure how to post the site but look it up. Just put in Ford water pump class action and you should get the sites. If you purchase vehicle just be careful as others have posted. Hopes this helps.

 

[Satz]

Hi,
I'm long time car owner, over 50 years of driving experience.
I've had lots of different vehicles over that span as you can imagine.
Some great, and some not so great.
I have two vehicles, one of which is on it's last legs (wheels).
I need to replace it, and was looking at buying a 2-3 year old Explorer.
Budget wise, I was looking at 2017's which sell at a realistic price point at the moment.
Reading through a few posts and threads on here, I'm having second thoughts about that now.
The main concern (which I was not previously aware of), is the internal water pump design on the 3.5 engine.
Last thing I want to do is buy a used truck, just to have a catastrophic failure later on.
I guess what I'm asking is, is this a real concern, or is it just a few one off occurrences that seems worse because of this forum?
Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated about any potential purchase.
The more information, the better.
Thanks

I have a 2011 XLT with 170k now. i have not even changed the coolant once in this car yet. hopefully i can it to 200k plus. runs smooth and has some minor issues but nothing crazy. i did tow a camper for a few years so lost some bearing and brakes fast. Now i only tow a small trailer with a motorcycle and seems to be holding up .

 

[Bobs2018ExplorerSport]

I had the same issue show-up on my 2018 3.5, at only around 12K miles... but, lucky for me, I first noticed a very small gummy orange substance staining underneath a component on the front of the engine, as well as a very slight drop in the Degas bottle. Turned out it was coolant seeping from the hidden weephole on the front of the engine, fed by a leaking water pump seal on the internally-mounted water pump.

The dealership had the car for 8 days (giving me a free loaner the entire time), as it was a fairly complicated engine tear-down effort to resolve it. Luckily for me, it was fully covered under the original factory warranty, and I hate to think what the cost would have been just to replace the water pump... much less the entire engine (as some others have suffered). Even though there was no appearance of coolant getting into the oiling system (yet), they also did an oil and filter change to make sure there was zero chance of any cross-contamination, and their work seemed to be above being thorough.

I now routinely check the Degas bottle to make sure there is no change in the level of coolant, as there's not a lot else you can do (until it may be too late) to catch the issue early, before it can do some major engine damage.

 

[Satz]

I had the same issue show-up on my 2018 3.5, at only around 12K miles... but, lucky for me, I first noticed a very small gummy orange substance staining underneath a component on the front of the engine, as well as a very slight drop in the Degas bottle. Turned out it was coolant seeping from the hidden weephole on the front of the engine, fed by a leaking water pump seal on the internally-mounted water pump.

The dealership had the car for 8 days (giving me a free loaner the entire time), as it was a fairly complicated engine tear-down effort to resolve it. Luckily for me, it was fully covered under the original factory warranty, and I hate to think what the cost would have been just to replace the water pump... much less the entire engine (as some others have suffered). Even though there was no appearance of coolant getting into the oiling system (yet), they also did an oil and filter change to make sure there was zero chance of any cross-contamination, and their work seemed to be above being thorough.

I now routinely check the Degas bottle to make sure there is no change in the level of coolant, as there's not a lot else you can do (until it may be too late) to catch the issue early, before it can do some major engine damage.

I park in my garage so do check the floor for a drip. I just past 175k on the 3.5 and never even changed the coolant. If it drips I am trading it in. My engine pulled a 4k camper loaded with bikes on its roof, kids ,dogs etc on many adventures even without a tow package. Great car and might get another. Hopefully I can hit 200k plus .

 

[Bobs2018ExplorerSport]

Glad to hear that you're doing so well on yours! 175K miles? EXCELLENT!

I love my 2018, and this very premature failure of the water pump is the only serious thing that's happened to me... so far... knock on wood!

 

[turbo23]

I have had my 2017 Explorer Sport for about a year and a half. Started with 11,000 miles now it shows 26k. If I had the choice I would do it again, we did extend the warranty as much as we could. It was a one owner trade. Something to consider is getting a 2018 because it can be started with an app, I believe and lock and unlock, etc with a paid data plan, something like that. It is certainly a beast with the boosted 3.5. A lot of people buy these not realizing they really run best on premium fuel. They wont make the horsepower numbers without it, read the fine print. I'm am changing the PTU fluid, grease whatever this summer and it does have a vapor catch can. It is the car everybody wants to take when we go anywhere. We will just keep an eye on the water pump but we don't expect keeping it past the warranty expiring. Enjoy!