Water pump failure leads to dead engine

[Chrisrj8084]

So interesting to find this thread. I previously owned a 2011 explorer limited which I bought used in 2018. The dealer replaced the strut tower brace and driver side mirror shortly after I bought it and I had no trouble whatsover up until mid last month.

My wife started using the car to commute to work once a week, 120 mile round trip. The first time she had an issue on her way home going up some hills, the car struggled going up some hills but ran fine again once it upshifted. Drove the car the remainder of the week with no apparent issues. Not know about this water pump issue I thought maybe the car was just old and it was just for a short time and ran fine otherwise.

Following week she drives to work again no problem until coming home. Same struggle over the hill but this time it got worse. By time she made it into town it was running real rough and giving her the warning about the engine running hot so she ended up having to pull over.

Drove the car to the shop from there (thankfully it was less than a 2 mile trip).

So the mechanic says the timing chain was bad which killed the water pump. Unfortunately we had no idea for that whole week as there were no warnings and the car ran fine. But because of all the driving the engine was dead and there was no coming back from that. He quoted me at 5000 for a new engine.

Just crazy to me that this is even possible. That one component failing can kill the whole engine. Up until reading this thread I hadn't been able to understand why but I see now that coolant gets into the oil and blows the head and it's goodnight engine. Really sucks.

So I ended up buying a 2016 Sport which I had wanted to get into a newer explorer anyway. But lo and behold that one is having the PTU issues, go figure.

 

[peterk9]

Just keep an eye on the coolant level. When coolant leaks into the engine, the oil on the dipstick will usually take on a 'milky' colour.

Peter

 

[Chrisrj8084]

Just keep an eye on the coolant level. When coolant leaks into the engine, the oil on the dipstick will usually take on a 'milky' colour.

Peter

Yep now I know about these issues so I know to make it a point to check my coolant levels and check my oil.

 

[JohnelP]

So the mechanic says the timing chain was bad which killed the water pump. Unfortunately we had no idea for that whole week as there were no warnings and the car ran fine. But because of all the driving the engine was dead and there was no coming back from that. He quoted me at 5000 for a new engine.

Just crazy to me that this is even possible. That one component failing can kill the whole engine. Up until reading this thread I hadn't been able to understand why but I see now that coolant gets into the oil and blows the head and it's goodnight engine. Really sucks.

So I ended up buying a 2016 Sport which I had wanted to get into a newer explorer anyway. But lo and behold that one is having the PTU issues, go figure.

>>So the mechanic says the timing chain was bad which killed the water pump.
That was not a mechanic. Anything, but mechanic.

 

[ISTGradFromPSU]

With 54,500 miles on the odometer, the water pump was found to be the source of my leak. I had noticed a drop in the coolant reservoir (about a 1/4-1/2" below bottom cold line) but couldn't visually see any residue. Luckily I have an ESP and everything is covered. Just waiting on the parts to come in.

 

[m00nJump3r]

What other parts do you recommend changing when you go in to replace the waterpump?

 

[peterk9]

What other parts do you recommend changing when you go in to replace the waterpump?

Most have also changed the timing chain and tensioner as mentioned in a few posts in this thread.

Peter

 

[MAS Tequila]

Most have also changed the timing chain and tensioner as mentioned in a few posts in this thread.

Peter

Cam Phasers are right there also.

 

[peterk9]

Cam Phasers are right there also.

I knew there was something else.

Peter

 

[m00nJump3r]

Questions:

1. What brand timing chain kit should be okay? Any recommendations? The mechanic wants to use Cloyes.

2. Any other components not in the kit that should be replaced?

3. If coolant get in the engine, do you always having to replace the engine? If no, is there a procedure to flush all the coolant out?

4. Would you recommend changing the oil pump as well? If so, do you have to drop the oil pan?

Thank you

 

[texsn95]

Keep an eye on the weep hole area and also monitor the coolant level religiously. I marked mine with a sharpie. I just replaced my water pump due to it leaking out the weep hole. If you have any mechanical skill it can be done yourself. These engines are well designed believe it or not (lets not talk about the water pump) so everything comes apart rather easily.

How much drop did you notice and how long did you monitor it?

 

[peterk9]

How much drop did you notice and how long did you monitor it?

If you're concerned about coolant leaking into the engine, check the oil on the dipstick to see if it is a milky (contaminated) colour.

Peter

 

[texsn95]

Sure will, got some 50/50 to bring the level up to the cold line and will take a photo. Last oil change was only a few k ago and it looked fine then.

 

[Ntrain]

How much drop did you notice and how long did you monitor it?

Started with a puddle about 6" around. Got it fixed within 2 weeks.

 

[texsn95]

Started with a puddle about 6" around. Got it fixed within 2 weeks.

Lucky yours was the external leak. I wonder what the normal leak rate is if the internal seal starts to fail.

 

[mguy13sport]

When my water pump leaked there was no coolant on the ground. It was dripping onto the AC compressor just a small amount at a time. The reservoir was not low so I caught it pretty early.

 

[m00nJump3r]

After replacing my water pump, I didn't experience any sputtering issues before. I'm aware that problems like this could be linked to issues such as a fuel injector problem, a dirty fuel filter, a malfunctioning mass air flow sensor, among other possibilities. Do you think the water pump replacement could be related to this, and if so, what might be causing it?

 

[PlatinumOwner]

The water pump just failed on my 2016 @ 44K miles. Timing chain & tensioner required replacement too. They also found that the valve cover was cracked so they replaced that. All covered under Ford ESP.

 

[peterk9]

That seems like a low mileage for this to occur already, especially taking the other items into account. Glad it was all covered under the ESP.

Peter

 

[PlatinumOwner]

That seems like a low mileage for this to occur already, especially taking the other items into account. Glad it was all covered under the ESP.

Peter

Yes, I’m really glad I bought that Ford ESP! There are only a few months left of it.