Water pump replacement, do it before it goes out?

[Rayxor]

You may want to upgrade the oil pump while you are in there. I wish I did it when mine was apart. They make an upgraded unit with higher spring pressure which really helps on high mileage cold starts. The cam phasers tend to rattle on startup due to poor oil flow.

That's a good idea. Thanks, I appreciate that.

 

[boominXplorer]

125k would be my interval. I've seen them go as early as 70k but the majority I do have around 150k on them. As long as your engine is nice and clean on the inside I'd only replace the water pump and timing chain at 100-125k. Then after 200k do all timing components. Those phasers/ solenoids are a little pricey and don't need replacing at 100k if the engine is clean. If you have sludge from a neglecting previous owner then replacing all isn't a bad idea.

 

[Rayxor]

125k would be my interval. I've seen them go as early as 70k but the majority I do have around 150k on them. As long as your engine is nice and clean on the inside I'd only replace the water pump and timing chain at 100-125k. Then after 200k do all timing components. Those phasers/ solenoids are a little pricey and don't need replacing at 100k if the engine is clean. If you have sludge from a neglecting previous owner then replacing all isn't a bad idea.

That's good to know, thank you! I was thinking about doing it since the labor is about the same but I'll just ask the shop to look at it and if it needs it then have it done.

 

[RonParise]

You may want to upgrade the oil pump while you are in there. I wish I did it when mine was apart. They make an upgraded unit with higher spring pressure which really helps on high mileage cold starts. The cam phasers tend to rattle on startup due to poor oil flow.

heres a youtube video that talks about the oil pump upgrade

 

[RonParise]

I had no idea about the water pump issue until about 200000 miles. I did a preemptive replacement then. The old pump looked to be in pretty good shape, but the shaft was not spinning as freely as it should

Im now at 380,000 miles and Im waiting for a mechanic to call me with a price to do it again. This time I think its the timing chain guides that need to be replaced

 

[Horton horton]

Just picked up my 2014 Explorer about two weeks ago. Love it but the horror stories on the water pump bothers me. Would it be a good idea to have it changed along with the timing chains or wait until it starts leaking out the weep hole? It has 103k miles on it and I want it to last 200k+ miles. While there in there, figured I would have the cam phasers and solenoids changed out since the phasers are the same labor as the water pump. Going to get the transmission flushed as well then onto the mods. Want it 100% settled before the fun stuff gets started.

Edit, dealer offered 3 months 3k mile power train warranty but with the way the part supplies are now. Would rather fix it now instead of waiting for something that might go wrong.

Most of the lawsuits are lost because ford Is claiming there is no way they would know anything on life of the equipment ( water pu mp) they need to be sued for the design. What idiot would place a water pump inside a motor when the history of water pumps have leaking before they go out.. as people are stung with costs of new engines they're jumping off loyal customer list and going else where to buy. Water pumps are just one of the biggest problems ford has, they also use plastic guides for the timing chains also inside the motor that go out at 70,000 miles plastic that is supposed to be heat resistant.. but is not..the new design people that Ford have are truly products of the broken school system.. they used to have the best product....not anymore.... they lost me as a customer..

 

[peterk9]

^^ Welcome to the Forum.
The 5th gen 3.5L transverse-mounted engine did not allow for room for an external pump. The 6th gen now has a longitudinally mounted engine and an external water pump. Also, the 5th gen with the 2.3L engine has an external one. Not every failure results in a ruined engine if caught in time. Having said that, I agree that it was not the best-designed set-up.

Peter

 

[94Eddie]

Also, Ford isn't the only automaker to use engines with internal water pumps. The incompetence regarding this design isn't just a Ford thing.

 

[FordFlintrock]

The incompetence regarding this design isn't just a Ford thing.

It is generally a Millennial thing who know everything about everything because they saw it on YouTube.

 

[94Eddie]

It is generally a Millennial thing who know everything about everything because they saw it on YouTube.

A lot of times it is the bean counters telling the engineers to save a few dollars by turning out a bad design.