What brand water pump?

[Nate Tidwell]

Hey, I searched and searched... In your opinion, aside from own Motorcraft, what's the best brand water pump for the money? I have confirmed a leak from the water pump weep hole. I doubt it should leak on a cool engine, while turning by hand, but it does. More and more everyday. If I'm lucky, I get one day off a week (this is not a lucky week). So if I'm going to go through the hassle of finding an appropriate 30mm clutch wrench and dealing with potentially corroded or rusty pump bolts and replacing the hoses (old and squishy), I want the thing to last. Locally (advance auto O'Reilly's, AutoZone, Napa), they are around $65 for an aftermarket or $90 for a Motorcraft. Online, they vary, and obviously there are more options. Not a huge rush, I can wait of I have to order it, most of my travelling and towing is in a company truck.


PS.... It's for my 96 with the 5.0

 

[koda2000]

I bought a Gates w/p (same as what O'Reilly sells) on-line for about $50. I typically don't buy Motorcraft parts unless there's no other choice (they're just too expensive, and for no reason I can determine). There are parts (like plug wires, spark plugs and the cam synchronizer) where I will pay for the Motorcraft brand because there is a big difference in the quality and/or the way the parts perform in my Ford, but I don't think this applies to a w/p.

Changing the w/p on a 5.0 is an absolutely miserable job, especially on an engine that's over 20 years old, so I do think you should use a quality brand part to minimize the chance of you having to repeat this job anytime in the near future, but IMO paying double for a Motorcraft brand part does no insure this. Most new water pumps will come with a lifetime warranty, but it's not just the cost of the w/p you want protection for.

BTW - Other parts/tools you will likely need are:
- A New timing cover and gasket
- If you end up having to remove/replace the timing cover, you might want to install a new timing chain set while you're at at.
- New water pump bolts
- Anti-seize
- Easy outs
- A hand-held MAP torch

The long w/p bolts will likely break off inside the timing cover. You may have luck by drilling holes in the timing cover, so that you can get a penetrant onto the rusted bolts (a 50/50 mix of ATF & acetone work quite well and heat is also helpful). Don't waste your time trying to spray penetrant on the bolt heads. Don't be surprised if you have to pretty much destroy the timing cover to get at the long w/p bolts.

Good luck! Worst job I've ever tackled on my Explorers.

 

[Nate Tidwell]

I'm used to stuck/seized/rusted/rotted crap. I lived in Massachusetts for about18 years where salt on the roads kills everything. So I have e-z outs and such. Good to know about the tc cover, plastic I assume?
Like I mentioned, I'm not in dire need of having it fixed asap. Is there a less stressful way to get the job done, or just the usual, remove shroud,fan blade, etc. If there is a longer, but less stressful way, I'm open to it... Maybe I'm weird, but I'd rather take longer than to stress and cuss at the thing.

 

[koda2000]

Removing the fan shroud is easy once the clutch fan is removed, so yes that will make the job slightly easier, but not "easy" by any means. Removing the radiator and A/C condenser might give you additional room to work, but there is no easy way to replace the 5.0 w/p. Removing/reinstalling a radiator on a 5.0 Expl is not a simple task either and removing the A/C condenser would require removing the refrigerant. The timing cover is made of aluminum.

The biggest problem/issue is the bolts that pass through the timing cover rust and swell, making them nearly impossible to extract. Even if they break you still need to remove the timing cover, which will be difficult. If it wasn't for that, replacing the 5.0 w/p would not be difficult. The w/p bolts rusting in the timing cover really has little to do whether the you live in the rust-belt or not. The bolts screw into the engine block and into the water jacket. Eventually coolant seeps up the threads of the bolts causing them to rust inside the timing cover.

 

[Nate Tidwell]

Might go ahead and pull the radiator and condenser if it helps. no refrigerant will be lost, it's gone. P.O removed the compressor and cut the lines, but left the rest... Maybe I could repurpose the condenser, or it'll end up in the scrap pile.

No longer stuck in the rust belt though in sunny Florida

 

[lobo411]

I bought a Delco on Amazon because it was listed as Made in USA. Of course, it wasn't...China. But it seemed to be well made, and I haven't had any problems with it.

 

[koda2000]

If the A/C condenser is already empty/disconnected, removing the radiator will be easy, so at least that's a plus. The condenser being attached to the radiator on the 5.0 is what makes getting the radiator out/in difficult. The 4.0L radiators and w/p's are a piece of cake to r&r.

I've learned that the only auto parts store that lends a quality tool for removing the fan nut is O'Reilly. Most of the nuts are RH thread, but some were LF. It should be embossed on the radiator shroud as to which you have. The fan nut tool that AutoZone and Advance lend are crap. They are too thin and too soft and just end up stretching. Junk. Some here have reported getting the fan nut loose using a chisel or punch, but I've never tried that method.

Tip: Leave the serpentine belt on until the fan nut is loose.

 

[Nate Tidwell]

Cool, O'Reilly's is convenient, only a few blocks from the shop.

 

[Nate Tidwell]

Is there anything else I should take care while everything is apart? I haven't started yet, but as I'm getting everything together, I'd rather knock out everything at once. Did I mention that the mileage is unknown? I do know it was poorly maintained and the odometer stopped at about 158k miles.
So far: water pump, thermostat, radiator hoses, heater hoses, flush the cooling system, timing chain and cover (found one used in good shape for $30+ shipping), and an oil change. Fuel pump, filter, plugs and wires, front and rear brake pads, and oil change were done in December.

 

[koda2000]

ldler pulleys and belt tensioner?

 

[Nate Tidwell]

Forgot all about those

 

[Mountinheer]

https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/6005376107.html

Maybe go pickup one of these?


Might have a good pump already! (And AC!)

 

[Nate Tidwell]

I don't have the extra cash at the moment. Just took care of my sister's repairs on her tundra as she and my brother in law are driving it to ohio for my brother in law's mother's funeral.
Side note, Orlando is only about a 90 minute ride from here.

 

[Mountinheer]

just teasin. Looks like a good buy though.... Sell yours to some schmuck for $2k then go get it!


Seriously, don't take this job lightly. It sucks.

And I recommend new clutch and fan so you don't grenade that new pump with it's sloppy ass new bearing in it.

Sorry... just spent over $1k and nearly stranded my family in a blizzard because of a "new" pump. Glad it had that warranty....

 

[Nate Tidwell]

Kinda been thinking of going with an efan from a Taurus or an HHR eventually, might do it when I finally start working on it.

 

[Nate Tidwell]

Just an update, the pump started making noise, so the job got bumped up on the priority list. Luckily, I had a bored neighbor. Went and picked up the $67 pump from Orielly's since you all said they had the best fan tool ($80 deposit). Saturday my neighbor decided since he was bored that he'd do it. He pulled the fan, shroud, radiator, and that useless condenser. He proceeded to pull the belt and then the water pump. Not one bolt was seized or corroded, he had exactly zero issues using just hand tools. Went back together just as easily. The only issue was that he forgot to let the air out, luckily I was standing there and reminded him.

 

[Nate Tidwell]

Oh, in the mean time, I picked up a second vehicle that's a little better on gas.