A Ford Explorer water pump can cost you thousands.

[Moonglow]

Yep..
The piece of shit 74 Mustang I had used the vinyl timing gears.
When they shattered it fucked up the engine badly.
Not to mention the thermostat was located behind the water pump.

I made the mistake of buying a Mustang Ghia.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I made the mistake of buying a Mustang Ghia.

Yikes!!
In my defense it was my first car and belonged to a neighbors mother and he gave me a good deal on it,or so I thought.
It was already 8 years old when I got it so it was well past its useful life.

 

[gipper]

Yes, I liked the 6 until the body change in 1979.

A few years back I was looking to buy one. I looked at a few but they all had rusting undercarriage.

 

[petro]

Leave it to Ford to design something that idiotic.
Had a 74 Mustang and they put the thermostat behind the water pump.
Turned a 15 minute job into a day long repair.

I had the 74 Mustang 2.
What a piece of shit.

 

[gipper]

I had the 74 Mustang 2.
What a piece of shit.

Yeah a buddy had one too. Total POS.

 

[petro]

Yeah a buddy had one too. Total POS.

0 to 60 in thirty minutes.
Was basically a Pinto.

 

[petro]

Thats not really saying much.
I haven't had to replace a water pump in 40 years.

I've had to replace two in about the same time frame.
One was my 96 Grand Cherokee.
Simple as hell and had enough money to do the entire coolant system in an afternoon. Radiator, hoses, thermostat..
Total cost was under 500 bucks for everything.

I drive my vehicles until they literally fall apart. Typically twenty years.

 

[gipper]

0 to 60 in thirty minutes.
Was basically a Pinto.

Had owned a 1976 Ford Maverick. It too was a POS. It rusted out very quickly.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I've had to replace two in about the same time frame.
One was my 96 Grand Cherokee.
Simple as hell and had enough money to do the entire coolant system in an afternoon. Radiator, hoses, thermostat..
Total cost was under 500 bucks for everything.

I drive my vehicles until they literally fall apart. Typically twenty years.

I'll generally keep a truck for ten years. I hate getting a new truck because I have to do all of my favorite mods all over again which runs around 15k.
I figure my latest truck will be my last vehicle. It's a 2016 Tundra and only has around 11k miles on it.

 

[petro]

Had owned a 1976 Ford Maverick. It too was a POS. It rusted out very quickly.

Worst car my parents owned was a 72 Vega.
Didn't even make 80K miles.
Early '70s had a lot of clunkers on the market.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Then you should buy the lottery ticket.
The internal pump is the exact same design as an external, the only difference being mounted inside the engine and a sprocket for a chain drive instead of a belt.
Except when the internal fails there is no warning until the vehicle overheats and lets coolant into the engine while the external leaves a puddle on the garage floor.
Stupid design and you will never convince me otherwise.

Sorry if that offends your particular favorite brand.

You are obviously NOT a mechanic of any skill. Most water pump failures are wear and tear on the water pump impeller vanes, caused by age and/or abuse of the engine. There is no water leakage. It just won't pump water!

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

I had the 74 Mustang 2.
What a piece of shit.

My wife has a 74 also I believe. The entire car was cheap. I got in the car on a cold day in Alabama (so not very cold) and the door handle snapped off in my hand!

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

You are obviously NOT a mechanic of any skill. Most water pump failures are wear and tear on the water pump impeller vanes, caused by age and/or abuse of the engine. There is no water leakage. It just won't pump water!

Most water pump failures are due to the seal failing.

4 Common Causes of Water Pump Failure and How To Prevent Them | GMB Blog

A water pump is Essential to vehicle Operation - Here's how to Identify and Avoid the four most common Causes of Water Pump failure.

gmb.net

 

[petro]

You are obviously NOT a mechanic of any skill. Most water pump failures are wear and tear on the water pump impeller vanes, caused by age and/or abuse of the engine. There is no water leakage. It just won't pump water!

Funny, in that one the seal was fried and spraying fluid all over in the compartment.

Most will leak a little puddle overnight on the garage floor.
I wrench on my own shit all the time and have saved thousands over the years.

6 Signs You May Have a Bad Water Pump On Your Hands

Know the signs of when you have a bad water pump. Do yourself a favor and pay attention to the warning signs before it's too late for your engine.

knowhow.napaonline.com

From the link...
Feel free to argue with Napa...
One telltale sign of a soon-to-be-faulty water pump is a noticeable coolant leak toward the front of the vehicle. If the car is left overnight and you notice an orange or green (depending on the coolant you use) puddle on the ground, suspect the pump.
Some water pumps have a “weep hole” beneath the pump shaft that will leak coolant once the internal seals have worn out, a sure sign of a bad water pump. You might also see a good deal of rust around the pump and, if you look closely, pitting (corrosion that creates small holes in the metal) or cavitation (formation of cavities in a liquid) on the mounting surface. All of this indicates a slow leak.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Funny, in that one the bearing was fried and spraying fluid all over in the compartment.

Most will leak a little puddle overnight on the garage floor.
I wrench on my own shit all the time and have saved thousands over the years.

6 Signs You May Have a Bad Water Pump On Your Hands

Know the signs of when you have a bad water pump. Do yourself a favor and pay attention to the warning signs before it's too late for your engine.

knowhow.napaonline.com

From the link...
Feel free to argue with Napa...
One telltale sign of a soon-to-be-faulty water pump is a noticeable coolant leak toward the front of the vehicle. If the car is left overnight and you notice an orange or green (depending on the coolant you use) puddle on the ground, suspect the pump.
Some water pumps have a “weep hole” beneath the pump shaft that will leak coolant once the internal seals have worn out, a sure sign of a bad water pump. You might also see a good deal of rust around the pump and, if you look closely, pitting (corrosion that creates small holes in the metal) or cavitation (formation of cavities in a liquid) on the mounting surface. All of this indicates a slow leak.

I note with glee that you had to Google your response.

 

[petro]

I note with glee that you had to Google your response.

Obviously you weren't gonna take my word about the leak I stated. Just backing up my previous post.
First person to bitch about a link.

Just rebuilt my Jeeps suspension including replacing the passenger axle, both front hubs, entire brake assembly.
Could you do that? Google and YouTube helped immensely.
Bet I saved a couple thousand.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Obviously you weren't gonna take my word about the leak I stated. Just backing up my previous post.
First person to bitch about a link.

Just rebuilt my Jeeps suspension including replacing the passenger axle, both front hubs, entire brake assembly.
Could you do that? Google and YouTube helped immensely.
Bet I saved a couple thousand.

You know, it's amazing how many things you can find on YouTube and Google. Matter of fact, I've been using a lot of YouTube videos to help diagnose and fix things I think might be wrong with my vehicle, as I've never owned a Honda before. And, while some things look like you might have to take them to the dealership (those crafty little Asians hide stuff, but it turns out to be fairly easy), if you can find a YouTube tutorial on your year and make of vehicle, you can pretty much figure things out for yourself. I've also learned a lot about various self diagnostic functions that the car has that I would have never found on my own. The A/C unit has a self diagnostic that you can access with only a few button pushes, as well as you can reset the idle function to factory if for some reason you have to disconnect the battery. Same with resetting the stereo. Because the stereo has an anti theft device in it, when the battery is disconnected, you have to reinput a code to get the radio to work again.

And even though I don't know squat about Nissans, I'm learning how to do basic maintenance (spark plugs, air filters, oil changes, etc.) by watching YouTube videos. That's how I found out you have to take off the air box and a few other things to change the plugs in her Nissan Versa Note.

 

[petro]

You know, it's amazing how many things you can find on YouTube and Google. Matter of fact, I've been using a lot of YouTube videos to help diagnose and fix things I think might be wrong with my vehicle, as I've never owned a Honda before. And, while some things look like you might have to take them to the dealership (those crafty little Asians hide stuff, but it turns out to be fairly easy), if you can find a YouTube tutorial on your year and make of vehicle, you can pretty much figure things out for yourself. I've also learned a lot about various self diagnostic functions that the car has that I would have never found on my own. The A/C unit has a self diagnostic that you can access with only a few button pushes, as well as you can reset the idle function to factory if for some reason you have to disconnect the battery. Same with resetting the stereo. Because the stereo has an anti theft device in it, when the battery is disconnected, you have to reinput a code to get the radio to work again.

And even though I don't know squat about Nissans, I'm learning how to do basic maintenance (spark plugs, air filters, oil changes, etc.) by watching YouTube videos. That's how I found out you have to take off the air box and a few other things to change the plugs in her Nissan Versa Note.

A treasure trove of information and tips regarding what to remove first and what tools needed. Even rebuilding snowmobiles or working on my outboard boat motor.
Saves a ton of time and cursing.

Also can figure if a repair is within my ability or whether I have the proper special tools required.
Example, is the topic of this thread.
I could easily replace my own water pump, but definitely not one in a Ford Explorer. Otherwise I would help that friend.

 

[ABikerSailor]

A treasure trove of information and tips regarding what to remove first and what tools needed. Even rebuilding snowmobiles or working on my outboard boat motor.
Saves a ton of time and cursing.

Yep, it is a treasure trove of information, and saves a lot of wasted effort as well as keeps the curse words to a minimum.

But, like everything else, I've come across a video or two where the guy TRIED to sound like they knew what they were talking about, but really didn't. I'm fortunate that there were some outstanding mechanics in my family who taught me a bit, and I can pretty much tell when someone doesn't have much of a clue what they're talking about, as they sound like they read something somewhere, and then try to pass themselves off as "experts". But, fortunately, most of the mechanics on YouTube do sound like they know what they are doing. The other ones? Those I use for entertainment when I need something to laugh at.

 

[petro]

Yep, it is a treasure trove of information, and saves a lot of wasted effort as well as keeps the curse words to a minimum.

But, like everything else, I've come across a video or two where the guy TRIED to sound like they knew what they were talking about, but really didn't. I'm fortunate that there were some outstanding mechanics in my family who taught me a bit, and I can pretty much tell when someone doesn't have much of a clue what they're talking about, as they sound like they read something somewhere, and then try to pass themselves off as "experts". But, fortunately, most of the mechanics on YouTube do sound like they know what they are doing. The other ones? Those I use for entertainment when I need something to laugh at.

I occasionally use a Jeep forum to put out tips and dig to find information. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have found information on my duel climate control. Yeah, seen a lot of useless videos also.