Would you replace the water pump on a 4.0L 93 Ranger with 120,000 miles if you had the radiator out?

I have been having an overheating problem with my ranger the last couple of weeks, who knows maybe it was the water pump impeller that broke when it made some horrible noises a few weeks ago. The fan clutch was spewing silicone grease all over so I replaced it. The engine still got hot so I replaced the thermostat with the 198F stock unit. When I flushed the system and pressure tested it I heard a hiss from the radiator around the top hose area. I replaced the clamp and it still hissed so I have removed the radiator for service. Is the radiator serviceable or is a replacement only item (Aluminum with plastic end caps).

So while I am here with it all torn down should I replace the water pump?

 

I would say no. The water pumps on these seem to be pretty durable. Mine lasted 160K, and the only reason it was replaced is because I let the shop that installed a reman engine talk me into putting on a new water pump because the old one was the original. It was still in good shape.
It's your call, though. It would be easier to replace now while you've got the radiator out, but I don't think it's that much easier.

 

If I was putting in a reman engine I would replace it without a second thought. I hope this engine lasts longer than 160K. I have 173K on a 91 and it is running strong. I pulled both radiator hoses to replace them anyway.

 

Yea, you should get more than I did. Mine just went early for some reason.

 

I would replace the water pump. I think the radiator can be repaired. I believe there may be a brass replacement available.

 

Thanks guys, I am checking at a radiator shop.

 

I replaced the pump with a new one, not a cardone junk rebuilt, because I was there and also to make sure that it wasn't the source of the bang-clang I had on startup a few weeks ago. Sometimes you can sleep better that way.

I checked on having the radiator repaired but they wanted $70 to test and re-seal the end cap and there was no guarantee the same thing would not happen next year on the other end. The OEM radiator had some sort of epoxy seal around the tubes on the ends and that was all broken and loose on the end that was leaking. The radiator shop that is linked here wanted $149 for a new radiator + shipping etc totalling $179. The radiator shop wanted $178 including tax for a new one and I could walk right out with it. It also took them three tries looking it up in the books to get the right one for me. If that would have happened with the online shop I would have probably been out return shipping and more delays.

The radiator cap was also leaking and I replaced the hoses etc while I was at it.

The main problem was probably the thermostat and fan clutch but the entire cooling system is now back in top shape. Ready to go another 100,000 miles

 

Eric, good to hear everything is nice and cool again.

Anyone who has ever cared even a little bit about their motor will tell you that a cooling system problem can be a major distraction since it's so important to the overall health of the engine.

One of the radiator tanks in my Taurus SHO just blew and I ended up replacing the whole unit with one made by Go Dan Industries (GDI) ...$150 + tax out the door from Autozone and it was exactly the same thing as the OEM unit I pulled out.

IMO, unless you have some type of special application radiator where a replacement unit is hard to find, it is almost always a better option to simply replace the old rad rather than repair it. Like you, I take time, aggravation and expense into account in coming to that conclusion.