Hi,
My 89 Bronco water pump is leaking thru the weep hole which means it needs to be replaced - according to threads here & Full Size Bronco. Many posters have gone with $25 pumps & some say to use only OEM.

Pumps range in price from, well Amazon has Bosch standard for $34 & a Bosch heavy duty for $120. That's quite a price dif. The EdelBrock is $180 - is it worth it.
O'reilly auto only has Master Pro for $25. Haven't checked Fordparts.com yet but I imagine they won't be cheap.

Since I am going to attempt to do this myself figure I can spend some of the money I save on a quality pump.

What should I get? Should I be looking at NAPA or Autozone?

thanks

 

The short answer is "You get what you pay for". The failure point in a water pump is the bearing & seal. However, there is little to be done in the way of determining the quality of this component of a water pump. Be wary of so-called "lifetime guarantees" especially from low-cost units. This kind of offer holds true on many common failure items. The "lifetime guarantee" just means they will keep replacing it over and over but the quality of the unit will be the same and the rate of attrition will have you under the hood every few months doing the same repair again and again.

 

Hi greystreak92,

choosing what part to buy whilst fixing cars, bikes, etc seems to be the hardest thing for me. $100+ seems a little pricey. So guess I'll go with the GMB high performance series water pump - not that I'll be racing the Bronco. Not too cheap & yet not too expensive.

Do we know anything good / bad about GMB?

thanks

 

you will need a reverse rotation pump, keep it standard flow as some will say high flow and that could cause issues. have you looked on Rockauto.com they tend to carry motorcraft parts for good prices.

 

I see you are in Denver where hot weather A/C may not be an issue. I have a severe duty fan clutch to help with A/C. Even though it has not caused premature bearing failure on my cheap water pump I think I would go with Motorcraft next time due to the labor required to change the water pump, especially if some bolts break off.

 

Hi,
I purchased the GMB high performance series water pump - don't know how high performance it could be at $50. Know I'm going to kick myself for not going Motocraft.

Have been replacing parts on this Bronco for the past 4 to 5 years when I realized it was gong to cost a fortune taking it to a mechanic three or so times a year. Almost a quarter century old, things are just wearing out.

Haven't been burnt yet buying other than Motocraft - it would certainly suck if this were the time.
Well that's that's not quite true, serpentine belts by Gates & Bando started to squeal in a year or less. I remember the OEM belts lasting years, so last month & did put a motocraft belt on. Still half the price on Amazon that it was from the dealer.

I do see postings regarding the bolt breakage however this pump was replaced by the dealership once already, about 10 years ago so hoping that won't be an issue.
While the pump is off I will give it a good flush, replace the thermostat, engine coolant temp sensor, rad cap, upper/lower hoses (and any other hoses that look in need).

Some threads I have come across also suggest replacing the timing chain cover gasket & even the timing chain itself. Is that a good idea?

thanks again

p.s. the AC compressor went out 15 years ago just after I moved back from Florida - just in time. Haven't really missed it. Only two months of the year, July / August, do you need air. My dog wants the window down anyway.

 

Timing chain sets are less expensive than you would think. How many miles on the 302? There is no better time to replace it than now if the chain has too much slack.

 

171K miles. Guess I'll read up how to check a timing chain for slack. Might as well do it right.

thanks

 

Well the water pump I pulled out is GMB as well.

The new pump came with a rubber spacer but I found no spacer during removal.
I'm assuming that is for some type of universal fit.

When I detached the Transmission Cooler lines was expecting a bunch of tranny fluid to squirt out - but nothing. Since the radiator has been sitting in the corner it has dripped a bit of tranny fluid. Is that normal? The Transmission fluid level is / or was good. Check every oil change.

 

are you checking the tranny fluid when the vehicle is running? just double check once everything is together and fill if necessary.

you should probably take this time to install a new 195* Tstat also. just make sure you install it the proper direction.

 

Hi Kemicalburns - cool handle by the way.

yes checking while engine running. I have been reviewing the reinstall instructions on the tranny lines, got my hands on a original 89 shop manual. make sure it gets done right.

Over the past two years coolant seems to be the biggest issue, doing it piecemeal. Replaced the Tstat, cap & engine coolant temp sensor two years ago & many hoses (heater to) since. Just flushed the system last summer but got some garbage in the coolant bucket yesterday so guess I'll invest in some new coolant. Looking for any more hoses that might be worn while have it apart.

Going to be putting it all back together today - driving across town tomorrow, bout 30 miles. Hope I don't Hose something up.

 

good to hear

 

Hi,
after replacing the water pump I noticed a leak coming from the timing cover, in retrospect think I just didn't tighten down enough the bolts that go thru the cover. No torque wrench (have one now) & was afraid to tighten too much because of the horror stories regarding broken bolts. Anyway I have removed all again & am now down to the timing set.

There is only a 1/4" of play in the chain, per the manual 1/2" is acceptable. Ford doesn't sell anything but the chain now & don't even market the gears anymore. Bronco has 170k on it. Do I replace the timing set with a Cloyes or Edelbrock, should I leave the OEM products in there?
Some posters seem to think 1/4" is acceptable & stick with the Ford stuff as long as possible.

thanks

 

I think mine had 1/4 inch or less and I think I replaced the set with Cloyes at about 170K. It made a slight improvement but glad I did it and I never have to worry about it again.

 

OK - guess I'll do it. There's too many Cloyes to choose from. They start at $20 (O'Reilly) & go all the way up to $323. Only the $20 set avail in store. Do you remember about what paid.