Hi, this is an update to my Heater Hose to Water Pump Failure post.

As it turns out, the water/coolant pump seems to have failed at the same time as the heater hose.

I think Ford secretly installed an internal time mechanism to deconstruct certain parts at the same time.

Anyway, in desperation I took the van to the local Ford dealer for an inspection. NOTE: I don't trust most of the locally owned small time shops and national franchises. Half of the time, they don't know what they are talking about.

Anyway after paying the Ford dealer $145 for 1 hours work, they said the water pump is toast. And I already knew that! Then they said, because the water pump is attached to the front timing chain cover, they need to replace the gaskets there also, and also the oil pan is attached to the front chain cover, so that needs done, and then they said the radiator is also leaking. What!!!

The final bill came to about $3000. No kidding here. Then they asked if I would be interested in buying a new or used vehicle.

Well, here it is. The hell with it. I went and purchased a tool for $20.



This tool works great. Mine happens to be a left hand fan. The tool is used with the handle on the left.

BTW: This tool is used to hold Water Pump pulley stationary, while unbolting the fan assembly.



Tomorrow morning is when I finally replace the water pump. Not a lot of tool are needed, except for the stubborn fan clutch. Sockets: 8, 10, 13, 17, except a 22 mm open end wrench for the fan clutch.

 

The irony here is that it's possible that some of the parts needed to repair your Ford vehicle have been discontinued by Ford, especially the radiator. So the dealer will probably run down to your local Autozone or O'Reilly's and use replacement parts from them. They will install Chinese or Mexican-made parts from a sweatshop and charge you MSRP prices, as the your estimate proves.
Quite a few years ago, I knew a guy who took his Aerostar in for plugs and wires. The van was assigned to a new kid right out of school. After a full day of fighting it, the kid packed up his tools and quit on the spot. The van had to be completed next day by a veteran tech.
Find an indy shop to do the repair or do it yourself.

 

Actually all of the parts I am replacing are made in China, India, or Mexico. US don't make them on home soil anymore. Some of the parts that I removed, where stamped "made in Canada". LOL

Anyway, the water pump bolts were way too easy to remove. And the water pump was like new. I suspect the previous owner had the water pump replaced, but maybe the mechanic did not torque the bolts to specification. It could also mean the gasket shrunk a bit when the RTV sealant cured. Who knows!

I removed the Alternator assembly, which was not really necessary. But there is one water pump bolt stubbornly located underneath the Alternator mounting bracket. Because of the momentous amount of time to replace the water pump, I have decided to also replace the Alternator. Also the AC Compressor and the Power Steering Pump, and maybe the Radiator, and also the A/C Condenser and the A/C Pump.



There appears to be two different sizes of bolts on the Water Pump. The tiny bolts screw into the timing chain cover, and the larger bolts screw into the engine block, through the timing chain cover.

From what I understand, the larger bolts require a coolant sealant compound. Probably Permatex number 14 with Teflon. I am not sure about the small bolts.

 

wow! I agree replacing the water pump in the 3.0 liter is a pita. A lot easier in the 4.0.

the tool used by CourierYVR is sold at Sears, it can be used for plumbing pipes, oil filter tightening and removal, cap and lid removal from jars and over-torqued 2-liter coke and laundry detergent bottles, my favorite use is for loosening the oil filler cap in the Jaguar valve covers!

Back in 1986 when I bought my first Aerostar (brand new), it came with a factory deffect in that the crankshaft's double pulley used to come off by itself and fly into oblivion. It happened 3 times in 13 years of use.

 

Ooooo.... I need to get one of those!

 

Holy cow! Did you ever figure out the cause? Did Ford have a recall fix?

 

yes, there was a recall, by which time I had already lost 1 pulley. Then the second one, (done by the Ford dealer), lasted longer but it also went one day. The funny thing is they always rolled towards the passenger side, a sort of missile!

for the 3rd one we got the van on a lift and we applied force with our 4 arms to a giant industrial wrench and socket from below while joking "if the bolt head breaks with this, we'll know the problem is the bolt".

it never came off again.

 

electronic parts in my 1997 are stamped "Made in Brazil". All mechanical replacement parts are made in China or Mexico, including the "Motorcraft" thermostat I purchased at a Ford dealer which is stamped "Made in Mexico".

 

BTW, I forgot to mention. I removed the fan while it was still attached to the fan clutch. I then replaced the clutch when it was out of the vehicle.

In summary, I did NOT remove the fan from the clutch when removing it from the water pump which was still on the vehicle. I removed the unit as a entire piece (fan and clutch as one unit).

The reality is that the big three "American" manufactures were never Pro-American.

Today we have GM sleeping with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).

And then we have Ford sleeping with Chang'an Automobile, a state-owned enterprise.


That's a trade deal. China gets USA reserve currency in trade for the Auto Industry.