Hello all....

I'm the original owner of my 3.0L '92 Ranger that has a little over 130K miles on it. Since I've had it, I've recently changed the alternator, starter, oxygen sensors, and power steering pump but I've not changed the water pump.

My question is can a water pump last much longer than this, on the average, without worry about failure or is it way past due?

Several years ago when I changed out the power steering pump I was prepared to change the water pump at the same time until I discovered that one of the mounting bolts cannot be removed all the way without taking off the A/C mounting bracket. I wasn't prepared to take on that task so I decided to wait and speak to a mechanic about it. He told me that you don't usually change those things preventively but you wait until they fail, which I thought was a dumb thing to do.

In any event, I never did change the pump and keep wondering if it's a ticking time bomb just waiting to start leaking on me especially on a long trip in the depths of winter.

 

IMO, with 130K & 15 years under it's belt, if the the water pump is OEM, it's probably time for replacement.

If it's been making any noises, weeping from it's seal, or has any play in it's bearng, time for replacement.

If the W/P goes out, you don't move, if the P/S goes out, you can still strong arm it & get home.

The Tech is right, most folks don't replace things like P/S pumps, or W/P as preventive maintenance, but wait until they begin to show signs of failure, or just completely lay down on the job!!!!

If you use your vehicle in the boondocks, in the dead of winter, say for long commutes, hunting, or fishing, where it could mean life or death, by all means replace criticle components, as you see fit.

I just finished changing the W/P on my 94 Taurus 3.8L, with 96K on it's OEM W/P.
It had begun to intermittently weep coolant from it's seal, so it was time to "get er done", before winter!!!!

Hoses, including heater hoses, are another PM item folks often overlook, or don't change out, until that puppy lets go & they never do while we're in the drivewy, or gararge!!!! lol

 

the pump is OEM and as far as I can tell, it's not weeping or making any unusual noises but I couldn't say for sure if there's any excessive play in the bearing without taking off the belt, which is easily enough done. I know I'm probably pushing the envelope by letting it go, but any work I do on it has to be done in the parking lot of the apartment where I live and the managers don't take kindly to tenants doing work of that level on their vehicles.

That leaves me with the option of taking it in to a mechanic and letting them rape me for the labor, but I suppose I have no choice in this case.

 

i believe if it aint broke dont fix it.. my truck is a 99 with 155K on it and its OEM . I have no plans to swap it out until it gives me reason to, and the truck is part of how i make my living.. ive seen OEM water pumps go 275K without a problem in fact the motor went south before the pump did

 

Ya Ranger Bob, I'm hoping that I can get a similar life out of my pump as you have yours. I figure that if I keep the coolant fresh and clean that it will prolong the condition of the pump seals and thus prolong the life.

Thanks....

 

I finaly had to replace the pump on 4.0L X engine at 346,000km, started to weep out the front seal.

**Mfg the special wrenches for the fan clutch from flat steel. Once the tools were made the fan was off in less than 10sec.

 

i've got 156000 and still the original pump '96 3.0. just did a coolant flush about a month ago. it was the original coolant! if its not broke don't fix it!

 

Interesting thread. It makes me think of my SHO w/3.0L Yamaha DOHC engine, and how replacing the water pump on a SHO is universally considered to be a "preventive maintenance" item, inasmuch as the pump is very difficult to get to, and nobody wants to have to ever have to go in there and "do it all over again" if the pump fails. In other words, if something like the timing belt or crank sensor on a SHO engine needs to be replaced, people are well advised to replace the WP as well, since the process, time and effort involved are - for all intents and purposes - identical.

That being said, I fully agree with what's been posted above. I wouldn't replace a water pump on a vulcan engine until (and unless) I saw a clear reason to do so.

 

I'm still in the process of doing my waterpump. It's a '94 4.0 and has posed some interesting problems. While removing the pump itself posed no real problems [I had my wife do it as her hands are smaller] removing the fan required me taking it to a garage. The tools required are too expensive to warrant that kind of expenditure on a [hopefully] one time use. At 175k I've decided to replace the oem thermostat and original hoses, also. I bought a new serpintine belt [$45.00] since it was on its last legs. With everything opened up and the coolant drained it only makes sence. Every bolt gets coated with neverseize when it gets put back together.
Da yooper in the dead of winter is no place to have the truck fail me for being penny-wize and pound-foolish.

 

I appreciate getting the kind of answers I wanted to read .

Seriously though, glad to read that many of you advise not to mess with the pump unless it shows a sure sign of failure....saves me a lot of headache.

Thanks.....

 

Resurrecting an old thread here...I have a 96 3.0 w/104k on it, and appears to be a slight leak @ water pump. Only seems to leak when very cold out and its warming up. Once warm, doesn't leak. Does this mean the pump is going bad? How difficult is this for a DIY job? Thanks.

 

When I replace the timing belt on my 2.5, the water pump will also be replaced. I plan on running this until well over 200,000 before I replace the belt though

 

I'd rather have an OEM pump in good condition with 130K on it than any remanufactured pump of any age... seen too many reman pumps leak or fall apart.

 

I'll chime in also. !55,000 on my '2000 2.5L original pump. No signs of wear or weeping yet.

 

mine is leaking at the top left corner. although i was looking at it closely with a flashlight and then after looking at the diagrams in my ford manual i couldnt figure out if it is the water pump gasket or the timing cover "aka front engine cover" which is what the book calls it. which appears to be part of what the water pump bolts to. the water pump is definitely coming off tomorrow, and getting replaced. i am just unable to determine and rule out the timing cover. or whatever that large horseshoe shaped gasket is for, because it appears a water jacket goes through it on each side or some type of huge hole on each side left and right
boy what a huge job it is. on the old f100 its a 1 hour job. on this little ranger its going to take me 2 days!
it sure would be nice if i had a lift. i would just yank the radiator out so i can stick my head in there and work on it from underneath while standing or sitting and approach the thing so much better, doing this crap in the backyard is tough