Replace Water Pump As A Preventative Maintenance Measure?

Had a shop tell me my water pump was leaking so went ahead and bought a new pump and gasket. Went to replace the pump and found no leaks, no slop in pulley and it was not making any noise when spun. I'm doing some other general maintenance items to the car and before I finish up with it, got thinking that maybe I should just go ahead and replace it anyway as I have the part. I'd do the thermostat as well. So, replace it now or wait until I do the clutch and IMS/RMS etc.? The car has 66K miles on it.

Absolutely replace it now. Better to change it early than to change it after it fails. I changed mine at 60k miles and it still seemed perfect. But the downside to letting it fail is very bad. While you're at it, change to a low temp thermostat too. Removing the thermostat housing actually makes the water pump R&R a little easier anyway.

don't forget the serp belt. and tank. and cap

I always see water pumps replacement as a PM measure. I'd rather replace them on my schedule, than when they fail on their schedule. Had water pumps fail on many cars, Toyotas, Fords, Plymouths...makes no difference.

I, too, replaced my H2O pump as a PM measure...at 67K miles, and now the old pump joined the ranks of old parts I will never use again. Oh, well. No P-car guy has ever said, "Gee, I wish I hadn't replaced that water pump." relinuca

I won't buck the trend, because in the case of the 996 water pump "failure" has a specific failure mode that can be very harmful to the engine. Now, usually when a water pump on ANY other car fails, the seal which protects the cartridge begins to leak, and water drools out of the weep hole. This is a known, and designed in warning that the water pump cartridge is going to go bad, and you should replace the pump. On the 996, of course - they have to be different. Typical water pump failure of the 996 is that the cartridge and seal remain blissfully secure and functioning, while the impeller disintegrates catastrophically. I've seen a lot of water pumps in my day, some impellers were cast iron, plastic inj molded, stamped metal, and even some nice forged Al. What I don't think I've ever seen is for any of those impellers to come apart in service. Maybe there is another car out there that has this issue, of catastrophic failure while the bearing and seal continue to operate, but what a crazy way for the 996 to be yet again 'special'. Now, go ahead and attack, ridicule and belittle my opinion. I can take it.

Looks like I will go ahead and replace it. Where is the best place to get a low temp thermostat?

Start with the Pelican and LN websites to get up to speed with the prts http://lnengineering.com/products/ot...e-install.html But consider previous suggestions about other ,related parts, Airlift and make the Tstat tool yourself. Pelican has a diy project on the w/p.

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Thanks!

Also check rndeuroparts.com for low temp thermostat and water pump also. Super fast shipping and top notch service!

My pump failed at 65x miles ... just like many seem to do - in my case big leak - not impeller - but yes I think it makes sense as preventative versus being stuck at roadside - or worse .... plus tank if that is >8 years old .... although that is a harder DIY

I'm doing this job currently so can offer this one single data point. My car has just less than 100k miles and its on the original water-pump. No leaks or weeping, but the bearing has a tiny bit of lateral play in it - otherwise looked to be in excellent shape. The impetus for replacement was changing out the catalytic converter, and hence lots of access. I must say that removing the bumper, catalytic converters and the rear engine mounting bracket makes this job pretty easy. I'm also installing a low temp thermostat. Its a pity the consequences of failure are so dire - I really feel that the pump has lots of life left in it and I hate to replace parts needlessly but I'll have this car on the track soon where the pump will be a little more tested. Ultimately I'll be glad to have a new one in there.

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I agree! I have a love/hate relationship with my car. It is such a blast to drive, the build quality is amazing, great looking, perfect size, etc but damn, there sure are a lot of ways this engine can self-destruct! It's kind of like dating a hot chick. Great to look at, hot in the sack but if you say the wrong thing there will be holy hell to pay! But when guys tell me hot chicks are a pain in the ***, I always say that they are all a pain in the ***, may as well have a hot one!

Warehouse33auto.com is generally lower pricing and super great service. Also if you put RENNLIST in the coupon box at checkout, you get an additional 10% OFF Get a Pierburg WP, it the same at the Porsche OE WP

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Is the second pic a metal impeller?

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No, that is an OEM composite (or perhaps plastic) impeller.

We offer a water pump replacement kit with Genuine Porsche parts including antifreeze and free shipping https://rennpart.com/product/water-p...placement-kit/

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It's not a bad idea to replace some radiator hoses while in there. If you need help with creating a list of items to replace please do not hesitate to shoot me a PM as I'd be more than happy to assist you. Be sure to check out our water pump tech article, as mentioned above, here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm .

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Just sent you a PM. Great article! Seeing how we are getting more frigging rain here today (! ) I guess I'll be spending some time looking through all the articles you have there. Thanks.

I recently replaced mine, as well as the the thermostat. A few months back on a trip to the tail of the dragon she was getting awful hot and since the mileage on the 911 was creeping past the mileage my boxster had when its pump failed I went ahead and did it. I found the pump in the 996 to be just fine when I pulled it, but I figured I'd rather pay less now and do it myself than have it go while I'm driving across the country or in the middle of nowhere and have to have her towed to a place that may not be a good p-car shop.

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that's a pretty good deal, other you need 3 gallons, not 1 as included of concentrated coolant for the nearly 6 gallon cooling system capacity

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kit updated, new picture will be coming soon

Mine was leaking, and went to replace it. Not sure I would do it myself again for fun, and it gave plenty of notice that it was going out. The fins were just starting to chip away, but most noticeable was that I didn't notice anything in the bearing. It really felt smooth and there was no indication to me that it had any issues. My 70+ year old machine shop working neighbor was able to notice a flat spot, but it was very slight. So, after the fact spinning it, unless you really know what you're looking for, won't tell you much.