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YOUR RESEARCHGenuine water pump lifespan?
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Check pulleys
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I had the belt off and checked all the pulleys for noise and play around this most recent Christmas.
Leading evidence: 'Check pulleys' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Check idler pulleys' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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My second lasted 1.5 years and was replaced by warranty.
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Suggestion
Like alcool said, check all the idler pulleys for noise first....
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Suggestion
With the belt off you can also check the other ancillaries for play, noise, roughness etc�)
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Hiya. My 03 C2 had its water pump replaced by the previous owner in 2019 at Callas Rennsport at the heady price of $2,500. The car has since done around 28k miles (for a total of 148k mi) and now the bearing is starting to make the "help me, I'm dying" whine. Knowing that Callas only uses genuine water pumps (and seeing it on the invoice), and knowing that the work was done properly, does it seem odd to anyone else that I've only gone 4.5 years and 21k miles on a Porsche water pump? Has anyone else had issues with genuine pumps like this?
Thanks!
Are you sure its the water pump..? Is the weep hole leaking..? Do you smell/see that tel-tale sweet smell of coolant or tracks from the weep hole of dried coolant..?
Most' of the time on a mechanical seal, any even very slight play in the bearing will cause leaks(drips/weeping) immediately, way before bearing takes a crap.
Just saying... lots of other belt driven bearings to make noise.
jmho
Yes it is unusual, but not unheard of..the Porsche warranty is 2 years unlimited mileage though.....
Like alcool said, check all the idler pulleys for noise first....
If you take the serpentine belt off you should be able grab hold of the water pump pulley to see if there�s any play in it (I know it�s a tight space but you should be able to check it for play - or maybe even make it drip). With the belt off you can also check the other ancillaries for play, noise, roughness etc�)
I had the belt off and checked all the pulleys for noise and play around this most recent Christmas. I replaced the tensioner pulley and an idler. I have smelled the odd hot coolant smell from time to time but never found a leak or evidence of one. Laying under the car with it running though (it's on stands for something else at the moment), it definitely sounds like it's coming from the WP and it definitely sounds like bearings starting to go. I also think I can see a little wobble in the pulley.
Yeah, these stupid things go poof in the night. My first lasted 10 years. My second lasted 1.5 years and was replaced by warranty. My third so far, has last two years and appears to be holding. But I drive low miles. ~2K /yr. I Am now using the OEM manufacturer option, and not Porsche branded.
It is absolutely a doable DIY though, if you are up for it. Def save the cash. A lot of coolant comes out. You need a big, low profile tank. I use the one from Oreilly’s. Not hard to find. Watch the videos. Get the right tools, especially low profile torx set so you can get to the hard to reach bolts.
But overall a straightforward job.
$2500 is a little steep to replace a water pump. May have replaced a few other "while you are in there" items as well. Last time I had mine replaced was late 2017 for around ~$650 in labor. About to replace mine again in a few weeks as a preventative measure. Don't want a fin to break off and lodge in the head. Then you will have a much bigger rebuild cost.
Remember, the WP is one of the three sudden catastrophic failure points on the M96 engine, along with the IMSB and AOS. You can replace the IMSB with the LN Solution amd AOS with the UAOS both of which are permanent solutions. But there is no permanent water pump solution so you gotta replace it. I stick to every 5-7 years as a preventative rule.
I just did the water pump on my car, no tell tale noise it just started leaking bad one day. I replaced it myself�. Not paying extortionary rates for labor. Not a horrible job if you have the right tools and get a vacuum coolant filler you�ll be ok. Remember to pack your patience. I did it off rear wheel ramps. Might want to replace the thermostat while you�re down there.
Yeah, I have my indy look at it a couple times a year when I take the car in for tech inspections. But we both looked at the calender last time I was in and said it was time as a JIC.
If I am tracking the car more frequently I will do it every 5 years and/or sooner if something doesn't look/sound right with the inspections. Sure, you can push it further and it may be fine, but I figure that it isn't worth the engine cost if you tempt fate one too many times. It's a relatively inexpensive part and procedure in the grand scheme of things. Even cheaper if you have the skills and patience to do it yourself.
My new pump will be here Thursday along with a new t-stat (low temp), new serp belt and coolant. The rear bumper and carrier are already off, so it will just be a matter of removing the cats, supporting the engine, unbolting the cradle and making a mess. The big hitch will be bleeding the coolant, though, since I don't have access to an air compressor. I'll have to do the ol' run it up to temp with the burp valve open and rev it off and on until the level settles.
Ended up going with a Geba pump which has a cast brass impeller. It's about half the cost of the Pierburg unit and I'll just make a point of changing it out every two or three years as part of scheduled maintenance.
No No No! You do not want a brass impeller. You may think you do but this is a bad idea. Get a Pierburg plastic impeller water pump, even if you are changing it out every 2-3 years (who does that?).
DBJoe996, is the issue with the metal impeller that if the water pump bearing fails, it could lead to the impeller carving out its own space in the block or something else?
Question since the Porsche water pump is failing sooner, which OEM water pump with plastic blades is recommended? I am gong to be doing a coolant flush soon and replacing tha Exp tank, hoses if needed, etc and wanted to see what others are buying? I see Pelican Parts prices at $104.95 for a Hamburg Technic to Suncoast $425 for Porsche WP
I got the kit with the composite impeller, low temp thermo, serpentine belt and surfactant additive at LN:
Porsche OEM 986/996 Water Pump Kit inc. Gaskets, Belt, Bolts, Low Temp Thermostat, & Driven CSP (lnengineering.com)
It's $399 now. They also stress not to get the metal impeller version and it all inclides:
We include everything you need in one bundle including:
996 106 011 57 OEM Pierburg, Meyle, or Laso water pump (Composite impeller made in Germany or Italy - no metal impellers! Please note we open all water pumps to inspect them and repackage them to ensure they are not damaged in transit)
996 106 340 54 OEM water pump gasket
106-06.2 LN thermostat tool
996 106 326 50 OEM Thermostat housing gasket
106-06 LN Low Temperature Thermostat (replaces factory thermostat part number 996 106 013 59)
50030 Driven CSP – Coolant System Protector (Please note we may substitute Redline Water-wetter if Driven CSP is not available)
996 102 151 66 Contitech 6K 2115 Serpentine Drive Belt (not compatible with under-drive pulleys)
900 378 013 01 Genuine Porsche Water Pump Bolt (6 X 25 mm) x 5
900 378 177 01 Genuine Porsche Water Pump Bolt (6 X 30 mm) x 2
Yeah, the 996.1 genuine is expensive, but too many have tried cheaper versions, and many of those suck, leak, crack, etc. Buy once, cry once, they last a long time.
