How bad can a water pump get before you replace it...

hahaha, well first off if it leaks, replace it.. if the pully has play replace it, and if its old and you are in there... replace it That said, some people swonder if they can drive it a "few more miles" or does it have to be towed.....this car was driven in... check out this for a "most worn" data point!! (obviously we advise against driving it any father than required to get repaired, but this is pretty much the extreme) - barely leaking is a joke........

ps - several pieces of the plastic blade have gone missing on this pump...I was cracking up when I saw this thing... the video is OK but you cant see the inside moves about a 1/4" now thats a sloppy bushing/bearing/seal

Very funny Maybe that's why plastic propellers so it doesn't become a milling machine?

How many miles?

I will check the miles on this car... its an early one. I am still cracking up on this one....gotta be a record amount of slop in that thing

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If the plastic pieces of the impeller are missing you MUST flush the cooling system completely and the engine. Otherwise the plastic pieces will float around in the coolant until they find a passage they can't pass through, they'll obstruct it and cause a cracked head.. The engine will never overheat on the gauge, it'll get one hot spot and a crack.. People waste complete engines to save a tow bill all the time.. Sounds are never good, if you hear any sound STOP! The louder it is the worse the damage.

Thanks Jake... I will do a flush I know sounds are not good, but we have seen some threads were people have a drop or two of coolant from the pulley and wonder if they can drive it 10 miles to the repair shop...my point of this thread is to allow people the chance to see what "bad" is and save them stress from wondering... fact is the longer you drive it "bad" the more potential problems you will create, but if its just a "little bad" you should be safe to drive it to the repair shop.... there are exceptions (broken fins) and an overheat item would not be the same as a tiny leak from the pulley...when in doubt, tow it I guess is as good of advise as any

Thats the problem.. Most people can't differentiate the good from the bad. It cost someone 18,000 bucks last week...The engine failed 100 yards from the shop that he was driving it to. It could have been saved for under 4K before he "drove it to death".. I work from a worst case scenario.. If I hear a noise I immediately think of the worst thing it could be.

OK - Fair enough.... was the car mentioned above an IMS mishap? I know its hard to give people hope and keep them away from being in fear at the same time. I do see a lot of owners who just dont fall into the "bright" bin when it comes to being mechanically able... however, there are guys who can tell the difference between an idler pulley bearing failure and something "really out of the ordinary STOP NOW" - this thread is just for those who "know" its a waterpump... not guessing "my engine sounds like rocks, should I drive it" I know its a double edge sword to offer any advise without seeing first hand whats going on and I understand the frustration of seeing engine after engine thrown away.... so I get it.... I hope you see what my point is as well and think there is some worth in sharing it with those who have a little more mechanical abillity than the average "driver"

So Ed and Jake, Would you recommend replacing it with a billet unit as a preventive maintenance? Or just replace it with stock plastic version after xxxx miles regardless?

the plastic parts inside degrade over time and/or use/miles I have not seen the billet ones but the way I see it your 996 had an OEM waterpump for 7 years without any issues... I bet another OEM would last about that same length of time....esp if you are just driving on the highways. Jake might have a differant take on this, I have not heard what he thinks is a good approach to this.

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Exactly what I thought too about the OEM pump! I'm not even sure if a billet unit is available. I know that e36 bimmers have similar problems (plastic propellers) and there are aftermarket metal versions available.

Ha....I just replaced my water pump this weekend. '01 996 with 59k miles. (that seems to be about the limit) Heard just a couple of clunks, then about 10 miles later steam, water, etc. Flat bed home and friend picked up the water pump from the stealer for me. BTW whoever placed that lower right bolt on the pump.....I don't like you. I'm still not sure it is tight. Going to get a flexible socket this afternoon.