Bad water pump symptoms?

I posted about squealing noise when I start the engine in the morning a little while back and suspected that it'd be either worn belt or one of the pulleys. Well, I had the local shop remove air intake and belt and it turned out that it was water pump that makes the noise. I didn't think it was (or at least I hoped) water pump because it's not leaking or anything and the noise goes away once engine heats up. I've purchased it (2004 C4S with 73k miles) through a Porsche dealership and I've only put barely 1,000 miles since I've got it. They refused to help me in anyway (I suggested that I bring parts and they cover labor.) because it was an old as-is car and they made "no profit" on my deal. My question for those who had replaced water pump, what were the symtoms before it went out and how bad was it by the time you replaced it? I'd appreciate your feedback!

Mine left a small drip one day, and the next day driving was making the terrifying sound of "something coming apart". Sounded like tensioner racket if you've ever had one go. Luckily, I saw the pulley wobble and shut it off in time. Seemed like it was fine one day, broken the next..

"They refused to help me in anyway (I suggested that I bring parts and they cover labor.) because it was an old as-is car and they made "no profit" on my deal." #1 - That's total BS - If they weren't making a profit they wouldn't have sold you the car- period. #2 - Make a note to yourself to never buy anything (parts, accessories or another car) from them ever again. #3 - bad mouth them to as many of your friends and business associates as possible.

Mine went out at approx 65k miles . Significant loss of coolant after hard drive - but no noises- there had been evidence of "staining"! (White powdery coolant residue) around pump before - but I was not seeing coolant loss until it let go. Based on all the different posts on the forum here - 60k seems to be good interval for pump replacement (and do thermostat while you are at it). I'm not surprised at dealer reaction - find a good indie - this is not a terribly hard job - a bit fiddly Ina few bolts - but once it is done you will have piece of mind for another 60k ... I ordered my parts from pelican (not oem but oe equivalent - pierburgpump, wahler tstat, conti belt. Don't need gasket seal ( I did - but afterwards can see that new metal gasket alone is better) . Check other hoses to replace, coolant reservoir (if yellowed) , cap (if old) - used Pentosin sf coolant to refill - not oem. At this age you are going to need to budget for maintenance items like this - mine has not been bad for a performance car - but it is also not a Honda or toyota

Mine broke two weeks ater purchasing my '04 C2 996! Symptoms were: - Constant coolant leak from around the pump area - Burping/gurgling noise after driving

If I read you right, you don't trust the shop's diagnostic. If you trust them, the water pump should be replaced promptly regardless. If you don't, either you or another shop has to diagnose it. Other's experience probably wouldn't help much here if the noise is truly coming from the pump.

I replaced mine at 71000 miles. Egg cup of coolant under pump on garage floor after engine cooled down. No difference in noise. Fiddly time consuming job. MOST IMPORTANT the 7 bolts holding the pump in place are different in length so remember where they came from. Well 2 of them are longer than the other 5. The bolts were easy to slacken off but fiddly to take out as there is not much maneuver room. Again do not over tighten or you will crush the gasket. I changed my thermo to the lower temp one. All OEM stuff. No sealant used. Done 4000 miles since without a leak. Have fun.

The pump in my Boxster never made a sound, I pulled into the garage shut the car off and it was like Niagara Falls. I guess the heat/pressure build up was enough to blow out the seal. I was in a lot of stop and go traffic that day. I can say, do not buy a water pump with metal blades, I did and it caused my running temp to raise as the needle on the gauge was higher during operating temperature. On the flip side the car ran like a scolded dog during the winter. Alas, a new water pump with plastic blades will be installed shortly with the lower temp thermostat, lesson learned. As Hurdigurdiman stated the bolts are different sizes. I didn't pay much attention when I took the bolts out so it made it a pita when I put it back together.

I let my dealership deal with it pun intended! Only reason was that the pump and work come with a 2 year warranty looks good on the cars documentation pile anyway lol

It's a wear item on your engine. At 73K it is time to replace it. The bearings go bad, the shaft starts to wobble and that wears out the seal so that you get a leak. It either comes out slowly and dribbles down the engine casing right behind the water pump pulley, or it blows out completely and everything goes. Just get it replaced (or DIY) and move on. There will be lots and lots of other things to repair/replace as time goes on. New water pump, gasket, thermostat, Porsche anti-freeze, get a new expansion tank cap and replace the drive belt. Since the air filter box is out, good time to install a clean new air filter.

My pump went out in April. It gave me a ton of warning. It rattled for about a month before hand. At first I thought it was the exhaust. But I had that checked and it was perfect. You could hear the rattle when it idled but not at higher RPM. I couldn't get an appointment to see a tech for about three weeks and two days before the appointment, it gave up the ghost on the road. But the car immediately told me the coolent was low. I pulled over and stopped before the engine heated up and had it towed to the shop. I had them do the replacement, new belts, flush the coolant system and put a new thermostat in. The total cost was $1,200. But it runs perfect now.

hmm... It actually could be the oil separator. They should check the crank case vacuum to make sure it's not the oil separator that is making this noise. This is just something that is commonly misdiagnosed. -Luccia

The warning sign on mine was a cloud of steam in my rear view mirror at a traffic light. Prior to that, no noise and no leaking.

Mine was working fine at 55K miles...then I ran the car up to 150MPH. I was followed home by a small trail of coolant leaking from the pump shaft - bearing shot.