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Water pump replacement - how to DIY this?

43K views 34 replies 13 participants last post by  golfster 
#1 ·
Took my car to the dealer this morning because I was hearing a slushing sound when accelerating from a stop. Car has 44K miles. They say it's the water pump and they quoted me $561 total ($246 parts incl. tax, $315 labor). The parts they said I need are:

Overflow hose, P/N ER3Z-8276-A, $38
Pump kit, P/N BR3Z-8501-G, $146
Thermostat seal, P/N 7T4Z-8590-A, $21
Coolant (Motorcraft orange), $22

I searched for all these parts online (except the coolant, which is trivial) and on tascaparts.com my total for parts is only $109. Question #1 - Is Tasca a good company, does anyone advise against buying my parts there?

Main question - What does this job entail? Would I need any special tools? Anything really challenging I should be aware of before I tell the dealer I will take the car back and do it myself?

Hope you all can help me through this and save me some dough! $109 looks a lot better than $561.
 
#2 ·
One more thing. At 44K I don't have the bumper-to-bumper warranty anymore but I still have the powertrain warranty (technically I do... I am Steeda tuned but let's just assume that's not going to be an issue for conversation sake). They claim that the cause of the failure was the overflow hose going from the thermostat to the degas bottle, which is not a powertrain warranty covered part. Since that was the cause of the failure, warranty won't cover this job, even though the pump normally is included in the powertrain warranty. Thoughts? Can I argue this? If so, what is my ammo?
 
#3 ·
Tasca is a very good company, if you call and ask for Steve he will take care of you, i actually get all my ford racing stuff through him and may still have his number. You moved to College station though right? Tommy Vaughn Ford in Houston is a Ford Racing dealer as well, and they tend to have the best prices, may be worth a call to them too.

I did this job on my 2001 3.8, so i'm not sure if its a carbon copy, but the gist may be the same.

Questions:
1. Dont see any mention of a new Water pump gasket? May not need it, or it may just be RTV? Stock one very well may be fine to re-use, but something to keep an eye on.

2. See if the new water pump comes with a new pulley. It likely will not, but it will save you a lot of effort, as getting pulleys off (at least on my 3.8) was a pain. Auto parts stores will rent the tools though, so luckily it wont cost anything more than a little extra time.

3. not trying to insult anyone's intelligence here, but just be familiar with the process of burping the coolant system when you're done, and try to have some means of monitoring coolant temps. Typically you can just have your lap top out and datalogging, while keeping an eye on coolant temps, to make sure they're staying in the desired range.

Aside from just those generic tips i really have no other advice for you. Good luck with the swap man.
 
#12 ·
Updates. I agree that I don't see clear signs that the pump is indeed bad. I burped the system by filling up to the top line of the cold fill range, idling the engine with the cap off for about 45 minutes and the heater on high. Had my X4 plugged in to monitor coolant temps - didn't go over 205F. Had cardboard under the engine bay, didn't have any drops of coolant on it after I was done. Drove it around just a few miles, coolant temp stayed below 205 still, and I did NOT hear any slushing sound.

Man would it be crazy if there was nothing wrong with it but low coolant. But let's keep this going for a while and see what happens. I'll always keep the X4 plugged in to monitor temps and check the coolant level after each drive. Unfortunately on Friday I jumped the gun and bought those parts from Tasca for $109 + 15 shipping. Didn't get a confirmation that it shipped yet, so there might be time to cancel.

I'll respond to all your comments (thanks for the help, btw!):

Questions:
1. Dont see any mention of a new Water pump gasket? May not need it, or it may just be RTV? Stock one very well may be fine to re-use, but something to keep an eye on.
The pump kit comes with the gasket.

2. See if the new water pump comes with a new pulley. It likely will not, but it will save you a lot of effort, as getting pulleys off (at least on my 3.8) was a pain. Auto parts stores will rent the tools though, so luckily it wont cost anything more than a little extra time.
It does not come with a new pulley, but let's see, hopefully the pump will not end up needing replacement.

3. not trying to insult anyone's intelligence here, but just be familiar with the process of burping the coolant system when you're done, and try to have some means of monitoring coolant temps. Typically you can just have your lap top out and datalogging, while keeping an eye on coolant temps, to make sure they're staying in the desired range.
It's OK, any/all education and information is always appreciated, especially coming from you. :thumb: Yes, I am using my X4 to monitor temps.

I've been searching high and low but nothing on install for 2011-14 3.7L water pumps.
Many water pumps are fairly easy but some can be a real pain. can't find anything on this one. Except maybe this.
"2012 FORD MUSTANG 3.7L V6 : Cooling System : Water Pump Installation Kit $36.79
MOTORCRAFT Part # PW532 {#BR3Z8501D, PW550} Engine Water Pump Pulley Bolt Cover"

I don't have a clue to exactly what it is though.
Thanks for your effort! I actually bought the AllData for my car from alldata.com. This is the same manual that dealers and shops use. $26/month subscription and well worth it! Very detailed instructions and drawings on basically every possible repair and servicing on your vehicle, even has torque specs. I recommend it to anyone who wants to DIY on their car more.

Are the only symptoms the sound?
Did dealer indicate how they determined the water pump needed replacement? Typically: Leaking; bearing noise; lack of circulating flow?
Were you experiencing any overheating? Loss of coolant?
Sounds like maybe air in the system, maybe from that faulty hose.
Are you experiencing any lack of heat from your heater?
Great questions. The symptoms are the sound and the loss of coolant. No other symptoms. But who knows, maybe I got lazy and didn't notice the coolant was low for a while. I remember checking it last time I was a the track, in mid-January, and it was fine then.

^^ I'd look into it more myself. My local ford dealership tried to replace my entire steering rack for a problem that was solved by tightening a loose bolt. They tend to favor the "replace everything and one of those was probably it approach." Makes me mad, but looks like your issue may be more easily solved.
Well there is a chance it might be that kind of thing! We shall see. If just burping the system solves it, I will never go back to that dealer again.

Since the system is typically pressurized, if you had a faulty hose and it was faulty enough to be noticeably losing coolant, id think it would be noticeable ... still though, only other place it could be going is maybe into the combustion chamber somehow, but i seriously doubt you're experiencing a head gasket issue... hmmm
I also doubt that. There would probably be smoke coming out the exhaust or other symptoms too if that was the case.

Water Pump Pulleys just bolt on. Some have 3 Bolts some have 4. No special tool needed.
Now a Power Steering Pump or Harmonic Balancer or Alternator Pulley you need a tool for...but not a water pump. Just make sure when you take the bolts out you number them.
I always start at 12:00 position & number my bolts in clockwise order. The reason you want to do this is you have a variety of bolt lengths from 2" - 4" long. Don't want to put the wrong length bolt in the wrong hole.
A new water pump will have the new gasket in the box with it.
oh yeah...leave the serpentine belt on until you break the bolts loose on the pulley to help stop the pulley from turning. The pulley bolts are all the same. The water pump bolts vary.
Thanks for the tips. I'm hoping they won't be necessary.

After listening to the video...I think your water pump is fine. Check it out anyway to see if there's any leaks. Also try moving the pulley around & see if you feel any play in the shaft.
If you feel play in it the bearings in it are going out. But I don't think that's it.
I think you have a bad coolant hose somewhere that needs to be replaced & then you need to get the air out of the cooling system so it pressurizes right. You might be able to pressurize it by running the car with the radiator cap off & your Heater on High for a good 30 minutes. The water goes through every line that way & the air can escape through the radiator cap hole.
Thanks, done. Let's see if I lose any more coolant or get the sound again now that the system is refilled and burped.
 
#4 ·
I've been searching high and low but nothing on install for 2011-14 3.7L water pumps.
Many water pumps are fairly easy but some can be a real pain. can't find anything on this one. Except maybe this.
"2012 FORD MUSTANG 3.7L V6 : Cooling System : Water Pump Installation Kit $36.79
MOTORCRAFT Part # PW532 {#BR3Z8501D, PW550} Engine Water Pump Pulley Bolt Cover"

I don't have a clue to exactly what it is though.
 
#5 ·
Thanks guys. I took the car back from the dealer, did not buy the parts or commit to getting the work done there. Here is a video of the gurgle. It happens on acceleration from stop, not on braking. More prominent soon after start up than later, although the sound is still there throughout the drive. I hooked up my SCT X4 to monitor the coolant temp, I've kept it under 201 deg F but I'm not pushing it over about 2200 RPMs. I did not notice any fluid around the overflow hose, thermostat, or water pump, which is puzzling. My coolant level IS very low. Attached is a picture of the tank and here is a video of the sound. I'm discussing this with some people on another forum... ok ok it's the Cyclone Mustangs Facebook group... and some people there are worried it's not really what the dealer thinks it is. They are making me wary about buying the parts before I have diagnosed for sure what the problem is. Any of you guys have ideas?
 

Attachments

#6 ·
Are the only symptoms the sound?
Did dealer indicate how they determined the water pump needed replacement? Typically: Leaking; bearing noise; lack of circulating flow?
Were you experiencing any overheating? Loss of coolant?
Sounds like maybe air in the system, maybe from that faulty hose.
Are you experiencing any lack of heat from your heater?
 
#7 ·
^^ I'd look into it more myself. My local ford dealership tried to replace my entire steering rack for a problem that was solved by tightening a loose bolt. They tend to favor the "replace everything and one of those was probably it approach." Makes me mad, but looks like your issue may be more easily solved.


Since the system is typically pressurized, if you had a faulty hose and it was faulty enough to be noticeably losing coolant, id think it would be noticeable ... still though, only other place it could be going is maybe into the combustion chamber somehow, but i seriously doubt you're experiencing a head gasket issue... hmmm
 
#8 ·
Water Pump Pulleys just bolt on. Some have 3 Bolts some have 4. No special tool needed.
Now a Power Steering Pump or Harmonic Balancer or Alternator Pulley you need a tool for...but not a water pump. Just make sure when you take the bolts out you number them.
I always start at 12:00 position & number my bolts in clockwise order. The reason you want to do this is you have a variety of bolt lengths from 2" - 4" long. Don't want to put the wrong length bolt in the wrong hole.
A new water pump will have the new gasket in the box with it.
 
#10 ·
Very good info, when and if water pump must be replaced.
 
#11 ·
After listening to the video...I think your water pump is fine. Check it out anyway to see if there's any leaks. Also try moving the pulley around & see if you feel any play in the shaft.
If you feel play in it the bearings in it are going out. But I don't think that's it.
I think you have a bad coolant hose somewhere that needs to be replaced & then you need to get the air out of the cooling system so it pressurizes right. You might be able to pressurize it by running the car with the radiator cap off & your Heater on High for a good 30 minutes. The water goes through every line that way & the air can escape through the radiator cap hole.
 
#15 ·
If one of your coolant hoses are too soft when your car gets hot enough it will suck the hose in & you'll get air in your system again. Check those hoses.
Well there is the $11 overflow hose that the dealer claims it is... it doesn't LOOK damaged to me. It feels soft, but I don't really know what to compare it to... And I don't know about the other hoses. Everything looks fine visibly. Please let me know if you have tips on how to check for bad hoses.

I'm probably staying the obvious, but could it be a leaky degas bottle cap?
Good tip, thanks. It looks fine to me.
 
#14 ·
I'm probably staying the obvious, but could it be a leaky degas bottle cap?
 
#16 ·
Squeeze the hoses between 2 fingers. They should be kind of firm & you should just be able to squeeze them a little bit. If they're soft & you can squeeze them pretty easy...change the hose. The over flow hose I bought at Checker Auto Parts for about 50 cents a foot so 3 feet of it is only a couple bucks.
 
#17 ·
Update. Have driven about 50 miles (all city) since topping off and burping the system. Temps are staying below 205F and the coolant level has not gone noticeably down, yet. Checked the hose firmness like Hellish Horse advised and it seems alright.
 
#18 ·
Fingers crossed that you fixed it without having to fork out the big bucks!
 
#19 ·
Water pump replacement - 2011 3.7L Stang

It started when our 2011 (Base) Mustang 3.7L V6 started losing antifreeze. It wasn't blowing out the rear, it wasn't leaking around any of the hoses, it wasn't the radiator, it wasn't on the garage floor and it wasn't visible with the hood up. After hours of reading blogs on this site, I determined we had Ford's faulty overflow hose WITHOUT the check valve.

So I searched the web high and low for a video or simple instructions on how to replace the water pump and turned up NOTHING! After chatting with Tasca and RockAuto, I found the parts I needed and dove in. A 2 hour job took about 5 hours but I photo'd all the steps and compiled a 17 page set of instructions that a cave man could do.

The attached instructions are for reference only. If you are not comfortable doing this kinda auto-surgery yourself, have a buddy or a reliable mechanic do the work for you. DO NOT waste your money or time at the stealership!

AC Delco Water Pump #252979 $52.79 + S&H @ RockAuto
Overflow Hose (with check valve) #ER3Z-8276-A $22.28 + S&H @ Tasca Parts Center
190 deg Thermostat $17.99 @ Autozone
2 gallons of pre-mixed antifreeze $21
2-3 hours of time (free more me)
Total: About $110

Sorry, due to files sizes, I had to break the instructions into 3 sections. But feel free to circulate these instructions to all our friends out there!
 

Attachments

#23 ·
Raybo, You did a great job, used Yr intructions and it was a petfect guide.
On Ford Workshop Service & Repair Manuals - 2011 Mustang A Engine Cooling Thermostat housing - 3.7l ,
I did not find anything like Your Caveman-proof work:), but Torque instructions for the nice and long- threaded M6 bolts, specified for the thermostat housing but obviously applicable to the identical bolts into aluminium for the water pump:
1. torque to 8Nm (71lb in), (which is somewhat uncritical, say hand tight) then
2. Tighten by another 45 degrees.
Method well-known for critical bolts inside engines, eliminates the effect of varying friction.
It feld good and tight, no trace of crossing threads or too loose bolts.
I used the Motorcraft kit as well, no clue why it had an extra seal plate, it did have an extra O- Ring for the thermostat housing against the water pump, but not the red o-Ring which looked ok but had printed itself against the aluminium.
That iihs page lists some part numbers for bolts and nuts and seals.
It started when our 2011 (Base) Musthttp://iihs.net/fsm/?d=845&f=Thermostat%20Housing%20-%203.7L.pdf&p=2ang 3.7L V6 started losing antifreeze. It wasn't blowing out the rear, it wasn't leaking around any of the hoses, it wasn't the radiator, it wasn't on the garage floor and it wasn't visible with the hood up. After hours of reading blogs on this site, I determined we had Ford's faulty overflow hose WITHOUT the check valve.

So I searched the web high and low for a video or simple instructions on how to replace the water pump and turned up NOTHING! After chatting with Tasca and RockAuto, I found the parts I needed and dove in. A 2 hour job took about 5 hours but I photo'd all the steps and compiled a 17 page set of instructions that a cave man could do.

The attached instructions are for reference only. If you are not comfortable doing this kinda auto-surgery yourself, have a buddy or a reliable mechanic do the work for you. DO NOT waste your money or time at the stealership!

AC Delco Water Pump #252979 $52.79 + S&H @ RockAuto
Overflow Hose (with check valve) #ER3Z-8276-A $22.28 + S&H @ Tasca Parts Center
190 deg Thermostat $17.99 @ Autozone
2 gallons of pre-mixed antifreeze $21
2-3 hours of time (free more me)
Total: About $110

Sorry, due to files sizes, I had to break the instructions into 3 sections. But feel free to circulate these instructions to all our friends out there!
 
#20 ·
Nice write up. I just did this job last weekend. I used the Motorcraft PW575. This kit comes with pump,3 bolt pulley, gaskets, o-ring and overflow hose( with check valve).
Like you it took about 5 hours. I used a new tool, Vac filler, to fill the cooling system. This vac filler tells you if your system has leaks.

---------- Post added at 11:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 AM ----------

Nice write up. I just did this job last weekend. I used the Motorcraft PW575. This kit comes with pump,3 bolt pulley, gaskets, o-ring and overflow hose( with check valve).
Like you it took about 5 hours. I used a new tool, Vac filler, to fill the cooling system. This vac filler tells you if your system has leaks.
 
#21 ·
I remote started my car last summer one day and came out to the smell of antifreeze and found the puddle underneath my car I immediately turned my car off and started looking for the leak but couldn't find it because it got spread all over with the fan and belt, crazy thing is it came out almost immediately, took it to local mechanic after looking it up and hearing about the water pumps, he but a pressure gage one it and found a hairline crack on the back side of the coolant reservoir, replaced that and went ahead and order the hose with the check valve and no problems now almost a year later


Sent from my iPhone using Mustang Evolution
 
#22 ·
Might just be the hose. Over the winter my heat gave out. Checked internet which said check reservoir and hose. Reservoir almost empty and I had older hose with no check valve. Ford dealer could find no leaks. So I just replaced hose and refilled reservoir. No problems since but I have not driven it a lot either.


Sent from my iPhone using Mustang Evolution
 
#25 ·
:thumb:Message from Burgandy...in France. My 2012 MCA Edition Convertible Mustang experienced last week a coolant leak. I ordered on Rockauto from France on Friday morning the Motorcraft PW575 kit ( around 100 USD including express shipping), and I should receive my kit on Monday! American guys, you are definitely the best in term of logistics. Many thanks to RayBo, I printed and translated his very detailed pdf tutorial, and with a neighbour who is mechanic, we will do the job on Friday. Keep you posted.
 
#30 ·
^ I noticed that too when I did my pump replacement last summer.

I assume it's because they kit is assembled by pulling baggies of parts off the shelf, and probably there's a pre-packed extra gasket somewhere.

It's the one time when Ford is being generous and giving you something for free. LOL.
 
#31 ·
It's done on my 2012 MCA! I would like to share we lost a lot of time trying to flush the whole coolant (11 liters i.e. 3 gallons) : this is simply impossible because around 40 % of the coolant remains inside the engine. In a nutshell, if you flush around 1 3/4 gallons to 2 gallons, this is the best you can do. Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Muscle car


Envoyé de mon SM-T550 en utilisant Tapatalk
 
#32 ·
It's done on my 2012 MCA! I would like to share we lost a lot of time trying to flush the whole coolant (11 liters i.e. 3 gallons) : this is simply impossible because around 40 % of the coolant remains inside the engine. In a nutshell, if you flush around 1 3/4 gallons to 2 gallons, this is the best you can do. View attachment 255674

Envoyé de mon SM-T550 en utilisant Tapatalk
There are drain plugs on the engine block to get all of the coolant out. Otherwise, it ends up all over your driveway (ask me how I know). ;)
 
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