Replace water pump as preventative maintenance?

[Buggyjam]

Gen2

 

Is it sensible or recommended to replace the water pump at some point, like you would say a cam belt on other brands of car? Mines at 60k. I know they wear over time and have a habit of being hard to spot initially before giving up the ghost fairly quickly. Absolutely wouldn’t bother if overkill but if it’s a case of “only a matter of time” then see merit in it.

 

OE pump for gen 2 is £300 on design911. I think OEM about £200. Would get a knowledgable garage to fit it. So can imagine it would be a sizeable cost altogether.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Buggyjam

[Buggyjam]

1 minute ago, eponymoose said:

There is some merit in preventative. But I probably wouldn't do it until 80-100k.

 

I'd also steer clear of 'oem'. It very rarely is truly oem. No big deal on some parts, more of an issue on a part that can potentially kill the engine. If you can determine the oem part is truly the same part from the same supplier as the Porsche part, fine. But it usually isn't. Really, the whole oem thing is a bit of a scam a lot of the time.

 

One final note, if you do decide on an 'oem' / pattern part, ensure the impeller is not metal. If the bearing goes and the impeller starts moving around, it can hit the engine blot and do serious damage if it is metal. Original part has a plastic impeller that will break up in those circumstances. Not ideal as it will put bits of plastic into the cooling system. But better than grinding away at the  block.

 

Thanks for that, that is golden! You answered two other question I’d thought of after - What is the difference between Oem and Oe. And also what about the metal impeller versions. I’ll be sticking with proper versions! I’ll leave it a couple of years then. Any early warning signs to look out for? Noises etc? 

[Aaron]

13 minutes ago, Buggyjam said:

 

Thanks for that, that is golden! You answered two other question I’d thought of after - What is the difference between Oem and Oe. And also what about the metal impeller versions. I’ll be sticking with proper versions! I’ll leave it a couple of years then. Any early warning signs to look out for? Noises etc? 

 

You'd generally hear a grinding coming from the water pump area, which would suggest the bearing is worn and should be replaced.  It's not common for water pumps to give out without much warning, it's a very simple part.

 

The issues start to arise when the bearing has worn excessively causing play yet the engine has still been used; the play then allows the impeller to move and start making contact with the engine internals.  As eponymoose says, a plastic impeller would break up into pieces and spread about the cooling system whereas a metal impeller would do some serious damage to the coolant passages.  Flushing the plastic pieces out is much easier than swapping the block because the coolant passages are ruined...

[Buggyjam]

3 minutes ago, Aaron said:

 

You'd generally hear a grinding coming from the water pump area, which would suggest the bearing is worn and should be replaced.  It's not common for water pumps to give out without much warning, it's a very simple part.

 

The issues start to arise when the bearing has worn excessively causing play yet the engine has still been used; the play then allows the impeller to move and start making contact with the engine internals.  As eponymoose says, a plastic impeller would break up into pieces and spread about the cooling system whereas a metal impeller would do some serious damage to the coolant passages.  Flushing the plastic pieces out is much easier than swapping the block because the coolant passages are ruined...

Thank you. That’s useful to know. I do try and keep my ears half switched on to what’s happening but hopefully the noise would be something you could hear through the effective sound proofing.

 

Porsche opc told me they had a guy who noticed his temp creep up a little and some sort of noise or other. He rang them up. They said don’t drive it even an inch and get it towed to them. Well, he ignore that drove it to them, all of a few miles and the pump packed up suddenly en route and the engine was overheated toast. 

[graham.reeds]

My BMW water pump went at 197.5k on the clock but started making noises at about 195k.  I was going to replace the car anyway at 200k as there was a oil leak in the intercooler and the turbo was reporting over pressure issues. I was doing best part of 800 miles per week and the pump on the bmw is in a really awkward place. It was 14 years old and rust spots had developed over the arches and while I loved it, it was passed its best.  I was hoping it would last the final 2,500 miles. It didn't.

 

I have never heard of a water pump going silently and so quickly.

[Buggyjam]

4 minutes ago, graham.reeds said:

My BMW water pump went at 197.5k on the clock but started making noises at about 195k.  I was going to replace the car anyway at 200k as there was a oil leak in the intercooler and the turbo was reporting over pressure issues. I was doing best part of 800 miles per week and the pump on the bmw is in a really awkward place. It was 14 years old and rust spots had developed over the arches and while I loved it, it was passed its best.  I was hoping it would last the final 2,500 miles. It didn't.

 

I have never heard of a water pump going silently and so quickly.

 

Totally, I had an E36 BMW and the pump went in it, lasted a good while. I noticed it was loosing some water. It was a banger so just kept topping it up :D. Finally got it looked at, water pump. Then the clutch went so binned it. Bloody good car, went for ages. Really liked it.

 

These Porsche water pumps do sound like they can go rapidly.

[Aaron]

On 13/02/2018 at 13:37, Buggyjam said:

Thank you. That’s useful to know. I do try and keep my ears half switched on to what’s happening but hopefully the noise would be something you could hear through the effective sound proofing.

 

Porsche opc told me they had a guy who noticed his temp creep up a little and some sort of noise or other. He rang them up. They said don’t drive it even an inch and get it towed to them. Well, he ignore that drove it to them, all of a few miles and the pump packed up suddenly en route and the engine was overheated toast. 

 

What can happen is the bearing and impeller become completely separated - you hear a really bad sound for a brief moment, then the temp starts creeping up as the pump is no longer functional.

 

The head would probably warp before any real damage is done, however, that doesn't defer from the sting to the wallet afterwards... I doubt a new engine would be required, likely just removal and skim of the head.

 

Water pump failure isn't that common; I wouldn't lose sleep over it.  Just keep your ears peeled - everyone that pays a mild bit of attention will know what it sounds like when something isn't right.

[duncan]

As an observation, most manufacturers do not include the replacement of water pumps as routine service item however, most owners forums do.

Of the reasons given for replacement

1) the pump will fail shortly after the replacement of a belt and attendant retensioning because the load (tension) on the pump bearing is now greater and will cause a premature failure, and

2) cost, if you’ve gone to the expense of accessing the belt then the extra cost of a new pump is a minor.

Set against that for a 987.2 is

1) a routine belt replacement does not not involve replacing the tensioner or manually resetting the tension - so the loads on the pump shouldn’t increase and

2) it’s relatively easy (well compared to some) to re-access the pump.

The don’t lose sleep but be attentive approach sounds pragmatic to me.

 

[barryb]

Hi

 

In le Mans today stopped at light and heard a faint tinkling sound from the engine, it gradually got worse but fortunately on my way to the garage. Mechanic checked under the car and as I expected water pump failing. Left the car and got a loaner home. Car should be ready Friday. Dodged a bullet I think.

 

Barry