Seems to be a rash of water pump failures these days...
OK, got the failed pump removed (along with the engine mount, for replacement) and was hoping the impeller blades would be intact. They were...sort of:
The obvious question (with, it seems, not so obvious answers) is: How many people would worry about the small amount of the blades that's missing? I don't yet have the replacement (it's ordered), so I can't tell exactly how much is missing. Is it big enough to meet Jake's "pencil eraser" cut-off? Dunno.
How many people (especially those with specific experience in this area) would
1) disassemble the entire cooling system looking for pieces
2) figure out some way to back flush the system
3) not worry about it, and slap the new one on
Jake, I suspect you'll hit me with your well-noted 'doom and gloom' response (no offense!), but level with me here...As a former Marine, you're obviously something of a gambling man...how much of a gamble we lookin' at here, going with Option 3?
If the consensus is to do Option 1 or 2, is this something a novice mechanic (but getting more experienced all the time
) working in a garage, with jack stands and a decent set of tools could hope to pull off?