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Water pump .....
I am not one for replacing parts unnecessarily but I am thinking of replacing the water pump in my 2001 Boxster base. The car has only 45k miles and the water pump has not been replaced according to the receipts for work done and therefore the pump is 13 years old. I have the IMS Guardian installed.
The idler arm was replaced 6 months ago and the water pump, alternator etc was checked for tension. Nothing was found to be amiss except the idler arm was worn. Questions? For those of you in the know, is this what you would do? Is this the obvious thing to replace to be proactive? The clutch is good so I am happy to leave the ims bearing as is for now. Second question. Am I correct in saying that the normal regular temp thermostat is the correct replacement as we have cooler temps year round. It does not get above 80F very often in the summer. How many hours would it take an indy shop to replace a water pump/thermostat? Thanks in advance , Guy |
You'll get varying opinions on the wisdom of changing out the pump at relatively low mileage. My 2000 S had the original pump, thermostat, AND coolant - with only 27K miles. Even though the coolant is good for 100K, it was 13 years old, so I decided to drain/flush it. While I was in there... etc. etc. I now have a new water pump, low temp thermostat, and new Porsche coolant in the car. Peace of mind is worth something. Just my $ .02
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I recently changed the water pump in my 2000 base when it started making noise. It had over 80,000 miles on it. Based on my experience, you should have another 30,000 miles of life in your water pump. However, I am aware that others have experienced failures with far fewer miles.
If you were planning a long trip, it might make sense to change it as a precaution. Here's a post with a variety of opinions and experience: http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/49975-water-pump-question.html |
Took my own out at 45,000 miles and 13years - it didn't make noise, didn't leak but I figured since the impeller is plastic I'd rather not have to worry about missing impeller fins floating around in the engine passages possibly stopping cooling and causing other issues. Put it this way if you got 13 years out of that pump it doesn't owe you anything (that's just my opinion)
H |
Your water pump / thermostat and coolant have lasted 13 years, so f you are "proactive" and replace all of the above, then logic says that you will be good for the next few years - depending on your annual mileage.
If these engines weren't so allergic to high running temperatures and your coolant efficiency tested out OK, I would say leave as be, but preventative maintenance is high on any professional piece of equipment. A lot of people mistakenly think that the low temp T'stat makes the engine run too cool for everyday operation in temperate climates like Canada. In fact the 'stat only opens sooner than the original, so giving the engine access to the total cooling volume earlier. Perhaps we should have call it the early opening thermostat instead of the low temperature thermostat |
4 hour job, 450 from Porsche on the shelf.
Done. Worth it. |
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G. |
looks like it is time for me to replace my w/p. started to get the obligatory belt squeal and now I have a small leak of what appears to be coolant. originally, I was convinced it was an idler pulley which was beginning to fail, but the drip has me convinced to replace the idler and w/p. as long as I will have it disassembled. at 51k and 14 years old, I guess it has lived a long life.
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Do the stat. You can get the entire assy or just the stat. I did just the stat. A little difficult to snap into the holder. |
Going to be replacing my water pump + coolant in the next month. 100,5xx miles.
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Timco:
Are you doing a Vacuum fluid fill or the manual fill, purge fill I just ran 2200 miles, 950 in ones straight shot (68k miles on car) and I was thinking about the water pump, watching my temp gauge consistently. I did check for play and leaks (All good) before I left Now that I'm at 70k, 14 years old, a new W/P, Low temp Termo. and Flush seem like good preventative maintenance at this time especially having gotten through that trip with no issues Only thing is I'm not set up to do Vacuum fill including no compressor |
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If your coolant has not been properly maintained it may be acidic and wear/damage your water pump. It's not just the mileage….
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Hi guys it's me again. Just wondering if any of you installed or had installed the Boxster water pump with the metal impeller?
The one in Pelican Parts is half the price of the composite impeller Porsche made. Advantage of metal is that it does not shatter into multi pieces. Your comments please for metal vs. composite! Guy I have a 2001 Box base. |
I've read here that the problem with a metal impeller is if it develops a wobble, the metal will start grinding away at your aluminum block...not good and very expensive.
Think that's the reason Porsche went with the plastic version. |
I'm on this project right now. I decided to go with the plastic because
1. That's what was in there originally. (Or so I believe. I'll find out this week) 2. Shredding plastic seems a lot safer than shredding metal. 3. The low cost of the metal impellers really turned me off. While I believe the $100-$150 dollar pumps might be adequate for a year or two, I'd rather not have the thought of a cheap pump going through the back of my mind whenever I decide to take a road trip. ETA: I went with the low temp thermostat for no particular reason other than it sounds cooler. (pun intended) |
There is a reason Porsche went with plastic. Do a search for some pics that Jake Raby(if I remember correctly) posted of the metal pump grinding into the case. I would stick with the plastic.
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Thanks all. I have put in an order for water pump(plastic impeller), gasket and thermostat.
Cheers, Guy. |
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Go with the low-temp thermostat, and do the work yourself, it's too easy not to DIY. I too was on the fence about doing the work you're about to undertake. I had no receipts from the PO regarding replacement, so I assumed, correctly as it turns out, that I was still running the original pump. Coolant was also changed, as it was 14 years in the vehicle, and I went with a LN 160F thermostat. For working on jackstands and only with hand tools, I got 'er apart, drained and back together in 4 3/4 hours. I had to add another half hour for the borrowed vacuum fill tool and I was all finished. Asides from the under-vehicle access, it really was an easy DIY. I had no 1/4" drive torque wrench, so the water pump bolts got snugged down and another quarter turn. No leaks after 2 months, so I'm not expecting any. |
Harbor Freight has Torque Wrenches on sale all the time for around $12
I picked up 1/2 and 1/4 since they were low cost I do a web search for their club coupons and find great deals |
I wouldn't call a HF torque wrench a good deal if they paid me to take it. Somehow I don't think I'd trust a torque wrench that's worth less than the bolt I'm using it to tighten. It's just one of those tools I wouldn't cheap out on. Using that torque spec of "a 1/4 turn shy of stripped" hasn't always worked out so well either.
I have three torque wrenches (40-200 in-lbs, 5-75 ft-lbs, 50-200 ft-lbs), all Snap-On and all recently calibrated. Got them all from Ebay for less than a 1/3 of their retail value, and then spent an extra $40 on a fresh calibration, so for a total investment of about $350 I have top-notch tools that I can trust. |
FWIW, I used a Harbor Freight torque wrench (Taiwanese, not Chinese) when I replaced the cylinder head on my E320. No issues. Although HF does have a rep. for cheapness, their torque wrenches seem to be fairly accurate.
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I don't know, I checked them against my buddies Snap-on ones and they were good.
I spent $25 and you spent $350 If i was a pro mechanic, I would probably go with pro tools, as a DIY.....and a reasonably accurate one is better than none at all |
When it comes to water-cooling i.e. critical engine parts I leave it to the experts.
And most DIY's dont have airlift to vac fill. Air bubles can be stubborn. Many repeated cycles to make sure you're not baking up some hot pockets. At least invest in your own airlift. |
After having placed my order in for a water pump and thermostat I am now thinking I should have ordered hoses as the associated ones would be 13 years old.
When any of you replaced or had replaced the water pump did you replace any hoses? If so which ones? Thanks, Guy. |
No...
I didn't replace any hoses.
Mine are still pliable & uncracked. They crushed flat very nicely under Airlift vacuum. I check all of them annually anyway when the car goes in for winter hibernation. |
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Ok, not to be cheerleading for the dealer again, but these cars have lifetime coolant...any objective evidence this is not the case?
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Suncoast Parts had a composite one but I figured I would get the higher end one from Pelican. It gives me piece of mind. Plus I have dealt with Pelican before and they have a good reputation. G. PS Thanks for above re hoses being okay. Kind of like renovating a house, where does it end...... |
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DIY is the way to go with these water pumps. Don't expect original Porsche to last long either.
http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/49670-water-pump-way-out.html Except for the PITA of dealing with coolant, the actual WP change is relatively easy. All bolts except for one can actually be reached with a torque wrench, too. I invested in the Airlift vacuum system; well worth the bucks IMHO. My compressor is only 4 gallon (they say you need a 10 minimum) and works perfectly. I've heard of others that have even smaller ones and it's worked ok too. |
What is easiest way to remove the really stuck on hoses that are connected to the water pump and thermostat? Mine are really stuck on and I am at stand still with this. Is there a penetrating lube or tool someone can recommend?
Thanks |
Use a rad hose pick. Poke it in between the hose and the nipple and work it around the outside. The hose will pop right off.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/OBJECTS/47000/46951.JPG |
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