Aftermarket waterpump?
 

Has anybody tried an aftermarket water pump? I've had nothing but bad luck with mine.
Here's my record:
1 - 66k miles
2 - 56k miles
3 - 35k miles

other Boxster:
1 - 48k miles

Considering the cost of replacing the water pump, and the fact that Porsche pumps cost $325, I'm really thinking of taking a chance on an aftermarket model....it can't do any worse, right?

I would really expect a Porsche water pump to last at least 100k miles, wouldn't you?

Where have you been buying your water pumps? Do they have the word LASO stamped on them? I bought this one from Pelican Parts, since the catalog said OEM on it, but this pump lasted only ~40k miles.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1424396024.jpg


Then I went to Porsche and spent $525 on a pump, that one is still going strong with over 30K miles on it.

i'm not sure where the pumps came from. i assume the dealership since my indie only uses Porsche parts.

I'm not sure what is going-on with suppliers and water pumps but go to the dealership to buy one if you plan on keeping your car.

yes, i plan on keep mine. i've got 190k miles on it now and it still brings a smile to my face whenever i drive it. however, the maintenance kinda takes it away. :)

Can I ask 2 questions
Who's pump(s) have you installed?
What antifreeze are you using?

KRAM,
Thanks for sharing the link, I have not seen this company before. They also have the Porsche water pump!

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/porsche-engine-water-pump-911-boxster-11243008002

Porsche WP from Sunset:
WATER PUMP for 2000 Porsche Boxster

http://www.porschepartshub.com/porsche/boxster/99610601156/2000-year/roadster-s-trim/3-2l-h6-gas-engine/cooling-system-cat/water-pump-scat/?part_name=water-pump

as far as i know, i'm getting porsche pumps and porsche fluids.
what are your experiences with porsche pumps?

my first one failed at 66k miles. this was the pump that came from the factory using factory juices.

the pump on my other boxster just failed at 48k miles. again, factory pump and factory juices.

i'm looking for a pump that will last a bit longer.

any experiences with aftermarket pumps? or are we all just installing a new porsche pump with a limited lifetime of 50-60k miles?

i replaced my oem pump with a e-bay unit about 1 year, 5k, back and it is working fine, the original started to leak at about 50k. not sure how long this one will last, but it is doing well so far. not sure which direction I would have gone in if I was paying for the labor, but I do all my own work.

From my understanding (could be wrong), Pierburg is the company that supplied Porsche with the water pump for the 986. It's the same thing as the $339.99 unit.

Dumb question here from a mechanical dummy: how do you know when the water pump is failing?

I'll let other chime in about leaks and noise coming from a failing pump. What concerns me more is the silent killer, the plastic impellers that can break off and clog the system creating hot spots and cracked heads. I have a 14 year old pump with 25,000 miles on it. The preventative maintenance side says to change it now or risk disaster. I am leaning towards doing it sooner than later.

One sign is a small leak from the bearing. Mine had it when I bought my car at 41k. I'm guessing once it makes noise your at risk.

I'd change yours simply because it's 14 years old. The relatively low miles is at this point less meaningful. It been in use for 14 years as it it's exposed to coolant 24/7.

One thing no one has mentioned is how often they replace the coolant. This must certainly has an impact on the longevity of the water pump.

Great points. Water pump, gasket, low temp thermostat and new coolant. I'll order them up today.

water pumps w/metal impellers. opinions?

No. When these go bad they have a habit of causing damage to the engine block. Damage that sometimes can't be fixed.

As a Datapoint, I changed my WP at 114,000 miles this January on a 2000 and it was the original WP, it looked brand new still and was perfect. I replaced it with a Pierburg, and very shortly after I found the link to Sunset which has the Porsche WP for only around $20 more than the Pierburg. If I had found it first I would have gotten it, but I am happy with the Pierburg. I used the OEM Porsche Coolant as well. I have heard that one killer is folks not bleeding the system properly, and air bubbles get in and causes trauma to the composite impellor fins.

Here's a link to my WP thread over on RennTech:
another water pump story - 996 Series (Carrera, Carrera 4, Carrera 4S, Targa) - RennTech.org Forums

I'm running aftermarkets on both my 986 and 996, and I've had Dex-cool in the 986 for a long time and a lotta miles. The big thing with the WP is to get a plastic impeller and be sure you've flushed any pieces of the old one out.