Go Back   986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners > Porsche Boxster & Cayman Forums > Boxster General Discussions

Post Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-30-2019, 05:23 AM   #1
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 114
water pump replacement

Does anyone know how hard it is to replace the water pump and thermostate or what the dealer charges to have it done approximate

Jimbo409 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2019, 05:29 AM   #2
Registered User
 
piper6909's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: PA
Posts: 1,531
Pelican Parts has some great how-to articles. Here's one on the water pump and t-stat.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/34-WATER-Thermostat_and_Pump/34-WATER-Thermostat_and_Pump.htm

There are plenty of great threads with great tips on here as well, just do a search.
piper6909 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2019, 06:18 AM   #3
Registered User
 
kk2002s's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: S. New Jersey
Posts: 1,239
Garage
Many on this forum know how hard this job is.
It's a messy job as you have to deal with the coolant. It's not as frustrating as replacing the coolant expansion tank as most bolts on the WP are accessible. A couple are challenging. Then you have to replace lost coolant and make sure system is purged of air. I found this a good time to flush and replace my coolant.
__________________
2002 S - old school third pedal
Seal Grey
kk2002s is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2019, 06:59 AM   #4
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Tucson AZ
Posts: 536
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo409 View Post
Does anyone know how hard it is to replace the water pump and thermostate or what the dealer charges to have it done approximate
It isn't even close to impossible, no special tools are needed. Like lots of things on the Boxster engine it's a little tight and you need to access from under neath and through the panel behind the seats. We don't have a gauge of your abilities or limberness, tho. Things that might be easy for most of us might be difficult for you.

I wouldn't have it done at the dealer, they charge inflated parts and labor prices. An independent European repair garage would be appropriate. Go with their parts recommendation, you really do want pump with a fiber impeller, eventual failure won't grind up the front of the aluminum engine. OEM is expensive, but the best.

If you're a newbie or inexperienced diy mechanic, I'd do it myself. You never learn if you don't try new things. The one time I tried to rebuild an old Toyota automatic transmission, I found out that I shouldn't do automatics--ended up converting the car to a 5 speed from a wrecked one.:dance:

Good Luck.
__________________
2001 Boxster
2007 Toyota Highlander
2003 New Beetle Convertible, Turbo, Tip 6 speed
Brian in Tucson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2019, 11:20 AM   #5
1998 Boxster Silver/Red
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: 92262
Posts: 2,915
On my own I replaced the WP. The coolant... that's the biggest drag as it can get messy.

I did my motor mount at the same time... and it made replacing the water pump a breeze, figuratively speaking. Yes, there is a WP bolt or two that can be challenging but, with the motor mount at the same time... hardly as chalennging, and a breeze.

__________________
1998 Porsche Boxster
Starter986 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2019, 12:20 PM   #6
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Finland
Posts: 306
On many instructions it is adviced to take two WP bolts off from inside the cabin. I did this on my first WP change - a real pain in the ...
Second time a round I unbolted and rebolted all WP bolts from undernath the car and it was waaaay easier.
My car is 2001 Boxer Base with manual transmission (probably does not make a difference between 986's).
Also not very messy since I was able to use a lift in my friends shop and was able to stand under the car
__________________
Boxster 2.7 2001 Manual
pilot4fn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2019, 06:20 AM   #7
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 114
what is approximate cost to have dealer or independent shop do the wp rough idea jimbo
Jimbo409 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2019, 07:02 AM   #8
Registered User
 
Rob175's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Lincolnshire, IL
Posts: 440
I just had a new water pump installed by my "indi" shop (in the Chicago suburbs) on my 1998 Boxster (w/85,000 original miles). The total came to $1,100 for parts, labor, coolant etc. Since the car has been virtually trouble free for the 20 years I've owned it I consider it just normal ownership costs. YES, of course I could have saved money by doing it myself but that's just not my thing and I have no way to work from under the car. The original WP lasted 20 years so I'm hoping to get another 20 from this new pump....lol.
Rob175 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2019, 07:58 AM   #9
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 1,997
It's true about doing the motor mount at the same time. Makes access much easier.
Also, IIRC, some of the bolts holding the WP in place are different in length—make sure you keep straight in your head (I believe I actually made a little diagram) which ones go where.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob175 View Post
The original WP lasted 20 years so I'm hoping to get another 20 from this new pump....lol.
Seems to be a big difference of opinion on this. I got probably 10-12 years out of mine. (I'm assuming that the one I removed was original—the car only had 19k miles when I got it.) OTOH, Jake Raby (the "Engine Surgeon" who used to post here regularly, a pretty knowledgeable guy when it comes to the M96) advised changing them out every 3 years.
Frodo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2019, 08:25 AM   #10
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Illinois
Posts: 190
Garage
Simple job: not worth paying someone to do. The burping is the hardest part.
__________________
A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.
-H. L. Mencken
Newsguy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2019, 01:40 PM   #11
Artist, 986S tinkerer
 
NewArt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Montreal, Canada
Posts: 1,821
No big deal. Pierburg water pump. Do the low temp stat while you’re in there. An Airlift tool makes coolant refill a breeze.
__________________
James now has: 2008 987S 6 speed
Crashed: 2010 987.2 pdk in speed yellow!
Sold to a cool racer chick: 2004 986 S
YouTube channel: the PORSCHE as seen by NewArt
www.youtube.com/channel/UCohdrH2xHTklM1thxk0KKOQ?
NewArt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2019, 06:37 PM   #12
1997 Tip, 2018 Macan
 
rexcramer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Upland, CA
Posts: 1,338
Garage
An Airlift tool is worth every penny. It is fast, easy and works as perfect as the YT videos show.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NewArt View Post
An Airlift tool makes coolant refill a breeze.
rexcramer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2019, 08:49 PM   #13
On the slippery slope
 
JayG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Austin and Palm Springs
Posts: 3,793
Garage
Replacing the WP is a little bit PITA, but very doable DIY. Just plan on replacing the unicorn sperm they call Porsche coolant when you do it.

As newart mentioned, put in a low temp thermostat "while you are in there" also consider replacing the motor mount as well. Lots of threads on this

You can get a pierburg (OEM quality) at a reasonable cost. When I did mine a few years back, IIRC it was around $350 for the WP, low temp thermostat and the Porsche brand coolant. I got it all from ware house 33 auto dot com (remove spaces ) and put rennlist in the promo field for an extra 10% off
__________________
2004 Boxster S 6 speed - DRL relay hack, Polaris AutoTop DIY
2004 996 Targa Tip
Instructor - San Diego region
2014 Porsche Performance Driving School
2020 BMW X3, 2013 Ram 1500, 2016 Cmax, 2004 F-150 "Big Red"
JayG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2020, 06:32 AM   #14
Registered User
 
Xpit77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 487
As crazy as this sounds check Amazon. If your not using OEM.Because the early 2.5 are a dying breed and there`s lots of rebuilts sitting on shelves that need to be moved.Worth the look.
__________________
99 Boxster sold
88 944S sold
Xpit Formula Four sold
95 Integra Solo I sold
71 Opel GT sold
Xpit77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2020, 05:45 PM   #15
More of a truck guy
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: San Ramon, CA
Posts: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xpit77 View Post
As crazy as this sounds check Amazon. If your not using OEM.Because the early 2.5 are a dying breed and there`s lots of rebuilts sitting on shelves that need to be moved.Worth the look.
Where would one look for a 2.5L that has been rebuilt?
__________________
2002 Boxster S 6 Speed
TNT79Bronco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2020, 04:40 AM   #16
Registered User
 
Xpit77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 487
Wps are either OEM or remanufactured.Before I bought I checked with my indie.I bought a pump on Amazon Prime for $98. CND.Regular price $249. It was from a company in New Jersey.Came with the complete gasket.No core return.
__________________
99 Boxster sold
88 944S sold
Xpit Formula Four sold
95 Integra Solo I sold
71 Opel GT sold
Xpit77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2020, 05:28 AM   #17
On the slippery slope
 
JayG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Austin and Palm Springs
Posts: 3,793
Garage
Don't be a penny wise and a pound foolish when it comes to your WP

Lots of threads about water pumps do a search and read them

YMMV
__________________
2004 Boxster S 6 speed - DRL relay hack, Polaris AutoTop DIY
2004 996 Targa Tip
Instructor - San Diego region
2014 Porsche Performance Driving School
2020 BMW X3, 2013 Ram 1500, 2016 Cmax, 2004 F-150 "Big Red"
JayG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2020, 09:38 PM   #18
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: CO
Posts: 989
The WP isn’t particularly bad to change. The upper t-stat housing bolts will create a few sentence enhancers. You WILL spill coolant, you WILL wear some coolant at some point as well. As others have said, purging the system of air as defined in the manual is the biggest PITA of the whole job... doing a WP is good pre-Zen work for when you have to do the alternator...
Geof3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2020, 04:24 AM   #19
1998 Boxster Silver/Red
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: 92262
Posts: 2,915
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geof3 View Post
The WP isn’t particularly bad to change. The upper t-stat housing bolts will create a few sentence enhancers. You WILL spill coolant, you WILL wear some coolant at some point as well. As others have said, purging the system of air as defined in the manual is the biggest PITA of the whole job... doing a WP is good pre-Zen work for when you have to do the alternator...
I had my alternator rebuilt a couple months ago. Removing it was a piece of cake. reinstalling it presented a challenge. The water pump I replaced myself and found it more time consuming that the alternator (jacking the car... replacing the MM at the same time).

I'd rather change out the water pump.
__________________
1998 Porsche Boxster
Starter986 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2020, 10:00 AM   #20
Registered User
 
pilut2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Peterborough Ontario Canada
Posts: 148
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geof3 View Post
The WP isn’t particularly bad to change. The upper t-stat housing bolts will create a few sentence enhancers.
I found all bolts on WP and t-stat surprisingly easy to access, even with the motor mount in place. The worst part of the job was definitely the mouthful and eyeful of coolant!

__________________
1999 Boxster, Ocean Blue Metallic-grey top.
LN IMS dual row-, Ben's short shift kit
pilut2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Post Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:32 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2024 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page