thstone, so I will NOT be waiting until mine looks like that. Ouch.
Ok, so I've ordered the replacement pump, and doing a coolant drain and flush (maybe 2 since I don't know what was in there before). In reading the forum search on this, it seems that replacing the thermostat is required if your impeller blades are broken, but if not (and it was working fine before) no need to add one more thing to the list. I'll also check all of the hoses condition during the draining, and replace any that seem bad.
I'd love to buy/use the AirLift system to refill, but not sure my compressor is big enough (and now I'd be buying a new compressor and AirLift, and the costs continue to climb). Want to do this right, but also without ending up replacing everything the first time I open her up.