You have to weigh the PROS and CONS when making any decision.
The PROS: oh, there are none.
The CONS: I can't believe anyone would seriously think about it?
After analyzing the data I think the answer is NO.
Happy Boxstering
Pedro
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Racecar spelled backwards is: Racecar!
Hi DWBOX2000, I was at the USCG station in Scituate back in the early 80s. Nice little town then.
I tried to save a little money buying a water pump a year ago and bought one on Amazon. It stated that it had a plastic impeller, but when it arrived it was metal. I installed it anyway, but plan to replace it early. As all have stated: buy Pierburg/OEM with the plastic impeller.
Maybe if you had done a search a bit you would have found out the answer to your question about using a rebuilt WP as well as metal vs composite impeller
In any case, best deal I found for a pierburg WP is at
warehouse33auto.com
If you enter the coupon code RENNLIST at checkout you get a 10% discount
don't forget to get the gasket and you probably will need that virgin unicorn sperm Porsche calls coolant. it runs ~$40/gal and you need 5-6 gallons diluted 50/50. Might as well replace the thermostat while you are in there
I paid $190 for the WP, $52 for low temp thermo/housing/gasket & $3.50 for the WP gasket, no sales tax and free shipping. Coolant was ~$40/gal as well
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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"
....and for the gasket, use the coated metal style with no sealant. With these engines, gasket sealant has a tendency to squeeze out of the seal and become debris in the coolant passages.
__________________ I am not an attorney, mechanic, or member of the clergy. Following any advice given in my posts is done at your own peril.
I got my 3 gallons of coolant from Suncoast and mixed with 3 gallons of distilled water, and did a low temp thermostat at the same time, and pierburg WP. There is a good article on Rennlist on how to easily bled every drop of coolant out but I think it may be 996 specific, but there may be some parts in there applicable to us:
The USSG is still there. Thanks for your service. We have been in scituate for 20 years, still love it.
I'll read all this stuff tonight, thanks again everyone for the input.
Ok, I'll be in the minority here....I bought a gates WP for $72 and installed it (with metal gasket and OEM thermostat) a year ago and immediately drove from Panama City Beach to Ft.Lauderdale and back. As easy as the DYI job was, I'll keep an eye on it and change it out again if it fails.
FWIW, my old pump did not fail at 126K miles. I could tell it was original as the original gasket was in place. After I got into the job, it looked like all that was wrong was a little weeping from one of the bolts. I replaced it anyway as I had it all apart. Upon inspection of the OEM pump there was no wobble or noise from the shaft or bearing. Given the 7ft-lb torque requirement, I'll bet I could have snugged up the bolts and been good to go!