To water pump or not to water pump that is the question
 

What do you think guys, I know the rule of thumb is to change it but what do you think? 122km, you think it can go another 80,000?

its timing belt time and radiator replacing time, so I am lookingat my wallet and thinkin do i really haveto get it?

if you're already going to be replacing your timing belt you NEED to go ahead and do your water pump at the same time. It saves you so much time and hassle.

Also, no'one's ever said..."DAMN!! I should've waited to change my water pump!"

Yeah, da' Rod's right - the cost-to-benefit is a no-brainer. if the water pump *does* fail after you do the timing belt - the cost in labor for a $#0 part will kill ya'!

A water pump has a rototating water seal that wears in use. It will fail - at some point. it is not like electronics where the life could 1x or 100x for the same part.

Don't be cheap on this.

Agreed. Only two things typically fail in a water pump - the seals or the bearing.

For anyone out there with a pump they suspect might be bad (and the timing belt was done already or is a long ways off), note that
1) If the bearing is bad, it will make an audible squeal, or there will be play in the pulley.
2) There is usually a small weep hole if the seal fails, and you will begin to smell coolant as it dribbles out.

But, if you are going to tear it down, a little preventative maintenance is in order!

do the pump at the same time as the t-belt.also do new drive belts as well.what do you mean radiator replacement time?just change the coolent or are you upgrading to an aftermarket.or maybe yours is leaking.if so all the more reason to change to a new pump.

Its a minor leak at the bottom of the radiator, damn thing is a peice of crap, 3 years old and its leaking, once I rip it out, i am gonna see what I can do with it, maybe use a thermal bonding glue along the bottom. I walked into mazda and asked about a radiator and they said 400 dollars canadian HAHHAHA I couldn't have laughed harder, and thats not even labour .. so I said forget that, so I went over to the fellas over at Teamradiator.com and they hooked up something for 139 dollars US, sounds good to me, grabed it and it looks pretty good :)

but anyways I have decided to just have the waterpump inspected, and run it for another 80,000 km, should it fail, well knowing my luck but my budget has left me tight as it is.

Replacement to the exhaust must be done with a crack in the main pipe due to moderate rust.

Timing belt is 20k over due,
plus there is this early morning squeek that I am trying to track down.. oh well

thats my 1200$ dollar life

IF IT WAS ME...

I would ignore the crack (or JB Weld it) and spend the few extra $$ for the water pump.

If money *is* tight (and it sounds like it is) - you can't afford to gamble on this.

Okay. So you have asked the question. You have the answer with the arguments to back it up. :argue:

Why are you still not doing it anyway? Did you want us to agree with you to save the money for the water pump - at the risk of hearing about it from you later about 'oh no! my water pump failed and YOU told me not to worry...' :tear:

Is this the 'which dress should i wear?' issue where you wear the one the man DIDN'T pick?!

Begging the question - 'then *why* did you ask me?' :cookoo:

I am jus' pokin' at cha' :stickpoke - no harm/no foul intended...

-peace ;peace;

True but i have posted some comments in other forums about the matters at hand and it came down to fixing what is broken vs. preventative, plus the crack is affecting hp and costing me as I go along, I am not really worried about opening up my engine again, we mess with it enoug halready, so if it fails, it fails. My question was really trying to feel out the reliability of the mazda waterpump in this generation. Because I can name some domestic brands that have just flat out problems lol all cars have there type of problems I guess. but my priority is to repair and replace what needs to be replaced. timing belt is number 1, even that I have been pushing my luck with....and no offence taken don't worry, its a good question, I guess I didn't state my question well enough, I do that to damn often, I think I posted that late at night , hahha I tend to sleep walk after I get laid lol

Ahh - see this changes the equation - if labor is *free* then only the hassle is the issue.

This advice best applies to the guy/gal that takes it to a garage (or worse yet [shudder] the dealership)....

Yeah, save the money. But consider - there is the hassle - and the pump should only be $30 or so (i hope! ;)) If it was me and (and my labor *is* free - i still would (and have) do it - because when it does fail - it will be at a time/place not of my choosing (middle of Nebraska).

BTW: Doesn't an exhaust leak INCREASE hp (think low restriction! ;))

sorry did you say the pump is a 30 dollars or so hahahah
its 250 canadian dollars hahhah thats not a hop skip and a jump lol

but ya in regards to the leak, I think it only helps depending on where the leak is in the line, but it most respects, I do not think it would add because you need the pressure strong to move everything along the pipe to the end, any leak would cause the pressure to fall, i think it would only be good if it was a hole not a crack

someone correct me if I am wrong, I am applying my grade 12 science and math here lol

Whoa! :cookoo:

I had no idea they were so much!

dang.

i think the US dollar quote I got was 149$ at a mazda dealership anyone know how much it is at their dealership

While we are on the subject, how often should the timing belt be replaced?

i could be wrong about this, but should be replaced at 100k if your weather is variable ,hot and cold seasons, if you live in the south or places that have a constant mild or hot temp then you can run it 150k I beleive....

its the cold and heat seasons that really punish it and increase the odds of breakage,,