Re-use an old water pump?

[fyrfytr1717]

Awhile back, I completely redid my cooling system. New hoses, new thermostat, new water pump, new radiator, etc. I have recently developed a coolant leak which has grown progressively worse over the past few days. I'm 95% sure it is leaking from the weep hole on the new GMB water pump that I installed. Pretty frustrating as it was a new (not remanufactured) unit with a 12 month warranty and I 'm at about 14 months right now.

So here's the question... I replaced the water pump just because I was replacing everything else and I figured why not? Despite its outward appearance, when I pulled the factory one (at about 80K miles) it looked brand new on the inside. No corrosion, discoloration, pitting, nothing. It's been sitting in the box that the new one came in for just over a year now. Any reason not to re-use it rather than going out and buying a new one? Would the bearing seals have somehow dried out after being wet for 10 years and then left dry for a year? I don't want to keep throwing cheap replacements at it every year, but I'm also not overly excited about the prospect of dropping $125 on a new OEM one right now either. Thoughts?

 

[kastein]

I'd use it... soak it in a bucket of coolant overnight, or install it and spin a couple times by hand then leave it to sit overnight if you're really worried about the seals drying up.

 

[xcm]

its a balance between a) wanting to pull it again to swap it out should it die in 2-3 months, vs b) the price of a new pump that will probably fail 14months from now.

i'd run it. but only youve seen it.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Think I'm going to give the old one a go. If it lasts more than a year, I guess I come out ahead. If not, at least I'll be able to swap it out that much faster next time due to the gained experience. I realize that mechanically it's an easy job, I just hate draining the coolant. Seems like I always end up making a mess. Thanks guys.

 

[xcm]

i feel ya on the coolant thing... i wear shorts a lot, and working on cooling system allways leaves me feeling sticky... which is much more unpleasant than just being regular dirty/greasy. not to mention the floor...

 

[kastein]

I hear you there, I hate using the draincock since it always goes everywhere (or breaks off in your hand) and I always get a surprise when some comes out after I pull the pump or radiator. I've thought about putting a ball valve and drain nipple where the block drain plug (and RENIX temp sensor) go before but haven't done it yet.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Well, got it swapped out today. I didn't even mess with the draincock, I just went for the old pull the lower radiator hose method. I bought a cheapie 20 gallon plastic bin, pushed it up against the front axle, and then let her dump. When I was done with the swap I filtered and dumped it all back in since it was still nice and green. Still had to add about 1/2 gallon of fresh stuff, guess it didn't all make it in the bin...

As for the old GMB water pump, yep, it was toast. The bearings still felt great, but a quick peek down the outlet for the lower radiator hose revealed that the seal assembly had popped out of the bearing housing. As I spun the impeller, I could see the seal bobbing up and down and there were also what looked like a couple of spring washers in there that seemed to be out of place. So far so good with the old pump, we'll see how tomorrow's commute goes...

 

[montanaman]

When I replaced the motor in my xj, the water pump sat dry on a shelf for 3 months. I reinstalled it and ran it. It's been 6 years and 45,000 miles since then, and the pump is doing fine.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[FlexdXJ]

Its 40 bucks, I'd just buy another one.

 

[Ewenm]

i dont know about buying a new one, seems to me that the last few aftermarket new ones ive bought havent lasted all that long, i think the quality has gone out the window

so an old known good one is probably worth trying first, as was done

 

[fyrfytr1717]

45 miles at 70mph on the old pump today, not a drop of coolant spilled. Engine ran cooler too, but that was probably due to the cooler weather we had this morning.

Its 40 bucks, I'd just buy another one.

Yeah, they're cheap enough. You can even get the lifetime warranty ones if you never want to have to buy another. It's just the hassle of swapping them out that I wanted to avoid. If I could find something reliable for $40, I'd be all over it. Heard good things about the Cardone, but they had a few varieties at the auto parts store and I wasn't sure which one was "the good one".

Besides, I got ten years (plus whatever else I get now that its back on) out of my factory $125 dollar pump and never had to mess with it. I only got 1 year out of my $40 pump and it seems this is a pretty common experience. That's a savings of $27.50 a year + headache of R&R. Don't think I'll ever buy another cheapie. Think I can get a Mopar for about $85 online, probably a reman, but at this point I feel like it's my most reliable option if my old pump fails...