Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Water pump life

[Berrigan]

My 98 12 valve just started leaking coolant from the water pump weep hole. Every thing belt driven up front is original with 160,000 miles. I was wondering if any 12 valvers out there can tell me if I am on borrowed time with the other rotating hardware up front. (belt tensioner, fan bearing, fan clutch, alternator, etc etc). Any thoughts would be appreciated. Bill

 

[The patriot]

I dont know if youre on borrowed time, but theyre easy enough to do and cheap enough.

 

[Nyoest]

Your just getting warmed up. The only reason the wp went out was because it was stale. R&r your water pump and keep on trucking. Most of the items on your list will at least give warning signs well before complete failure.

Make sure to fill it with distiller water and antifreeze when you are done. Lime and calcium don't belong in cooling systems.

 

[GAmes]

I was wondering if any 12 valvers out there can tell me if I am on borrowed time with the other rotating hardware up front. (belt tensioner, fan bearing, fan clutch, alternator, etc etc). Any thoughts would be appreciated. Bill

I don't know about borrowed time, some parts last longer for some owners. In the nearly 800k on my first engine I replaced the water pump 3 times but unlike the lift pumps, they did not have a predictable life cycle. I replaced the tensioner once and still have the original fan bearing. After the original fan clutch gave up I went thru several lifetime warranty NAPA clutches before I finally bit the bullet and bought another OEM. The NAPA ones would never fully engage when the engine got hot. I have also gone through two or three lifetime alternators from Autozone, but their lifetime was comparable to the original. I am still running the first replacement of my A/C compressor, it has over 600k on it, again an OEM. I think I have replaced the front crank seal three times, it could be more.



Anyway, like the others I recommend you just wait until they wear out. The reason I replaced the A/C compressor was becauseI was on the road a lot and thought that at 200k it was worn out. I won't make that mistake again.

 

[LHastings]

I was just wondering the same question how long do they last? 211000 miles with my finger crossed, specially the alternator.

 

[CKelley1]

some of our trucks have near or over 1,000,000 miles on them and no failures of pump or alternator

 

[Berrigan]

Thanks for the replies guys. Whats the best quality water pump. Genos sells a cheaper pump made by Gates, the dealer sells the oem pump @ $300. 00 and Cummins sells it for about $200. 00. Any thoughts? Has anyone put high mileage on the Genos/ Gates pump?

 

[The patriot]

I see them pretty cheap on ebay, but I cant vouch for the quality.

 

[GAmes]

The pump I currently have is from NAPA, no problems with it. More than 200k on it so far.

 

[rrl989]

I replaced mine with the Gates from Geno's, no problem. My OEM was fine at 160K, I just did it as preventitive maintenance.

 

[wcjp]

My 96' 12v alternator died at 180k miles. Water pump died at/near 160k miles.