Water Pump for 2006 5.9- Cummins or Gates?

[George Cameron]

I want to get a replacement water pump to have on hand in the boonie box. My local Cummins supplier quotes me $135 for the replacement pump. Geno's Garage has a Gates replacement pump for $59. 95. Is there a significant difference between the two that would warrant the greater expense of the Cummins part?



Thanks!





2006 Ram 2500 4X4 CTD

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

The Gates is $35 at Geno's for your year. Yes, the difference is very significant--about $100! I just got a Gates from Geno's for my 2004's boonie box.

 

[rscurtis]

The $135 is an excellent price if it's really the OEM pump. That's almost $200 less than Dodge charges for it.

 

[George Cameron]

$135 from a Cummins distributor in Stockton, CA. I found them thru Cummins Worldwide Service Locator. I didn't ask whether the pump was Genuine Cummins new or ReCon. Both carry full worldwide warranty.

 

[EDankievitch]

I've got the Gates pump in my 05, Geno's Had the best price. Now about the pump... The Gates has a larger shaft, bearings and seal asy. The impeller also was slightly larger than stock (for better Flow?). The casting was flawless. IMOP it seemed to be a much better quality product than what the engine had come with from the factory.

 

[CToney]

If it wasn't good quality Geno's wouldn't carry it.

 

[Motorhead]

I've got the Gates pump in my 05, Geno's Had the best price. Now about the pump... The Gates has a larger shaft, bearings and seal asy. The impeller also was slightly larger than stock (for better Flow?). The casting was flawless. IMOP it seemed to be a much better quality product than what the engine had come with from the factory.

My question is "Where is it made?"

 

[MChrist]

Should they be changed out at around 100,000 miles?

 

[Prairie Dog]

My question is "Where is it made?"

Very good question.

 

[Perrymedic]

I just changed my water pump last weekend truck just turned 100k . I was quoted the $135 price by Cummins also. I picked up a Gates at NAPA for around $54 my mechanic (works on diesel only) stated he puts them (Gates) in when he replaces them and has never had one come back or heard of any problems. Nor has he had any problem with the one he put in his Dodge. He pulls big horse trailer on the weekends distances. My truck seems to like it. Hope it helps!

 

[mwilson]

Very good question.

The brand new Cummins Brand water pump that I installed in the '97 last month was "Made In China".



Cummins has offered that pump as a ReMan unit for as long as I have worked here, then changed over this spring I believe to a new only water pump.



Must have been cheaper to make them in China, but as I have mentioned before, Cummins is and has been a global enterprise for a good many years and a lot of the replacement parts have been made in other countries right along.



I'm not worried about it's quality.



Mike.

 

[ejlbuild]

I have a 90 that I have put 5 pumps in since it was new. The truck has a little over 450,000 miles on it. The only thing that seems to go out is the seal. The change out takes about 15 minutes including finding the wrenches. On my 04. 5 I just put the third pump in it. The truck has 140,000 on it so that makes a pump goog for about 70,000, seal was just starting to leak. To change the 04. 5 takes about 35 minutes. I have a 07. 5 6. 7 and I am not looking forward to changing it, because yuo can barley see it. I have always gotten new pumps from NAPA.

 

[rscurtis]

I'm not a big fan of NAPA water pumps, even with their lifetime warranty. One of my ex-employees had an '87 Caddy with the 4100 engine (a hand-me-down from his parents). When the original pump went, it was replaced with a NAPA pump. Like the Cummins, this is simply a water pump, it has no fan mounted to it. It was also a 3-4 hour job to change. The NAPA pumps wouldn't last 5000 miles, and the bearings were gone. I had intended to use an OEM pump the next change, but the NAPA pumps never gave any warning. One day it was quiet, the next day it was junk. Never got to try an OEM pump as shortly after this the car developed the infamous bearing failure and went to the scrapper.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

You can buy a Gates made in China for $35 or a Cummins pump made in China for $135. I used to buy Craftsman but now that a lot of their stuff is made in China, why pay double the price that Harbor Freight charges? An "unintended consequence" from our wonderful "global economy. "

 

[EDankievitch]

Ok, Just thought I would up date my thoughts and feelings on the Gates pump. I just had the bearings fail in my unit after only 58,000 miles. I'm not happy. I really thought that the Gates unit was a better design. I noticed a coolant leaking on to the Ac compressor mount found the bearing and seals shot. Well live and learn. Now I've got a CarQuest pump wasn't too bad on price ($55). They really don't make things to last anymore do they?????

 

[mwilson]

I am really a freak about using the Cummins brand parts for the CTD's as well as any affordable Dodge parts that the Mike Wilson fleet of fine Mopar vehicles may need.



I have had far better luck buying and installing the OEM parts, anytime that I stray from that credo I seem to get burned.



For wheel bearings on any of them I will only use Timken, tried several other brands on the vans and the old Caddy with disapointing results.

None will last like the Timkens do.



A Lifetime Warranty isn't worth squat after you redo the same job a couple of times.



Mike.

 

[rscurtis]

After reading Ed's post I don't feel so bad about getting hammered by the local dealer when I needed a pump.

 

[S.Morris]

I will not use Napa reman parts anymore period, unless I have lots of time... ... ..... enough to do it twice in short order.



I too have found that dealer parts though expensive, last at least as long as the predecessor did.

 

[AHolt]

I just bought a cummins pump, new not reman. $135.

 

[BDaugherty]

The last 2 water pumps that I put on CTD's came from Napa. My reasoning was not as much location of manufacture or even price point as it was the people running my local Napa store. That said, both pumps have 50K plus on them without any trouble.



A side not about the last Gates products that I bought:

About a month ago I did a timing belt on an older Honda. I bought the timing belt, tensioner pulley, water pump, and thermostat from RockAuto. All Gates brand and every last part made in the USA. The whole time I was doing the job I kept thinking how funny it was to be putting USA made parts back on Japanese car.