Water Pump Recall

[Electrojake]

no update to this??

First Item:
My $70,000 Longhorn has a mere 10k on the odo...
...so now I have to carry a Gates water pump and a bottle of Mopar OAT wherever I go? #ad


On the positive side…
If it wasn't for the TDR forum (and Geno’s) I’d be driving a ‘time-bomb’ rather than what I now consider a minor inconvenience. Thank you TDR!

Second Item:
Was at my local FCA dealer the other day picking up some parts.
I casually asked about the Cummins water pump issue. The guy at the counter said “without a recall number, I cant help you”. So I threw a copy of the NHTSA 17V-562 recall report along with a copy of the FCA T5109142017 Communication Document on the counter.

He grabbed it, gave it a quick look, mumbled something in disgust, and went back to his computer screen.
That was pretty much the end of the conversation or anything that even remotely resembled eye contact. #ad


The Closer:
I’m no mechanic but I found it mighty simple to take the spring tension off the idler pulley so I could reach in with my hand and feel the water pump pulley.
I've read the internet rumors which state that these pumps fail catastrophically with absolutely no warning and it happens at idle AND at speed <go figure> but mine felt smooth and snug in all directions, just like the new Gates I have still in the box.
Just saying,
-Ej-

 

[Flash1034]

So the tensioner was not very “tense”?

 

[Electrojake]

So the tensioner was not very “tense”?

The "tension" felt as I would have expected it to. It was what I would consider 'properly snug'.
If it is was much more relaxed you would get that "belt chirp" thing that some 5.9L's were famous for upon engine shut-down.
-
The tensioner has a 1/2 inch recess (or socket) on the back side of it into which you can insert a 1/2" drive breaker bar (or ratchet wrench) into. This allows you to temporarily release the tension on the belt so you can freely spin (and feel) the water pump pulley for any looseness.

#ad

 

[Bob4x4]

First Item:
My $70,000 Longhorn has a mere 10k on the odo...
...so now I have to carry a Gates water pump and a bottle of Mopar OAT wherever I go? #ad


On the positive side…
If it wasn't for the TDR forum (and Geno’s) I’d be driving a ‘time-bomb’ rather than what I now consider a minor inconvenience. Thank you TDR!

Second Item:
Was at my local FCA dealer the other day picking up some parts.
I casually asked about the Cummins water pump issue. The guy at the counter said “without a recall number, I cant help you”. So I threw a copy of the NHTSA 17V-562 recall report along with a copy of the FCA T5109142017 Communication Document on the counter.

He grabbed it, gave it a quick look, mumbled something in disgust, and went back to his computer screen.
That was pretty much the end of the conversation or anything that even remotely resembled eye contact. #ad


The Closer:
I’m no mechanic but I found it mighty simple to take the spring tension off the idler pulley so I could reach in with my hand and feel the water pump pulley.
I've read the internet rumors which state that these pumps fail catastrophically with absolutely no warning and it happens at idle AND at speed <go figure> but mine felt smooth and snug in all directions, just like the new Gates I have still in the box.
Just saying,
-Ej-

Do not blame the dealer,they have no control over the nhtsa or Corporate.

 

[Bob4x4]

The Dealers have just this morning received a copy of the letter that will be going out the consumers that will be included in the recall.(2013-2017 2500-5500).
The remedy for this condition is not currently available.
So there is no reason to rush the dealers for a repair yet,there is no part # for the dealer or labor op yet.If you are concerned that you will not receive notification you can call the FCA recall center @ 1 800 853 1403.the first letter you will receive will include instructions on how to request reimbursement if you have already paid to have it repaired

 

[Electrojake]

Some items to ponder while we wait for the new, non-defective pumps to be manufactured and delivered...

1.) Agreed! The dealership is a privately owned completely separate entity. They don't design or build anything.

2.) I would think that 99.8% of anyone that reads TDR and shops at Geno’s Garage would never let a dealership touch their vehicle unless it was a lease or a situation where there was absolutely no choice.

All in all…
*The water pump recall is an annoyance more than a crisis.
*Politically speaking it’s Cummins that’s left with egg on their face because of the Concentric defect, not FCA.
*The pump is a relatively cheap part and albeit messy, pretty simple to replace.
*FWIW the NHTSA states that only 1% of the half million recalled vehicles are affected by the defect. #ad


BTW; I'm NOT bashing dealerships here. Mine was Kernersville and my dealings with them have been 100% positive.

 

[kaileybutt]

Spoke with a FCA representative this morning and she advised parts were supposed to be available Q2 2018 - yep, Q2 2018

Hopefully that timeline will change.

 

[Newsa]

Showed up on the Ram app on my phone.

The water pump recall showed up on my phone today. Wasn't there yesterday.

It says they will inspect and decide if it should be replaced.

 

[Minnow101]

Vehicle Safety advocates wonder why the percentage of owners who actually get the vehicle repaired under a recall are so abysmally low. Recall letters go out months in advance of actual parts availability. “Hey, your vehicle is defective but don’t contact your dealer for another 8 months as we have no new parts to fix your vehicle with now. However we have plenty of revised parts for building new vehicles”.

This is not limited to Ram. How many are still waiting for air bag replacements from Takata? That recall is at least 2 years old.

 

[gsbrockman]

A new member over on another forum posted the following----and his first post, I might add....

One of the guys that works for me, his wife is the finance manager at a Dodge dealer, they had to pull all of their 2017s on the lot and put em not for sale as of this morning. She said the consumers should start getting water pumps in quantity in January and the dealers won't see them for their dealer stock until March.

Not sure about any of you guys.....but I am calling horse hockey on the above statement.

 

[Newsa]

A new member over on another forum posted the following----and his first post, I might add....

One of the guys that works for me, his wife is the finance manager at a Dodge dealer, they had to pull all of their 2017s on the lot and put em not for sale as of this morning. She said the consumers should start getting water pumps in quantity in January and the dealers won't see them for their dealer stock until March.

Not sure about any of you guys.....but I am calling horse hockey on the above statement.

Yeah. It's not that huge of a safety hazard to take such drastic measures as pulling them from the lot. Unless it's illegal in some states to sell off the lot a vehicle with a safety recall?

His claim of when parts are available and which can be serviced first sounds like it contradicts other, more reliable sources?

 

[kaileybutt]

Federal Law prohibits dealers from selling new cars with open recalls. Pretty stiff penalties.

However, unfortunately, the law does not extend to used vehicles.

https://www.cars.com/articles/why-can-dealers-sell-used-cars-with-unfixed-recalls-1420692279841/

 

[gsbrockman]

Since I am a hoarder, I took a few additional pics of my failed OEM water pump that died at 94,914 miles.

No vent hole.....

 

[Newsa]

Federal Law prohibits dealers from selling new cars with open recalls. Pretty stiff penalties.

However, unfortunately, the law does not extend to used vehicles.

https://www.cars.com/articles/why-can-dealers-sell-used-cars-with-unfixed-recalls-1420692279841/

I didn't realize any 2017's were affected. Maybe they are?

 

[SnoKing]

NTSB
[h=1]2015RAM 3500 CREW LARAMIE 4X4 (149 IN WB 6 FT 4 IN Box)[/h]1 Recalls
associated with this VIN
Sep 12,2017
Manufacturer Recall NumberT51
NHTSA Recall Number17V-562
Recall Status Recall Incomplete, remedy not yet available
Summary
The water pump may experience a failure which may result in an engine compartment fire.

It also shows up on RAM owners site. SnoKing

 

[Ram4Sam]

Since I am a hoarder, I took a few additional pics of my failed OEM water pump that died at 94,914 miles.

No vent hole.....

.........This is wwwaaaayyyyyy past hoarding..........keeping an old skanky water pump like this is just plain weird......:-laf:-laf

Sam

 

[gsbrockman]

.........This is wwwaaaayyyyyy past hoarding..........keeping an old skanky water pump like this is just plain weird......:-laf:-laf

Sam

It is now securely packaged......and on your way, along with some GREEN caliper paint. :-laf

 

[jacknife]

I checked with my dealer and nothing yet for a water pump. They did do an SCR replacement though.

 

[Badunit]

This looks like a job I should do myself. Changing a water pump is not rocket science. But I have a question for the experts about refilling the antifreeze and purging the air out of the system. The Techauthority service manual procedure for replacing the water pump calls for using a vacuum purging system to refill/purge the antifreeze. Apparently the EGR cooler can get air trapped in it and the heat can crack it. But, contrary to this, the section in the manual titled "Cooling/Standard Procedure/Filling" pretty much follows the same procedure everyone has used for generations to fill a radiator (fill radiator, start engine, let it warm up, keep topping it off until it is full) and never references the chapter on purging. So, my question is whether that fancy vacuum purging tool is necessary. Is that what the shops do?

EDIT: Might be a moot point. Haven't been able to locate a water pump yet. I am afraid to buy a "Mopar" one online because it might be the same one that is being recalled. Gates 42133 is out of stock everywhere I have looked so far.

 

[Bob4x4]

I didn't realize any 2017's were affected. Maybe they are?

See post 125