I need a vin# and all persons who have had a 2.5L water pump failure. Especially, those that had a failure that resulted in a engine replacement. I am currently in a lawsuit to get this under coverage for our cars. All your assistance is appreciated.

Rob Gresham
98 SVT Black
vin#1falp68g3wk148269

Hope You get results!
Mark Shellenbarger
vin# 3FALP66L8SM143717

Chris Matthews
98 SVT 68,000 miles
Chris9098@aol.com
1FALP68G4WK152220

Vin # 1falp67l4sk237700
2.5 L 1995 Contour, 180,000 km's (~110k miles) with bad water pump and engine toast-out still to be "sorted" WRT Ford warranty "participation". Keep us informed! Any more details about your specific warranty experience?

not sure if we should be posting VIN #'s online, but I had a waterpump failure at 43,000 miles on my 1998 SVT

toadster_ca@hotmail.com



------------------
Toadster - Todd Christ
'98 Silver Frost SVT
#1037 of 6535 built
Toadster's SVT Roundup
MODS: KKM Intake, TH-Fix, Synthetic Oil, 18% Llumar tint all-around, 9006CB Headlamps, TBD....

I also had the plastic impellers on my water pump break (into 4 pieces). Unfortunately I don't have my VIN number available. My brother also has a contour. Both are water pumps failed at approximately 160 000km (75000 miles).

Just a note, be careful. Don't drive with even a small amount of overheating. This will cause your headers to bend as they become increasingly hotter.

95 LX 2.0 5-sp.
83K blew first water pump,
long list of subsequent problems,
104k blew second water pump and head gasket went.

Count me in...1FALP6638SK134930.

[This message has been edited by 95 Crybaby (edited January 19, 2001).]

1995 SE MTX
Water pump dead at 86,000 km.
VIN: 1FALP67L7SK239652

MarkB!! I also live in Ontario. (Kitchener) And am currently in the process of getting an engine replaced. Please send me an email, perhaps we can help each other out.

jdallmeier@yahoo.com

Thanks.

Blue oval news gathered (and still does) similar information for, I imagine, the same or very similar purpose. Did you try to contact them? They won't give you vin #s, (just as I won't give you one for my '96 which had catastrofic w/p failure at 68K) but they may give you total number of filed complaints or some such. Worth a try.

------------------
--alex | 96 GL(sort of) V6 ATX | 98 SE V6 MTX Sport

I had my water pump go out at 48K miles.
New engine a week later.
VIN# 3FALP67L3TM112844


------------------
'96 SE T-Red #61 G-Stock
*** Modifications***
Custom 2.25" Cat-back Exhaust w/ Pro-Flow Muffler
Ray "OF" McNairy TH-Fix
K&N Air & Oil Filters
MTX Coctail
Mobile 1 Oil
Z-Racing Wheels (Street)
Stock Wheels with BFG Comp T/A R1's

My car hasn't yet been diagnosed yet but i would put my car on a bet saying that its the water pump.....here is my vin
1falp68g5wkk157264

jiako
98 silver svt 53300 miles


[This message has been edited by jiako (edited January 11, 2001).]

Mine went south, and now my car leaks oil.

I am mad, for I love this car.

I'd like to join your class (action).

Neal in Minneapolis.

[This message has been edited by Neal (edited January 11, 2001).]

Deleted VIN

Contact me directly:

n.logan@edfarrarch.com

The Local Channel 7 news here in Denver, CO
has taken an interest in these water pump failures. Any indepth information you can provide about your problems would be greatly appreciated. Also, Contact with BlueOvalNews.com has told me that they should have a report out in about 1.5 weeks.

Lastly, this suit is a small claims case in Denver county court. A small step to waking people up about the problem with the water pumps.

Thank you all for you promptness and help.

If you want to contact me directly, do so at my work email Robert_Gresham@allegro-coffee.com

Rob Gresham
98 SVT Black
vin#1falp68g3wk148269

I am on my FOURTH water pump!!!!!!!!! The car has 46,000 miles on it!!! A 1998 Sport edition, atx, the last pump was replaced after only three weeks!!!! Thanks, i need some info on what can be done about this,
twinz

Brent,

4th pump? You serious?

Why? Does the impeller break up every time?

If so, you need to get you one with a metal
impeller so it'll never happen again.

$69.99 at AutoZone, lifetime warranty, and
has a metal impeller.

John

------------------

'98 Contour SVT with 'stuff'
http://home.carolina.rr.com/czech007/

here's the link to the BlueOvalNews form
http://bonforums.com/complaintform_waterpump25.htm



------------------
Toadster - Todd Christ
'98 Silver Frost SVT
#1037 of 6535 built
Toadster's SVT Roundup
MODS: KKM Intake, TH-Fix, Synthetic Oil, 18% Llumar tint all-around, 9006CB Headlamps, TBD....

I want in. 95 contour Se Water pump failure at 54949 miles. $2,400.00 for top rebuild after head gaskets went.
#3FALP67LXSM128070

Count me in as a possible client.

My 98 has a real bad antifreeze odor after driving it for 30 minutes or longer. I always open the hood to see what's up and I can never find anything.

I know that the pump is on the back of the head, near the #6 cyl. I never see any leaks and I haven't lost any fluid. I have been complaining about it to the dealer almost every time I bring the car in. They have put a dye in the Antifreeze and pressure tested the cooling system every time and constantly come up with nothing.

When the ATX tranny went on me, it caused my engine to overheat severely. About 3 months after the tranny was replaced, they replaced both cats, the y pipe, and both exh manifolds. They told me that because the tranny overheated the engine, the hotter exhaust gases damaged the pipes and cats, so they had to be replaced. I had a constant check eng light, that wouldn't go away, no matter what they did. After replacing the cats, manifolds and pipes, everything went back to normal.

My temperature gauge never goes past the R in "NORMAL". When the tranny went bad, the gauge would go all the way past L while driving on the highway. The problem with the tranny turned out to be the overdrive clutch not holding pressure. This heated up the tranny fuild and it passed the heat on to the antifreeze, which basically poached my engine.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this engine holds up on me for another year. I need to trade this baby in next year for a 2003 Mercury Marauder.

My first water pump went at about 40K miles. The replacement died three days later (this second failure was more normal, resulting in a leak at the pump).

The dealer assures me that no other damage was done, but the engine got hot enough to melt the oil filler cap. Since then, I've had a series of little engine problems, such as the speed sensor failing, the battery failing, and now I appear to have an alternator problem, and I've just hit 50K miles. They claim that each problem is unrelated to the overheating problem, so each costs me the $100 ESP deductable. My extended warranty expires in another 10K miles, and I'm seriously considering passing the car on before that point!

I'm hesitant about giving out my VIN on here too, but I'm definitely "in" if you need another person. Email me at tim935@yahoo.com to get my details.

My original Ford pump went out in January at 98k miles with a cracked impellar, and I've subsequently replaced 2 other Napa WPs since then. The lastest (#4!) has lasted about 10k miles and 3 months. Geez....

ME TOO.. FLACOMAN90@HOTMAIL.COM
71000 MILES ON MY E0 SVT

Count me in please.
My car is 95 Coutour(GL) V6 for
62,000 miles.
My VIN: 1FALP65L1SK210294

The 'mickey mouse' belt tensioner is one of the causes of overheating, which I believe leads to water pump and engine failure. It often sticks in one position rather than adjusting properly. I luckily caught this ehen changing to Dexcool antifreeze. I now check this every 10k or so. I also use Tufoil in the engine (check their web site) - the engine does run cooler. When the antifreeze was changed, the engine temp went to the end of the 'normal' range, but did not overheat! It reduces friction (and heat) to the extent my heater 'doesn't' work in my Aerostar incold weather without partially blocking the rad.

Count me in if you need the vin contact me at Goldenrose30a@hotmail.com. Just to let everyone know, when mine went at 83,000 I contacted Ford and they called my Hubby at work and told him that there was nothing wrong with the design or manufacturing of the water pump and they WOULD NOT even consider paying for any part of the bill. I have filed a report with NHTSB. Let's see what happens with that. My hubby is a Chevy man and I fought tooth and nail to get him to agree to buy this car now I wish I would have bought another Cavalier!!

98.5 svt, water pump out at 45,000 miles.

95 Mercury Mistake
WP failure at 98K

Fortunately for me I heard a little sqeak from the WP drive belt when the impeller disintegrated, so I immediately looked at the dash and noticed the temp heading to the red in record fashion. Otherwise, I KNOW I would have toasted the engine.

Still have parts of the impeller at my desk at work.

Impeller was analyzed by the staff where I work (these are pretty smart engineering types) and our best guess is that the impeller is NOT plastic, but rather it is cardboard impregnated with plastic!

Dumb-arse design, if you ask me.

Rob

Engine did NOT self destruct ... at least so far ... but water pump went without warning at about 106K .... temp gauge pinned. VIN # 1falp67lotk149745

I think we just had a water pump failure. Symptoms are the same as described in previous posts.

The garage said the WP belt was off, and it was glazed, and that this could be the problem.

They are still checking, but now I'm concerned the extended waranty company will use the 'glazed' belt to get off the hook for repairs. (ie it should have been changed)

Does anyone know for sure if the Water Pump belt is on fords routine maint. schedule.

I didn't even know it was there!

I didn't get any manuals with this car (Used), so if someone can check ... I'd appreciate it.

Wes Smith
98 Merc Mystique
V6/Manual
134000 kms (80000 miles)

New water pump at 52K here Don't have vin #'s with me as the car is at home. When I get home I will post the number. Good luck

To all that apply to this message...

Thank you for all your support and your continued effort.

Fortunately on Jan 19, 2001, I WON my case in Small Claims Court against Universal Underwriters Group.

The Judge awarded me full amount of the repairs...$5418.00

There are still little problems occuring which naturally happen when an engine overheats, but for the most part the car runs wonderfully...

If you are having problems getting Ford or any other warrenty company to pay for repairs I suggest you look and request the National Highway Safety and Traffic Administations site for information about your specific car.
And got to Blue Oval news... http://bonforums.com/complaintform_waterpump25.htm

There is a wealth of information about the water pump failures.
I would be happy to help anyone who needs assistance...

Thank you again,

Rob Gresham
'98 E0 Black
Denver, CO

Mine failed at around 80K. Because I was not a wise and informed CEG member at the time, I ended up forking out over $450 for the repair. Registered complaint in BON survey a few months back.

Does anyone know what the warning signs might be of an impending water pump failure? I have had nothing but problems with my 98 SE V-6 and am getting close to 40K miles... Wondering what I should be looking for?!

Unfortunately you can count me in. 98 E0 with 45,000. Those damn plastic impellers. Crappy thermostat too!

Why limit it to the V6, the Zetec suffers from water pump failures as well

Completely melted engine at 105k miles, Pump was shot and temp guage would not read above normal even when blow torched

My 1995 contour LX with the 2.5 had a water pump failure at 87,000.

(MFE) I think you can count our '96 LX V6 ATX in at 72k. I'm not positive yet, still sitting in the garage cooling off, hope no engine damage was done. How would I know if it's hurt? Still runs fine for as short a time as it was riun but slight smell of antifreeze and I could hear coolant percolating when it was shut off. The car limped home with a quick cool-off after she noticed the gauge was in the red. Gotta leave on a trip so we won't get to look at it until next week.

My 96 Se (98,000 miles) cooked the motor after losing the water pump. Had Ford put in a new motor and the piston exploded after 411 miles. My car has been back in 8 times since the motor change and it is still a mess. They just replaced the intake manifold, the flywheel, the torque converter and the radiator because of the second motor self destructing. The overheating also caused the seals in my air conditioning to go bad all over the place. I would love to see Ford accept some responsibility for this mess. The local dealer has been a nightmare to deal with on this problem.

95 LX V6 bad water pump at 66,000 causeing a blown head gasket.. If you want the VIN e-mail me privately at Alitis@yorkhost.com

I replaced my H2O pump 2 weeks ago after failure. I noticed the temp. gauge when it was approaching the L in Normal. Prior to failing I heard a ticking noise similiar to a bad lifter. I figure it was a cracked/bent impeller rubbing on the housing/casting. Like the others, the impeller was shattered. My car is a 95 with 168,500 kms (105,000 mi.) on it at time of failure. I checked the Blue Oval stats and the avg. mileage at failure for 95's was around 50,000. The replacement pump was a TRW piece and yes, it has a plastic impeller. 100,000 miles is normal service life for any H2O pump. There was no engine damage as I caught this problem beforehand (it helps to pay attention to the instrumentation). Changed the oil and coolant and everything is fine now. All those nearby (Oakville, Kitchener, etc.) post your e-mail and I'll help out as best I can.

I forgot to mention that the tensioner was seized and also needed replacing. A Ford mechanic told me this is par for the course-when replacing the H20 pump, do the tensioner too.

rwgresham--

Just out of curiosity, was your car covered under your original 3/36 warranty? Or did you have an extended warranty on it at the time? I have 4/48 extra care (used car) warranty from Ford. Water pump is covered but I'm just wondering if the engine is also if it blows when the pump goes bad...

Congrats on the win in court, I bet that's a load off your shoulders!!

No water pump problems yet with mine, I've got 40k on it right now and seems ok. Though I'm a little worried about an upcoming trip to NC (~400 miles each way). :rolleyes: I just don't want this thing to go bad on my vacation!

It's a shame that we should have to worry about things such as this. I don't wanna drive with one eye on my temp gauge all the time. It's very annoying! I'm keeping my ears open for the clicking noise that many of you describe before the pump goes. Are there any other warning signs? And how loud is this clicking noise??

I won't give out VIN in this sort of forum, either you or your attorney may contact me via e-mail address below.

I would welcome the opprotunity to help get these water pumps recalled/covered under extended coverage.

'95 SE, water pump failed at 50,000

Got 2 cars here with new pumps. Contact me at don_craig@juno.com if you need the VIN. Also, contact my friend Allen, his girlfriend's tour is toast due to WP failure; warped heads. arountree@houston.rr.com He is a Scooby owner now, his GF is driving his Mystique.

Okay, y'all have me worried. No failure yet, but out of warranty and don't want engine damage. Any suggestions for preventive action besides checking the tensioner? Ford "Customer Relations" says only the dealer would know such things- right!

'98 SE 2.5 V-6 5-sp ASB
37K miles

Replace the water pump between 40-50k...

Mine just crapped out at 52K miles. $700 bucks to replace at the Ford Dealer.
VIN# 1FALP68G7WK153555

98 SVT

Did Ford ever remedy this problem? I have a 2000 model 2.5, build date is end of November, 1999. Should I be looking out for this problem as well, or did they make the change on late-model Contours? Plz advise!!

I live in Mexico City.
I have information of three cases of problems with the motor of the SVT, due to lack of oil.
In all the cases was neccesary to replace the motor.
If you are interested, I can share the information of these cases.

95 V6 SE Contour:

WP failed at about 67K miles. Total repair bill ran over $850. VIN# 3FALP67L5SM100435

My water pump went out last week w/59k miles luckily it was still under warranty.This was the first major mechanical problem with my SVT besides all recalls. But there are a couple nick nack problems like the moonroof and the antenna. Just email me at stevemccannii@hotmail.com and I will gladly issue you my vin#. Good Luck hope I'm not too late!

98 T-Red SVT #2472 of 6535

The water pump on my 95 LX went out a little while back at 91K mi. This was the second one that failed. The first failed at around 60K mi.

The head gasket(s) were ruined after the second water pump failure. It will cost almost as much as the car is worth to repair it. I am inclined to sell it in its current condition or part it out. Any ideas or interest?

would your lawsuit be able to get our money back if we already paid for the operation waterpump?

Can you update all of us onthe current status of this Class Action Lawsuit ???
It has been six months, you have gotten plenty of responses, but no word back yet.

Please don't keep us in the dark.

To Everyone,

My lawsuit was not a class action, but a small claims case that was decided on 18 Jan 01... I have posted several times on this Topic that the case was a success and that I had Universal Underwriters group pay for all the costs of repair for my vehicle which was still covered under their warrenty.

if you have any questions or need help setting up your own case. Contact me via email at rwgresham@bigfoot.com.
I will do all I can to help you.

Thank you for all your support and keep the postings going for they could be of use to someone else in the same situation.

Rob Gresham
98 E01 SVT (Black)
No mods except Das Radio

I have a 1998 Mercury Mystique LS 2.5. Rod let go in the no.3 cylinder at 65,000 miles. I replaced it with a used motor with 56,000. The root cause wasn't determined. I had no audible or visual indication that the water pump had failed or was going bad. Here's my vin# 1MEFM66L4WK638136.

Has anyone added an Accusump Oil accumulator?
Is it worth the $325.00?

I am curious.....do the late models have metal impellers instead of plastic? Are aftermarket WPs metal or plastic? Are metal impeller WPs failing also? Have any other vehicles successfully used plastic impellers?
I have 80 K on my 96 2.5L and am thinking about upgrading to the metal impeller WP this fall when I change my antifreeze. I have used DEXCOOL for about 3 years now w/no apparent problems.

68k miles, V6 ATX. Happened after I switched to Mobil 1, which might be a good thing cause my engine isn't leaking anything, retains oil from change to change, and is still as powerful as she was before. I had to run the car for about 5 minutes after it I noticed I was in the red zone to get back to my work.

I had my water pump fail on my 1995 Contour SE at 65K miles but stopped quickly enough to avoid any engine problems. Cost me $500 to get it fixed at a private mechanic.

My Vin # is 1FALP67L0SK242196

Nora DeClario, wife of Steve D

Here are some stats, posted on the Blue Oval News website:

This report released: 17 January 2001
This report updated: -
2.5L water pump failure reports received to date: 68
2.5L water pump failure reports rejected to date: 4
First 2.5L water pump failure report filed: 06 November 2000
Report description: Premature water pump failure - pattern failure
Vehicles included in this report: 1995-2001 Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique equipped with Ford's Duratec 2.5L V6 (VIN L) and SVT Contour 2.5L V6 (VIN G).

Just wanted to let you know that i'm in if you need more people. Please contact me via email for vin etc...
I have a 97 SE with 54,600 just had to replace the water pump to the tune of $300 bucks. The car started to run HOT after a 6000 rpm run.
Thanks!

Got 2 more here!
Mine lasted 38k miles so I changed Tour #2s at 28k and it has stress cracks on it.

Well, my water pump has just started leaking after being replaced 8 months and 20,000 miles later. I called the Ford "Customer Care" line and there is nothing that they can do as the part is past it's 12 month 12,000 mile warrantee. I am not a happy camper. I spoke to one CSR and a supervisor. She told me that I have no reason to expect Ford to cover the repairs. I said, so let me get this straight, Ford thinks that a part should last for 12,000 miles...no more? Ford will only stand behind the products it builds for 12,000 miles. I know the part put on my car was most likely a newly produced part. Probably the same parts that are on 99 and 2000 Contiques. I'm super PO'd. What can I possibly do?

$500! Holy sh!t. Cost me $70 plus a jog of Dexcool for $7 and 2 hrs. of my time.

I'll probably end up buying an aftermarket pump with metal impellers and installing it myself.....I'm beginning to get a little dis-enchanted.

I had my water pump fail on my 1995 Contour at 60K miles but stopped quickly enough to avoid any engine problems. Cost me $75.00 at the Ford dealer for the pump. Changed it myself...

I think it's time for this thread to die.

EDIT: Elizabeth, I was hoping maybe people would read my post and realize how old this. Oh well, I'll get a kick out of if it keeps going (insert pink bunny here).

THERE IS NOTHING TO BE SEEN HERE, PLEASE MOVE ON

Adding another post will do the opposite... So do you REALLY want it to die? or is it just too depressing??? that our really nice cars have such s-h-i-t parts in them?

My '95 Mystique WP let go at 74,500 miles with my wife 300 miles from home. Local dealer there, Courtesy Ford on E I20 outside Atlanta replaced WP, thermostat, and temp sending unit. Total bill $416.

Coolant had been changed by me at 50K and had no indication failure was imminant. Wife had pulled into a mall parking lot and saw the water vapor. Dealer was literally just across the street. Gauge was in the red.

Count me in on 2 counts!

First my 95 LX leaked at the bearing AND the impeller shattered with 55k Miles.

Second, my 96 SE shattered it's impellor at 60k Miles. Left me stranded and a $250 bill for the replacement about 250 miles from home.

If you need my VIN's, email me. I'd be glad to help in any way I can. It really blows that this happens to EVERYONE and ford doens't do anything about it. Complete bull$*1^#.

Waterpump blew at 67200 miles on my 95 Contour SE, 4 days after the car had been in for a checkup which included an inspection of the cooling system etc. Massive overheat and had to replace the entire engine. Total cost: $4700. Don't want to give out VIN here, but email me at pcward@ webcentrix.org.

I just had mine go 1996 Contour at 62,000 miles..fortunately no engine damage...cost $450 to repair. Sent email to FoMoCo who said sorry but this not large enough problem to consider recall.

VIN 1FALP67L9TK158928

Good Luck

After reading all these posts, and the info at Blue Oval News, I just changed the one in my '96 LS with 76k miles. The old one (black impellar) looked perfect. Was happy I put in the metal impellar one from Autozone anyway. Much cheaper, and less grief than getting stuck somewhere.

I am currently on my fourth water pump in my 95 SE 'tour. The original went out shortly after I bought it in late August '00 at 60K. Went out again in early June '01 and then again at the beginning of October. The 1st time it cost me about $300, but the other two were covered under the 12 month/12K mile warranty. Funny thing is that it is starting to act up again, and I think the WP is going. Going to call the dealership and Ford to see what is going on. It's only been 15K since I've had the original replaced. Could it be something else causing the pump to go bad???

Do a search back through this thread.

Terry Haines stated (Numerous times) that 9 out of 10 WP failures are causes by the steel shroud inside the housing getting loose contacting the impeller (I think I got it right. Terry, please interject if I am incorrect.).

Make sure the Technicians check this out, if your WP needs replacing again.

I talked to Ford and took it back to the dealership. It was the waterpump. Ford is giving me and the dealership some problems about the warranty. Turns out that when I had the last WP replaced in Oct, it wasn't under warranty, so the dealer covered the bill. Therefore, this time Ford expects me to pay for the pump. I thought that each time the part was replaced, the warranty would start over with a new 12 month/12K miles, but Ford said no. I'm going to get a call from the dealer after he talks to Ford tomorrow. I'll keep you updated on how it pans out. Might be driving something other than a Ford in the very near future!

I believe someone at Ford is incorrect. Ask the dealer point blank if they covered the cost of the pump last time. I know GM of all people will warranty each part 12/12K Every time it's replaced, the clock starts over again. Geez, what a load of crap. If you get too frustrated, just get the GMB Autozone one, and have "Mickey the Mechanic" down the street put it in for you. It's not too difficult. Just make sure the system is burped.

Good Luck,
David

I just replaced my waterpump and thermostat myself. It is not that tough to replace. As long as you have the sockets and a decent extension you can get to the waterpump. I did check the shroud inside the pump and mine was securly fastened. If you replace the thermostat be sure to get a new oring seal that fits on top of the thermostat. When I took mine apart I found it on the back!!!!!

Well, I heard back from Ford. The guy said that they would "look into it" and see if they should cover the cost to replace the WP. He told me to go ahead and get the pump replaced at the dealer. The dealer quoted the cost at $295. Just to give a brief recap---I bought ('95 SE)the car in May '00. WP went out in August '00. I paid for this one. WP went out again in June '01 under warranty. WP went out again in Oct '01, where I thought it was still under warranty, but according to Ford wasn't. Dealer replaced the WP, at no charge to me. WP went out again this week (Dec '01). Do I have a case here??? Does anyone out there know enough about Ford warranties to tell me who is right? Does the 12 month/12K mile start over (like I think it should) with every part the dealer replaces regardless of who pays for it????

Oh---BTW...

My water pump wasn't failing, the impeller was intact. There is a pin hole leak and the dealer cannot figure out why this keeps happening...any suggestions???

Thanks,
DMB3779

There are two basic ways for a WP to leak:
1) The shaft seal/bearing is bad and lets the coolant past the seal and out a weep hole.
2) The housing wasn't sealed properly when the pump half with the impellar was changed. This would be caused by either remains of the old gasket not being removed, damage to the new gasket when installed, reusing the old gasket, not removing the old gasket and putting on a new one (total of two gaskets).

I would suggest taking off the plastic shroud and observing where the leak is coming from. It could also be one of the hoses in the WP area.

HEATER CORE

Try to sniff out the coolant odor with your nose. This should lead you to which area of the motor that the seep is coming from . my guess is that it might be some vapour coming out of the weep hole at the waterpump. Just for info coolant does not generally leak from a hot motor but rather from a cold overnight stay, except for a severe leak.

I finally got my car back. The dealer replaced the water pump (they went with a NAPA part this time) and the car seems to be running fine so far, it's actually running a little cooler (only in the N in Normal instead of the O). The real test starts tomorrow when I take it from PA to Mississippi. My CEL still comes on, but now it goes off. Not sure what is causing that, but it might be my fuel injectors, it hesitates a little bit when it's cold, but stops after it warms up. I'm still going to try to get Ford to reimburse me for the pump, but it'll probably be a cold day in hell before that happens!

I just sstarted a new thread without knowing about your request (see my post of today under Problems).
I had a water pump melted in my Countour GL'95 2.5L last summer. I am not comfortable about posting the VIN, but would be interested in knowing about the results of your lawsuit.

Here's something weird I noticed...

I have not heard from 1 99 owner with a crap pump. Very few with 98.5s. Could they have started to use a new part (or supplier) in 98.5?

Crossing fingers,

Just got my water pump and thermostat replaced under warranty over the Christmas holidays. Car opverheated pretty badly but I have no indications of motor problems yet. Ford really needs to do something about this problem.-Kyle

Just got my water pump and thermostat replaced under warranty over the Christmas holidays. Car opverheated pretty badly but I have no indications of motor problems yet. Ford really needs to do something about this problem.-Kyle

Deal me in as well! 1995 LC Contour with V-6.

Impeller broke into 4 pieces at 70,500 miles. Charge for repair was $401.80. Managed to pull over quickly after "check engine" came on. Temp gauge was pegged! Motor hot, but has $30K additional miles since and runs OK.

VIN 3FALP66L7SM100521

Good Luck

Jab

Another one (bites the dust)... Water pump failure at 90K on a 95 Contour SE -- impeller shattered in pieces -- exact replica of the photo in the FAQ; this lead to an instant overheating. Fortunately, no engine damage.

Thanks for all previous posts -- that definitely saved me some repair dollars.

vmihov2000@yahoo.com

I replaced mine earlier this week at 10400 miles. I went with the metal impeller from napa it runs now but I got a ticking noise in the drivebelt area on the passenger side. the cankshaft pully wasnt getting spun by the belt so sprayed a bunch of degreaser on it now it spins but still a ticking any ideas??

by the way it gets louder when I rev the engine

Yes, my H2O pump failed last May. Car was well out of warranty, plus I noticed the temp. gauge above it's normal position before any damage was done. Always, always replace the tensioner when doing the pump. Mine was seized and talking to a no. of Ford mechanics, confirmed this as a very common problem.

To those who've done it more than once-are you getting another OEM Ford pump installed? I installed an aftermarket unit from TRW. It did have a plastic impeller, but white in colour and appeared far more durable than the black Ford piece o' crap!

I do not have a contour yet, but am in the process of buying one. After reading all these posts about the water pump, I still have not gotten the answer to what I would consider the BIG question. Does replacing the oem pump with one that has a metal impeller solve the problem.
The next question would be what's the most miles anyone has put on with this new (metal) pump installed? Also does this only apply to pre 98.5 cars? I'm about to buy a 98 se with the v6 and I'm starting to get cold feet here. I have no problem with replacing a pump if that's all it's going to take. thanks

96 Contour SE MTX chucked its waterpump under warranty at 23k, is that the lowest mileage so far? I never did get a bill of what they ended up replacing but it was quite possibly the whole motor, the technician overheated it trying to diagnose it. Car has been fine since then, extended warranty to 130k miles, car has 83k miles. kmayer698@hotmail.com for the VIN if u want it

You can add me to the list...
Lost WP on 96SE and had to have the engine (106k) replaced while on a road trip... what excitement. I'll have to get back to you on that VIN# but keep us updated.

96 Mystique 2.5L V6 96K
Just had the W-P taken off. There was just a numb there. Not enough impellar to stir a drink. My question is: What happened to the blades, are they floating around in the cooling system waiting to take out the next pump. Can't find a metal impellar yet. Only first day looking. If they are in the cooling system (broken off impellars blades) how do you get them out.

hey i just replaced my water pump and housing, cost me 300 bucks. under a 1000 miles later water pump is bad again... I HATE THE H20 pump.. POS.. and now im stuck and have to pay more money....grrrrr

For just over 300 you could have bought an electric pump...!!!! :rolleyes:

I know this has nothing to do w/ the w/p on the 2.5L Duratec but our work van went 329,000 miles on the original w/p Its a 1997 Safari w/ a 4.3 liter Vortec that has the cooling system flushed twice a year and driven 100% freeway miles. Currently the van has 334K and still has the original radiator and transmission, the engine is original too except the oil pump failed at 100K :p besides that the motor has never had any work done to it outside of a tune up at the 100K intervals Sorry about the rant here but I'm damn proud of the job I do on the preventive maintence of all our work vans, I see 400K+ for that van and by the way, I run 10w30 in the winter and 20w50 in the summer and its changed every 2 weeks, as the van goes 1500 a week

well...maybe the engineer that saved a few pennies on the old Ford ignition switches designed cheaper-to-manuf' WP for our 95-98's. Guess he didn't have ProEngineer software, ignored torture-testing, or disbelieves/ignores all the failures that we experience. Anyway, it should be a cheap-part recall/TSB, but heels are dragged again (Exploder anyone?), warranties expire fast, engines will die consequently. Can anyone believe a cheap but very critical part like this is overlooked? Overall, the pre-99 SVT now has had the reliability of a Yugo (due to the w/pump) at the (new at the time) price of a BMW, without decent body panels or stereo (don't get me started on that, it hardly covers up all the squeaks in the cabin). Very nice. At least (don't laugh) it can still get a decent trade-in price before the w/p dies! BAT has an elec pump, but details are hazy. Sounds like a no-brainer to me. I wish Ford would reimburse me for the preventive measure, but they are tied up with 2 million ig sw recalls rt now, and I'm out of warranty anyway. Curses on that designer of the crud pump.

I just blew a water pump about 3 months ago. It's a 98 Contour SE and my VIN number is 1FAFP66L2WK212430. HTH

Scott

The BAT pump is a Davies-Craig unit,it does need to be modded for the V6.....

mine went out also burnt up plastic blades. how can they put plastic blades on a water pump with the temperature of the water . contact=profile for vin you can get a metal blade one from autozone

Just replaced my water pump little over four hours ago....and $480.00 (CDN) later (also had the thermostat replaced because it was sticking).

Odometer reads: 120,000 KM

Inspected the impeller blades and was down-right SHOCKED to discover that it was made of cheap plastic! Had it replaced with a new metal one by Tredex. Much better quality and ovceral engineering.

Martin Sarkar from Ontario, Canada.
1995 Mercury Mystique GS Sport
V6 Duratec

Mine blew a couple weeks ago too. I was nearly stranded in Plattsburgh. Imagine... being stuck with Micah for a whole weekend... :p

I have a 95SE 2.5L Duratec. Water pump went out around 100K miles. Dealer replaced water pump went out again 107K miles. First one was the typical shredded fins. Second one was a leaky/cracked pump. 118K miles now and no other probs (besides dirty IAC).

95 Contour # 3FALP67L5SM100435

81195 Miles Replacement cost: $476.94

Oakley Keesee Ford, Bartlett, TN

Vin # 1falp66l2tk137212

96 contour lx, 90,000 miles water pump replaced, and now in the shop for a possiable blown head gasket or cracked head!

Terry- The Bat pump is rated at about 2000 hours of life IIRC. What is your experience with running electric. The only thing preventing me from doing this is having to replace the electric pump every 10,000 mile or so. Any suggestions please.

1995 Ford Contour LX V6
Replaced water pump November 1999, car had 106,000 miles on it.
Haven't had a problem since then.
Vin #1FALP66L1SKI66117

Mine went two weeks ago. 170,000 km. Nothing left of it.

My '97 pump just blew on Thursday May 9, 72,000 miles.

Impeller parts retrieved when pump removed from housing are guestimated to total 80%. Whole pieces sized; 40%,20%,10%,5%, crumbs 5% - MIA 20%. Have posted separately re assistance in locating/flushing MIA. Car currently O-O-O (out-of-service) in driveway awaiting dry weather, and owner's enthusiasm for instalation task, to return.

VIN to be added via edit.
Edit: VIN 1FALP66L0VK148924

Edit May 19/02: Further 15% chunk found between cone and housing, total of 95% recovered. Metal pump now installed.

My '95 Contour SE ATX's waterpump went at 55,200 miles. Luckily, I noticed the temperature rising and didn't drive it until I replaced the waterpump. The impeller on the original waterpump was almost completely cracked in half and one fin was just about to crack off too. Because of the crack, the impeller no longer spun with the pulley.

Count me in as well. E-mail me at tclemente@comcast.net

Thanks for taking some action.

Good luck man, but I don't think you will get much results, If your car over heats why don't people stop!! Common sense tells you that you should not keep driving with a motor that is over heated. I don't have a water pump failure by the way and have right at 80K miles.
But good luck anyway

Oh, BTW, My boss drives a 2002 BMW330 XI that has had 2 motor replacments as of 20K miles. So much for your theory on good cars

ive got a 98 Contour GL 2.5 L

Im thining of replacing my pump just for the reasons listed above

but if ford should really consider a recall and soak it up if its this frequent

Ford wont even install a metal impellar pump for me because ots no to their specs

Jaxter, you are off base.Component engineers have to work to a budget.It's the 'bean counters' that dictate the level of engineering in vehicle systems, if it were up to the engineers most would have 'Rolls-Royce' level parts but would soon be out of a job!!!!!!

My water pump went out on my 95 2.5L contour at around 75,000 miles.

Well further to my May 12 post above re my '97 I now have to report failure of the black plastic OEM wp on my '98 at 62,000 miles on May 31.
This time 55% of impeller was still wrapped around shaft although not turning due to crack. Three other pieces totalling 40% retrieved, 5% missing. Cone was again OK, with minor scuff marks.
New metal impeller Tredex(GMB) pump now installed.

1998 Mercury Mystique Ls v6
VIN 1MELM66L1WK616503

98 E0 SVT, built 5/97, purchased 12/97, vin on request, write jnathanj@earthlink.net for VIN.

Pump failed 6/2002, 44xxx miles, rapid overheat, but thanks to this group have developed habit of checking temp gauge with every scan of the left sideview mirror, so shut down before I got to the red zone. But, that's relative: the car ran
N^ORMAL all its life, which makes the RMAL^| zone that much further away.

Replaced pump with Ford part after service advisor agreed to a them/me 80/20 split for the bill. Out-of-pocket: about $200: $100 for the flatbed towing, $100 for my 20%.

Service advisor showed me the new part, but I couldn't see the impeller, so have no idea what quality is(n't) there.

I know this is an old thread, but a few more bytes won't hurt, right? One more for the archives. I'll log my experience to Blue Oval also.

Adding my name to the list...

Impeller failed at 119000 km. Dealer: "The impeller has disintegrated all over the place..."

I just replaced my waterpump in my 95 SE ATX yesterday(7/10/02)at 79,242 miles. I drive the car long distances at late night early morning hours regularly, but fourtunately I happened to be near home when the temp hit the red! I replaced it with one from Advance Auto which is also plastic. I only found about 1/3 of the original impeller so I guess the rest of it was ground down to a fine dust(I HOPE!). I can't see how any large pieces could have gone into the hoses to cause restriction. In anycase, I changed it in my driveway along with the thermostate in about a half an hour and now the car seems to run just as it did originally. Should I go buy a metal impeller waterpump and replace my new replacement just to be safe???
Al

Arrrg mine just went (I think) ordered a new one anyway.

90k miles
97 lx

mine went at 50,000
e-mail for info

Anthony Mata (Amata@ortc.com) San Jose CA
SVT Contour
VIN #1FAFP68G9WK215731
Water pump failed about 52K- Replaced at my expense.

Engine just died at 64K- Also to be replaced at my expense.

Please get back to us if you hear any new info.

Just lost mine a few weeks ago at 73,220.

Rob, e-mail me for my VIN: ajchyko@catvexpress.net

Relaced my WP today with a NAPA/GMB. Found the old one to be free of defects- it's going into the spares bin. Easy job- had the new one on in less than an hour, so don't let difficulty stop you. The gasket came off whole- no scraping needed.

Forgot to say 52,000 miles.

my vin number is 1FALP66L7WK106252, ITS A 98 ford contour and i just paid 710.00 to have the water pump replaced.

you can email me at: gadamson@bbtel.com

Will post back after this monday! My car amlost overheated today. Getting it diagnosed on monday and replaced as precaution. I am 1000 (61,000) miles over my ESP!!! ARgggggg......

Spankey

97 Sport V6.....A hot ONE now....

pump went at 63xxx miles vin 1falp67lwk145757 i used a napa pump cost me $39 and 1.25 hours of my time no big deal

95 Contour V6 LX. It went at approximately 207,000 km. Exactly one week before I was going to have time to replace it!

- Randall Voth

Mine went at 208000 kms. Changed the impeller side as well as put in Ford Motocraft OEM thermostat. The aftermarket thermostat (Motorad) did not bring about the desired result.The impeller was cracked almost down to the middle and was not tight to the pully shaft.

Mine went at 65,000. Blew a head gasket also. Impeler was in 10 peices and was not conected to the shaft.

E-mail for info.

Supertourn@suscom.net

Pete P

95 Lx V6

Might as well add mine to the list.....

Mine went early this year on my 96 GL at 115,000 KM.

No Failure, but I made a pre-emptive strike!!!!

Add me to the list! Went. with 61,000 on it as well... It just doesn't get much better than this...

Ever see those "pee on the car emblem(ford,chevy,dodge)"

Wouldn't it look funny to see someone with a ford and a Peeing on the "F O R D" on THIER car!!! I am contimplating it!!! ALthough I love this car Soooo much. I think this should be recall issue for SURE!!!!

Spank..

Yep mine went. Ordered the one from napa online. Has metal impeller, very beefy too, compared to stock.

It was harder to get apart than to put back together, only because I had never done this job before. Took it apart thursday night, and on Friday night, took 20 minutes to put together. Car runs nice and cool now. Fun wow. Can't complain too much here, I got 90k out of it (almost) And, ordering online saved me 20 bucks.

Seeyas

WP went at 75,000 miles. Had to have wp, thermostate tension idler pully serpetine belt timing belt replace under 400 dollars for everything.