Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Northeast Waterpump impeller issues

I think I may have an issue with my wp impeller.
Recently, my car has started running warmer than usual...around the 'A' and 'L' range. I get heat from the heater but I hear that this does not necessarily eliminate the possibility of pending wp doom.

I wanted to know if any of you guys in the NYC area have changed your wp yourselves and may be willing to give me a hand to check mine out.

Thanks.

I thought when the waterpump goes, it goes all the way and the temp guage will redline? Maybe I'm wrong, but mine's still holding up alright for the time being. I'll be putting one with metal impeller in when I do the engine swap though.

IIRC when my taurus waterpump went it would squeal and then a couple of days later it went.

As for the SVT i'm not sure if you could tell when the pump goes, It could happen one day while your driving and the way you tell is the needle pins REDLINE, when that happens make sure you pull right over and shut her down DON'T overheat her.

If you need help i'll try to get over there

When my WP went it didn't give me any warning, just shot into the read REAL quick. AFAIK, they usually just die? How many miles you got on yours?

Sounds more like it could be a fan issue to me, keep in mind that if you aren't moving with a lot of air going across the radiator and the fan isn't pulling it across it won't do it's job that well and thus your engine will run hotter (not sure if you knew this or not, so I figured I would throw it in)

HTH
-Pete

I have 41600 on the car now. I know the fans come on regularly to keep the engine cool - more often than they used to. So I think the fans and thermostat are working okay. Pete D: You're def. right about the engine running warmer when there's no air passing over it - say like at a stoplight or stuck in traffic. It just has never run this warm before...and it's pretty consistent. The temp guage was just about past the 'L' this morning after just 5 minutes of stop and go traffic. It's never done that in the 10K mi I have owned the car.

I was thinking of taking it to DiBlasi Ford to have them look at the WP...hoping its covered under the ESP warranty. I would rather do it myself though if it's not difficult.

Thanks for you input guys.

Sounds like what happened to my sisters car a few years back in traffic the needle would slowly rise to the red, she killed the engine so it wouldn't overheat, turned out the head gasket was toast, of course the 3.8L taurus engines tend to eat head gasket's anyway.

How quickly does it rise? right after startup? Or does the engine actually have to warm up first?

-Pete

Does it run hot only in stop and go traffic? If its fine at highway speeds, then its definitely not your water pump. If that's the case, its either a problem with the cooling fans or the thermostat switch for them, or a radiator obstruction.

While in stop and go traffic and it running hot, does the temp go down if you turn the A/C on? If so, then its the cooling fan thermostat switch thats the problem.

Pete D: The temp doesn't rise instantly. The engine warms up first while I'm driving around. Soon after though (15 minutes or so) the temp guage goes right up to the 'L'.

Stingray: Hmmm...good point. It does run at normal temps at highway speeds. I assume because the radiator has more air passing over it (like Pete said). Could it be possible that the increased air flow over the radiator at highway speeds compensates for a water pump that's not working so well?

And yes, the temp does go down when the A/C is on. I think cuz the second fan kicks on. Pardon my ignorance, but is the cooling fan thermostat switch the same as the regular thermostat? One of the Ford service guys suggested that my thermostat may be sticking leading to the fluctations in temperature. What do you think?

Thanks again.

I changed out my Water Pump at 65,000 miles.
I didn't wait for any warning signs.
I have the white plastic impellar and it had one vane broken.
I replaced it with the Metal Impellar pump and it has been good ever since.
My temp gauge stays between the O and the M in NORMAL.
Closer to M with the AC on and Closer to the O with the MAX AC on.

The temp gauge is also not very accurate.
If you want to see engine temp then hook up a scan tool
or install your own Coolant Temp gauge in the A-Pillar.