Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Water Pump - Is that your final answer ??

OK ... any "Regis' out there" (just kidding about that) ... but is there a final answer regarding the "brand" of replacement water pump ? I hate to beat a dead horse, but ....

I have 95K on my 95 SE FC (ford contour) and according to most folks here ... my water pump should be dead, but the cooling system still registers in the N - O - R range of NORMAL when driving at highway speeds. I am going to replace my water pump shortly because I don't believe I have a "one-of-a-kind" Contour ?? .... and have read most of the info here about the pumps: plastic vs. metal impeller ... most of the replacement pumps, unlike the Motorcraft [if I have understood this correctly], provide only the outer 1/2 of the pump housing as the replacement, but not the part that bolts to the cylinder head, etc. I hope I understand things so far.... most folks remove the outer half of the pump and replace that only, if the cone of the old pump is still OK .... etc.

My question is:

Since I don't know if the cone on the old pump is good or bad until I begin to take the pump off, would I be better off buying the Motorcraft oem water pump [with both halves of the pump - correct?] right away [rather than a GMB, Airtex, or other variety]. My personal issue is that I don't have another car to quick run out and buy some other part after I tear the water pump off .... and possibly finding that the cone is failing on the one still in the car now.

Secondly, a few folks have mentioned that getting the entire pump off the cylinder head is "very difficult", yet the Haynes Manual states that there are only 3 bolts to remove on the V6 2.5 SE in order for the pump to come off. I believe Terry H. also mentioned this some time ago... The torque on the water pump to cylinder head bolts, according to Haynes, is only 16-18 ft-lbs ... this is true for the water pump housing bolts, too. That doesn't seem to be that much ...

So, is getting the other half of the housing off the cylinder head a near impossibility, or have most people here just figured that replacing the outer half was OK ? What about the people that then had repeated pump failures ... was that due to a bad cone that was overlooked during the first replacement and not replacing the cylinder head housing, too ?

I would like to do this job only one time ... and if possible, use the most fool-proof water pump for the job [no guessing on results]. Would that be the Motorcraft pump [despite the plastic impeller] ? I realize it could fail again in 50K or less ... but by then I will have probably sold or traded the car.

Also ... I want to change hoses ... how many are there .... upper rad, lower rad, heater hoses a must?, hoses to the thermostat from the lower hose, hose from reservior to the upper all one piece ? It looks like spaghetti to me (right now).

Any help is appreciated .... I'd like to approach this self-repair with fewer questions than answers, if possible !

If not for all the issues, this would seem fairly routine.

Thanks in advance,

my95contour

Funny you should ask. I just finished doing mine earlier today. You don't say whether you have the 4 cyl or V-6 engine. I've got a '99 contour V-6, and all the horror stories scared me as well. With the age of your car, and probable miles, I would recommend replacing the entire unit. About the same amount of work, effort & time as replacing the impeller only. The complete units available now have been improved over the originals, and if you buy the motorcraft one, I've been told it comes with the hoses. The hoses are short, and look to be difficult, but not impossible to deal with. Take out the battery & tray (two bolts, then slide to right, and lift up) for better access. Seperating the thermostat housing will give additional clearance. Shouldn't have to get under car except to drain radiator. Thermostat is easy, two bolts. Just make sure to match activating temperature of old one. Replace belt, and if you want to be safe, replace belt tensioner at same time. List of required tools is quite small. 10 mm socket, 7 & 8 mm sockets, ratchet, extension, swivel, pliers. Having an extra set of eyes & hands helps!

Sorry, having now re-read your post, you do state that yours is a V-6. Note of caution, there are seven bolts around the perimeter of the water pump. Only 3 of these matter if you're going to replace the entire pump (the long ones). You must remove all of them if you're replacing the impeller only. :rolleyes:

Ibub ... I have the SE, the V6 ... I didn't think the SE came in a 4 cylinder, too .... ??

regards,

my95contour