No doubt Ford went to plastic to reduce car weight and drain on engine, however, catastrophic failure is not the norm in metal water pumps. They either weep or squeak giving ample opportunity to replace.
I was prepared to replace with plastic today to get mobile, if weather permitted. It did not, so I'll try to get metal tomorrow.
98 Mystique LS v6 atx 110,000km
97 Contour LX v6 atx 125,000km
stock CD on LS, cass on LX
spoiler, tinted windows on LS only
4 wheel discs on LX only
All other available options on both
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