Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Metal Water Pump Impeller A Good Idea? Maybe Not?

Many of you have recommended that the water pump on the V6 be replaced w/one w/a metal impeller.

I'm wondering about this. There might be a reason that a plastic impeller was used...I'm not so sure that it had to be to save $$$$...sometimes plastic is more expensive. We've been discussing this at Advance (3 of us have Contours), & some of us feel that perhaps a plastic impeller was used because it is actually stronger & more efficient, & switching to a metal one could cause problems(?), since this cooling system was designed using a plastic WP impeller.

I understand that the problem w/these WP's on the V6 is not just the impeller cracking, but hitting the housing. If a metal impeller hits the housing & shears, I would think that would be even more of a problem than a plastic one doing so.

So, I'm thinking that it may be best to stick w/a plastic impeller WP, but just replace it every 40K miles since they don't seem to hold up?

What da ya think??

Don't worry in the least about using a pump with a metal impeller...Almost every car on the road for the past 90 years has used a metal impeller pump!!!
True, the pump in some instances has been due to the impeller hitting the suction cone, but in my case the plastic one just split in half. I don't believe an automobile is a good application for a plastic water pump, given the high temperature of coolant and cold/hot cycling.
I have worked in engineering in the chemical and refining industries for over 20 years, and have a bunch of experience with centrifugal pumps. You seldom see plastic pumps here; then only due to pumping corrosive liquids and never at high temps. Even these sometimes have a metal core for strength.

OK...thanks for the info...so does anyone else make a metal impeller pump for this engine besides GMB?

I have posted questions on waterpumps before and have found that it appears that the majority(if not all pump failures have been on pre-99 cars(mileage may be a factor).

Did extensive research and found that plastic is the only material that could be molded to produce an efficient design for water flow. The metal impellar is a lot more shallow than the plastic, and some resources have stated that correct flow in the head is not achieved(prone to hot spots).
Many manufacturers have been making plastic impellars in their effort to make things smaller and more efficient.

This may be a case of the wrong type of plastic being used in the early years.

I am going down the path of figuring out the resistance curve of the temp gauge so a warning buzzer is triggered when greater than normal temperture is seen..

I put two GMB's in, one in a Contour, one in a Mystique. Got both of them thru NAPA at different times. They sell them under the DuraPro name, but the P/N is same, 125-1910. Both were niceley made, great quality, and fit and worked perfectly.
The gaskets were standard paper (not the rubberized metal type Ford uses), so I used some Permatex aviation sealer on them. No leaks. I removed two Ford types, both with the black plastic impellar, they looked Ok and the cones were tight, but ....who knows at 50K miles+ when they might fracture.

Al

GS wrote:

"Did extensive research and found that plastic is the only material that could be molded to
produce an efficient design for water flow. The metal impellar is a lot more shallow than the
plastic, and some resources have stated that correct flow in the head is not
achieved(prone to hot spots).
Many manufacturers have been making plastic impellars in their effort to make things
smaller and more efficient."

This is exactly the type of thing I am concerned about...that there could well be a reason that
they didn't use a metal impeller, & switching to one could lead to improper cooling, something
we definitely don't want.

Thanks everyone for your input! Hoping to read more opinions on this.

It's 2$ more ?

mines from BAT just came in today

my plastic one works fine...but its cheap insurance

As I posted recently, a V6 with 42,000 had the pump changed for a metal one, plastic impeller was fine but the cone fell out...which do you think happens first...the cone or the impeller...

My plastic impeller split in half almost completely and the cone was fine.
I think its a bunch of BS about plastic is the only material capable of being molded to the desired shape. The configuration of the two are very similar and I haven't noticed any diference in operating temperature.
Again, dont't worry about using the metal impellered pump!!