Originally posted by tnt:

1) The engine was very clean. No sign of coolant anywhere except boiling over a bit. Could this still be waterpump failure? I had a broken hose once, coolant everywhere, and it made mechanics think it was the waterpump.
2) If it IS the waterpump, is it better to replace it with one that has a metal impeller? Some posts say yes, but the FAQ seemed to imply that it doesn't make a big difference. (would a dealer be willing to do this, or do they only use Ford parts?)
3) For the time that I did drive it overheated (maximum of 10 minutes or 4 miles), could I have damaged anything else in the engine?

Unfortunately, I didn't check the air out of the heater (not near car now),




1.) Yes... As you mentioned you didn't check the heater, which is probably the best indicator of waterpump failure without actually taking out the pump. When the pump fails, it just stops moving the water, which begins to heat way past the boiling point (even with the higher boiling point of the antifreeze) which looks like what happened to you.

2.) Absolutely. That's something that should be done before a failure, but most people like yourself don't know about it until its too late. Dealers will only put in a Ford waterpump, and the newer revised pump is also plastic, but so far there haven't been many problems with them. Best bet is to go to http://www.spmotorsports.com or your local Napa store and get the metal pump. Expect to pay about $70.

3.) Yes, the heads might have warped or the block might have cracked, but if it's caught soon enough you'll be ok. You could try replacing the pump and see what happens; if the engine is damaged you're pretty much SOL. Time to look at a 3L conversion in that case

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