+1 on the rule and good go on RR. I like to replace as much as possible when I'm in there as well. Parts are cheaper then labor(my time). FWIW, I follow the 7 P's. Proper Prior Planning Prevents **** Poor Performance.

 

About the only time I could do this, or have it done, would be when the car is in for its 5K mile oil/filter service.

But 5K miles between WP checks is a long time.

So it appears to me the problem is unless you have the ability to check for any possible WP sounds frequently you could be led into a false sense the WP's ok.

In the case of my Boxster for approx. 172K miles the WP was quiet. Then it got not quiet. A stethoscope at this point could have helped me confirm the WP was the source of the noise, but it was more convenient for me to remove the belt and confirm the noise was not present upon engine start and then check each accessory drive for any play. The only one that had any play was the WP.

If you hear a noise and use a stethoscope to check the WP and its not the source of the noise then you have to check everything else connected with the accessory drive system. The power steering pump, the AC compressor, and all the idler roller bearings and the tensioner roller bearing. These get tricky to get to with a stethoscope and there is some risk if any part of the stethoscope gets caught up in the belt.

However, if you want to check the WP at whatever interval you can manage and use a stethoscope that's entirely up to you.

You will hear a lot of noises with the stethoscope so be sure you know what a healthy one sounds like so you do not mistake some other normal noise for a failing WP.

 

OK, just got word that my 3rd pump (my indy only uses factory Porsche pumps) is gone in 4 years..yikes!

 

That seems unusual. How many miles do you have on the car and what year is it? Did the Indy indicate how the WP's failed? impellers? bearing? etc... thx.

 

It's a great question above. Be great to know which component of the pump failed.

Mark/Pelican Parts

 

Agreed. The Porsche part is being ordered, I'll be sure to ask my tech about the failure mode. The car is an 05, very early build, 66K miles, daily driver, about 10-12K miles/year. I had one "stranding" with the full blowout coolant loss (came out to this surprise after work about 3 years ago), then two that were discovered leaking at the time other work was being completed.

 

Hmmm... we have similar mileage but I've only replaced my WP once. I'm at 62K+ miles on an '08 C2S. I preemptively replaced my WP @ 52K. The older unit still looked fine but I installed the new WP any way JIC.

I'm speculating here re your case but I wonder if you might have a blade/impeller bits stuck/obstructing somewhere along the coolant system which is restricting flow and causing the new replacement WP's to fail prematurely. Just something to consider as a potential root cause. 4 WP's in 66K miles or 1 WP/17K miles seems excessive. Another possible root cause may be a mis-aligned pulley which is wearing out the WP bearing. Good idea to start keeping track/logs of how the WP's failed. BTW, how does your s-belt and pulley's look?

 

Is the replacement pump the same poorly designed, prone to failure, pump that was in there originally? Multiple failures suggest that it is. The reason I ask is because early on I had a PCM problem with the CD drive refusing to eject the CD. It was replaced under warranty. Now years later it is exhibiting the same symptoms again. A poorly designed PCM being replaced with an equally poorly designed PCM.

I never recall having to replace a water pump on any other car I have owned.

 

Boolala, same here! I think I replaced one on my 1964 GTO (in 1971), never again. I'll be interested to see if my tech can give me some solid feel for the failure on this particular pump. I sure get a lot of grief from my co-workers!

 

Water pumps are mechanical devices and the only guarantee with any mechanical device is that it will wear out and that it will fail if operated long enough.

In the past month the water pump in both my GMC Duramax Diesel GMC 2500HD truck (makes 500WHP) failed as well as the water pump in my 1992 gray market imported Mercedes 300GE Gelandewagen failed.

Its funny, when every car I owned was aircooled, I never had that problem.

 

hahaha

 

So the water pump failed on a 1992 Mercedes and somehow that's comparable to a water pump failing on a 4 or 6 year old car????

 

It's relevant because someone posted earlier that they've never had a water pump failure on any car that they have owned.. Though that vehicle is a 92, the water pump did not last the lifetime of the engine.

 

Bottom line is that our Porsche's water pump shouldn't be considered a wear and tear item and break easily.

 

Unlike other automotive manufacturers... water cooling is somewhat new to Porsche. I'd say their Achilles but if I only have to replace the WP every 40-50K... I can certainly live with that. Compared to some of my prior BMW's my 997 has been a tank.