2010 Taurus 240k water pump finally failed

[350Rocket]

My sister has my mom's old 2010 Taurus with the 3.5 with the badly designed internal water pump. The car has almost no rust, so it's a shame, but it's going to be scrapped now.

These cars are great for a short time but not for a long time. Water pump is something that will fail eventually on every vehicle if you keep it long enough (even if it's 30+ years on some cars). This is why I'm sticking with the old stuff.

$50 for a water pump for my Oldsmobile or Chevy, and an hour or 2 of work.

I have seen one of these Tauruses with almost 300k original pump, but it was a 2014 and only 4 years old. Age is a huge factor also.

 

[brages]

Sell it as-is if it's in good shape. Someone with time on their hands may be willing to repair it.

 

[350Rocket]

Sell it as-is if it's in good shape. Someone with time on their hands may be willing to repair it.

Probably will try that.

 

[skyactiv]

It's not a difficult job, just buy the cam tools: https://www.amazon.com/Similar-303-...0+OTC+6682&qid=1595619833&s=automotive&sr=1-2

 

[KGMtech]

as skyactive says, it's not a hard job, but lots of steps. Plan on 3 days.

 

[350Rocket]

Not going to happen. I can do the water pump on my Caprice or Cutlass or Silverado with an LS motor but not this. Plus the oil has been drinking coolant for weeks now.

 

[mrsilv04]

Here's a good explanation for the 3 day comment... The guy does mention 3 days in the video.



For all of the GM bashers around here, a few of them may need to figure out a way to keep it to themselves a little more often.

 

[mattd]

Why not just fix it and keep driving it? It’s really not a bad job and isn’t terribly expensive

 

[mattd]

The job can be done in about 5 hours with cordless tools. You’ll need a puller for the balancer. The cam locks are not absolutely needed but are good insurance they don’t move. I’ve done them with and without them

 

[350Rocket]

Why not just fix it and keep driving it? It’s really not a bad job and isn’t terribly expensive

Like I said it's been drinking coolant into the oil. Oil was very dirty looking despite just being changed and it just developed a timing chain rattle on start-up that wasn't there before. Plus it has 240k miles. None of us have the time or tools/skills to do it. Independent garages send you to the dealer because of the special tools, so what does that tell you?

 

[350Rocket]

Here's a good explanation for the 3 day comment... The guy does mention 3 days in the video.



For all of the GM bashers around here, a few of them may need to figure out a way to keep it to themselves a little more often.

I like GM's up to maybe 2007 at the latest. I was always a gm guy and my favorite is and still always will be 1980s gm full size cars and g bodies (I have been daily driving them for years), but the newer GM's seem to be pretty hit and miss. I couldn't recommend them to friends or family anymore.

We are looking at Corollas and camrys tomorrow. I am recommending them or a gm with a 3800 v6.

 

[Snagglefoot]

240,000 miles on a car with the original water pump? Probably less than 10% of cars are on the road at 240,000 miles. Send it to the wreckers if you don’t want to fix it and take any tax incentive or smog bonus you can get.

 

[350Rocket]

240,000 miles on a car with the original water pump? Probably less than 10% of cars are on the road at 240,000 miles. Send it to the wreckers if you don’t want to fix it and take any tax incentive or smog bonus you can get.

The water pump was done on my work truck at 170k miles, but it cost less than 1/4 of the price to do this one, plus it leaks externally not internally. Any of these Fords with these engines are going to be basically financially written off if the water pump fails at high mileage.

It was a very reliable car for the first 240k, but I'm very much against the disposable vehicle appliance mentality. I've been driving my 84 Olds for 13 years (since 2007) and my 83 Caprice for over 10 years. They are still reliable daily drivers. You can't do that with a lot of modern cars.

 

[350Rocket]

The job can be done in about 5 hours with cordless tools. You’ll need a puller for the balancer. The cam locks are not absolutely needed but are good insurance they don’t move. I’ve done them with and without them

A very good licensed tech (like you obviously) can do it in that time, but anybody trying to do it at home, without major experience in auto repair, is not going to do that. And the job is still going to pay more than a days labor even if you can do it in 5 hours.

It would be a perfect car for a tech to buy and fix. They love buying vehicles that need an engine, putting a used one in and then they have a good cheap vehicle.

 

[Nick1994]

The water pump was done on my work truck at 170k miles, but it cost less than 1/4 of the price to do this one, plus it leaks externally not internally. Any of these Fords with these engines are going to be basically financially written off if the water pump fails at high mileage.

It was a very reliable car for the first 240k, but I'm very much against the disposable vehicle appliance mentality. I've been driving my 84 Olds for 13 years (since 2007) and my 83 Caprice for over 10 years. They are still reliable daily drivers. You can't do that with a lot of modern cars.

You can’t do what with a lot of modern cars? And what makes a car “modern”?

 

[350Rocket]

You can’t do what with a lot of modern cars? And what makes a car “modern”?

Something like this V6 engine that needs a $2000 water pump job every 10 years. I have never had to put anything like that kind of money to keep my 36+ year old cars running reliably. Likely something made within the past 20 years, but they're getting worse all the time.

 

[PimTac]

Junk it and buy a 1980 Ford Fairmont.

 

[350Rocket]

Junk it and buy a 1980 Ford Fairmont.

Given the same condition of the body, I would probably do that trade. Not sure my sister would drive it though.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Something like this V6 engine that needs a $2000 water pump job every 10 years. I have never had to put anything like that kind of money to keep my 36+ year old cars running reliably. Likely something made within the past 20 years, but they're getting worse all the time.

Hmmm, 36 year old cars? That’s 1984. How many miles did you get on them?

 

[Lubener]

Unbelievable you got that mileage from such a poorly designed engine. Myself, I would never gamble the time and money on a project 3.5 with a bad water pump. You have no idea what internal damage to the engine that failed water pump may have caused.