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I am a huge fan of the Wizard and enjoy his videos. However, he is classifying all of the GM crossovers as "junk". Kind of unfair. This water pump failed at 171,000 miles. That is pretty good service if that is still the original water pump. The water pump on my 2006 Impala went out with less than 30,000 miles on it.

Then he says "since when does changing a water pump risk throwing the whole engine out of time?" Well, ask Ford about their 3.5L V6 water pumps. This is not all that unusual. Vehicles are becoming more and more complex. That's just the way it is.
 
I hate when the Water Pumps are run by the timing chain.

Thanks Car Wizard for this video. I'll avoid any GM products with that engine moving forward.
 
I am a huge fan of the Wizard and enjoy his videos. However, he is classifying all of the GM crossovers as "junk". Kind of unfair. This water pump failed at 171,000 miles. That is pretty good service if that is still the original water pump. The water pump on my 2006 Impala went out with less than 30,000 miles on it.

Then he says "since when does changing a water pump risk throwing the whole engine out of time?" Well, ask Ford about their 3.5L V6 water pumps. This is not all that unusual. Vehicles are becoming more and more complex. That's just the way it is.

I avoid the Ford 3.5 V6 for that same reason. Terrible design.

Some people are fine with that, and I get it. But for me, I'll pass.
 
Rock sells the Delco pump for $61.79, the unit is two pieces, and the inner part is the part that wears out. the whole thing with the gear is $139. Who buys at factory list? I wonder if by taking the top part off the pump first, the exhaust doesn’t have to be moved? Then the inner half comes off. I would just buy the inner pump part and the tool for $14 on Amazon.
 
Rock sells the Delco pump for $61.79, the unit is two pieces, and the inner part is the part that wears out. the whole thing with the gear is $139. Who buys at factory list? I wonder if by taking the top part off the pump first, the exhaust doesn’t have to be moved? Then the inner half comes off. I would just buy the inner pump part and the tool for $14 on Amazon.
Nobody but that's not the point. The shop will BILL the customer at factory list. You do understand that shops make a profit on labor AND parts?
 
Standard Ecotec PITA, not difficult, removing the exhaust and turbo when equiped can be a pain. The half round sprocket holders suck, the full round ones are better. OE pumps only with a new T stat housing, tube and T stat (pre assembled and sold as a unit for $153) the pump is $132.
No aftermarket stuff on this job, nothing at all.

 
No shop is going to risk a comeback using a cheap part when labor is a big part of the bill.
GMB pumps are good, and a new GMB water pump will probably outlast the vehicle. I once replaced the timing belt on my Escort and left in the GMB water pump that had 97K miles on it. This pump outlasted the car. I also happen to have a GMB water pump on my Alero, but that pump is exceptionally easy to replace.
 
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GMB pumps are good, and a new GMB water pump will probably outlast the vehicle. I once replaced the timing belt on my Escort and left in the GMB water pump that had 97K miles on it. This pump outlasted the car. I also happen to have a GMB water pump on my Alero, but that pump is exceptionally easy to replace.
Interesting...you are not the first person to say that they work well. When you first hear about the brand, one wouldn’t think so...

Good to know there are choices....
 
What exactly does the water pump sprocket have to do with timing? A lot of the replacement pumps come with the sprocket already on.
Years ago I did a family member's Camry timing belt. I didn't even do the wp because two studs have to be removed and the cam gear or something. I had to have a tool for the crankshaft pulley. That was at least five times harder than this one looks. This looks like a piece of cake really the more I look at it. He charges 450 for his techs labor, how much of that does the tech get?
It’s part of the chain timing drive, like the timing belt. Except in the GM, it looks like the chain wraps around the sprocket, unlike Ford and Subaru where it’s on the outer surface of the chain. And the sprocket is a “floating” one, it stays with the engine.
 
Reminds me a lot of a Series 60 Detroit in that location. Although on those it’s common to see a million miles without a failure. They are driven off the gear train on the front of the engine, bolted to the back of the front structure. It is possible to get coolant in the crankcase but I have personally never seen it with a fleet of them. My fleet is just starting to see overhauls with 1.1 million miles being average through the fleet and I can count on one hand the number of pumps I have done. I also maintain a fleet of forklifts and Hyster loves to use tubes and o rings just like that.
 
It’s part of the chain timing drive, like the timing belt. Except in the GM, it looks like the chain wraps around the sprocket, unlike Ford and Subaru where it’s on the outer surface of the chain. And the sprocket is a “floating” one, it stays with the engine.
Driven by the Balance Shaft Chain on a Ecotech not the actual Timing Chain.
 
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