Very good points. There maybe millions of owners that never have this problem but are silent. Then a very small minority does and complain about it, leading one to conclude this is a big problem. Internet hysteria.I would think that the complaints on those forums would not be a significant sample size of total F150’s that have 5.0l’s, therefore, not really a reliable source of how “common” the failures really are. I would be willing to bet that a far greater number have pumps that surpass that magic 100k number by quite a bit.
Reading about “common” failures and problems on a platform where people go to complain or seek advice about a problem can lead you down a rabbit hole. There’s not too many forum posts that consist of people just starting a thread that says, “My car has never had a problem in 200k miles.”
According to the internet, I should have yanked my cam and lifters a long time ago.
Should I replace my water pump?
- Thread starter Jay3702
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The only time I've even heard of proactively replacing a water pump is when a timing belt is done, or it's a BMW with an electric water pump. In only the first case would it make sense as timing belts often come in a kit. Doing a water pump proactively is like getting AAA in case one breaks down. Only for people who don't like money or odds 
In my own personal experience I have had 2 water pumps need replacement--1 on a B27F Volvo, and 1 on a GM 3.6 V6. In both cases, it began to leak at first. Why replace a pump when it's not weeping or leaking? Worst case, it fails on a trip, pay for a tow and the job. I would go with statistics on it. It's totally different if it's already leaking and one is going to go on trips...my .02
In my own personal experience I have had 2 water pumps need replacement--1 on a B27F Volvo, and 1 on a GM 3.6 V6. In both cases, it began to leak at first. Why replace a pump when it's not weeping or leaking? Worst case, it fails on a trip, pay for a tow and the job. I would go with statistics on it. It's totally different if it's already leaking and one is going to go on trips...my .02
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The new word is gaslighting. We all fall prey. I have a E92 335i. Of course we all know you cannot possibly drive a BMW out of warranty, and getting things fixed under warranty is a no-brainer and shooting fish in a barrel.
So I got a factory 7/100 that was like $3800 list and I got it for $2800, which was a bargain. Even got it in DE no tax.
Here's how many claims I had: ZERO
Not many are going to admit they threw almost $3000 down the drain, but I will.
Of course the ABS pump did go in 2016, 3 years after the 7/100 expired. That's a $4,200 job at the dealer so I had no choice but to DIY for $249 plus some tools. Sometimes life is that way.
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I am of the opposite opinion to most here. If its a common failure part and I can do it myself, then I go ahead and do it. If your the type of person that never drives far, then leave it - but the last thing I want to be doing 500 miles from home is waiting for an unknown shop to replace a part for me - at a greatly increased price. I can likely fix all the common parts on my rigs for less than a shop somewhere to fix one of them.
I don't think you understand that word. Gaslighting is specifically telling untruth's - especially authority figures - to create doubt. It typically is accompanied by a benefit to them. If a bunch of people that actually had a failed water pump go on a forum and say my water pump failed, that is not gaslighting. The reader will need to infer if that means 1% fail, 10% fail, or they all fail. There presenting truthful information, with no external benefit to themselves - its just the sample size is small. Now if a water pump salesman said they all fail - that might be gaslighting.
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So those who sell extended warranties, and those who buy them (they claim the repairs add up to 20k+ but the warranty was only $3900--there's a guy on YouTube with multi millions of subs who found himself in that situation on his Range), what's the word you'd use?
Or you could keep it and make it a "throw in" part of the eventual sale.
Wouldn't you grind your teeth if you replaced a running part and then have the replacement fail in a year or two. The aftermarket water pumps on my Volvo were total cr*p. They failed every couple of years. Then I took it to a really good Volvo specialist shop. They said, "only use Volvo OEM water pumps". It never failed again. Had that car for more than 18 years.
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Your talking about a very different scenario - someone selling and benefitting from that sale. I am not sure if that meets the full definition of gaslighting - ie the modern word for propaganda - it might, or maybe embellished or lies. Either way not the same as people on a forum reporting of their personal and likely real experience, that receive no personal benefit either way.
Two people on this very thread have already reported they had low mileage water pump issues with their Ford 5.0. Are they gaslighting? Of course not - there reporting a true experience they had. What you don't know is how many people in comparison don't have said issue - but its still not gaslighting. They could care less what anyone else believes.
100% agree with this. A new part is always at higher risk of failure for the first year or more. I've read the same thing with respect to aircraft, at least small aircraft engines. They get less likely to fail as they age until they get higher hours and then the risk slowly increases.
On our '05 5.3 (so yeah, very different application) the water pump literally spit a roller up on to the landing above the water pump. It was squealing terribly but not leaking.
One of the craziest things I've ever seen -- a wp screaming, visual evidence of bearing failure and no wobble or leak (yet) . We limped 25 miles home and replaced immediately.
I'm assuming those pumps have bearings behind the seal and in front of the seal or something like that. I don't know though, I never researched it further -- just felt really lucky
One of the craziest things I've ever seen -- a wp screaming, visual evidence of bearing failure and no wobble or leak (yet) . We limped 25 miles home and replaced immediately.
I'm assuming those pumps have bearings behind the seal and in front of the seal or something like that. I don't know though, I never researched it further -- just felt really lucky
We had a GM water pump on a 3800 just lock up and the belt jumped off....it had over 300k miles on it...
Unless they are troublesome or fail in a way that dumps coolant into the oil, I wouldn't worry about it. A weepy seal can go for a ways before it gets to be a real problem. I've had water pumps easily go over 100,000 miles with no problem. Only time I've replaced a water pump as preventive maintenance is during the timing belt service for the Pilot, since it's easily changed while you've already got everything apart and it's driven by the timing belt.
If you don’t hear a grinding/howling noise or don’t see dry/wet coolant from the weep hole/pump snout(a little coolant coming out is OK), you’re fine.
Water pumps should be pre-emptively replaced if they are timing belt driven or a problem child engine(Ford 3.5/3.7).
Water pumps should be pre-emptively replaced if they are timing belt driven or a problem child engine(Ford 3.5/3.7).
At the end of the day, if you are going to sleep better at night knowing you’ve got a nice new genuine Ford water pump bolted to you 5.0 for your long distance trips then just change it. Nothing anyone can say here is going to make any difference to that.
To me, if I see a shop bolt on a ACDelco OE, Motorcraft or Mopar water pump on a domestic car(and the same thing with a Japanese/Korean car with Aisin/Hitachi/NPW or OE), it tells me that shop has pride in their work and wants to keep a comeback from happening.
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They don't take up much space. Buy a good quality pump and stash it in the trunk for your trip. It's a little peace of mind at least.
Got 150k on a Toyota wp. Have a dusty "back up" Aisin sitting on a shelf for 80k miles waiting for its day...Believed all the internet experts saying to replace a wp if a little red crust is observed at the weep hole. Aisin says this is normal and to watch coolant level for a month- if it does not drop, then pump is fine. Aisin also says even a new pump may display a little red crust as it breaks in. YMMV. I wonder how many pumps are replaced needlessly.
Are they like Toyota hybrid electric pumps that indicate failure by taking out the engine with little or no warning, instead of by starting to ooze coolant as belt-driven pumps typically do?
They're not that bad to do, the state of Illinois owns a gazillion of those 5.0s, Ive had to replace several water pumps anywhere between 50-170k.... The one I did last week at 170k was a 2nd time replacement. I've seen the bearings floppy as hell on them, sometimes as floppy as they are they don't leak, just make noise.... Ive seen a few where the plastic impeller disc is laying in the water pump cavity after the rest of the wp is off and in my hand....
plastic impeller...... Stupidity.
plastic impeller...... Stupidity.
The 2017 f150 5.0 one my employers crews drives has been losing coolant slowly for over a year now. First noticed when they lost heat (so they must not have a low coolant warning like my 05 Silverado does). They've just been topping it up since it was noticed but it hasn't gotten worse. I checked all the hoses and obvious spots, nothing leaking externally. Could be a head gasket I guess. It wouldn't be a good show for ford since the 2018 f150 lost its transmission at 50k and the only other ford is a 2008, lost reverse at 120k. The rest are GM's and one Toyota Tacoma, no major issues with any of them so far.
