Swap or repair?
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i overheated my v6 by quite a bit the other day on the m40 due to the water pump failing :( now im faced with a dilema as i want to keep the car! The engine runs spot on and it has no leaks except from the shattered water pump. My mechanic has told me that the older mazda engines really dont like getting too hot and it could be severely damaged but he wouldnt know until the new pump is fitted? Is it worth getting the pump done or is it not worth the risk? Or should i just keep it as my little project and transplant a new engine into her? The original engine hasnt even done 90k yet and its solid and like i said, it still runs fine apart from overheating. Help please?
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apart from the over heating it still runs fine? so your continuing to use the car even though its got water pump failure? The waterpump failure might have been repairable, but continuing to use it WILL wreck it. If you mechanic says he wont know if everything is alright until you fit the new waterpump how are a bunch of people on the internet who cant see or check the engine for themselves going to know?
There are things that could be checked but non of them would give a clear indication of whether or not you would have further problems after fitting a new water pump.
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I'd use it as an excuse to stick a KLDE in or ZE if you're feeling flush. It depends on your skill level, though anyone can swap an engine if they follow procedure.
My first DIY checks would be:
Check for mayo on oil cap and dipstick (mixing oil and coolant)
Compression test (very easy to do - tester £20 from halfords)
Check for white smoke/ sweet smelling smoke from exhaust
Check for evidence of seeping from the HG- check the V valley, and the gasket line which are below the exhaust flanges
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i would fix the waterpump same thing happend to me, had to drive 10 miles like that very slowly, still worked fine after, it cost about £100 for pump and fitting from garage
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im not still running it, literally got it home, let it cool then started it again. Im gettin it back tomorrow and i will do the checks that you said about. Cheers fellas :)
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If it starts fine, doesnt smoke, boil over at the header tank and theres no water in the oil (white sludge in the filler cap and on dipstick) and theres no puddle underneath of fluids except water then it sounds like you may have got away with it.
I would go for the water pump and keep driving it, unless you overheated it until it cut the engine out or slowed down it should be fine.
If you want to do the waterpump yourself you should be able to get one for about £45 (be careful theres 2 types for the V6) and get the cambelt done at the same time !!
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yeah by the sound of it i should be fine, didnt cut out or struggle thankfully! Cheers mate :)
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I once drove home with a bottle of water in the car to keep refilling.. Waterpump was leaking too. Got the distri and pump replaced and never had any problems with it afterwards.
