MainelyA8

Went into the shop today, and was expecting them to replace the post. Instead, they tell me that they do not have the water pump that was on there anymore, so they can't tell if it had the post on it or not. They also stated that they can't order just the post. I asked what the point in me driving 30 minutes was? So, I'm back where I started.

Well, almost. It turns out that the ContiTech water pump is leaking, ever so slightly. The mechanic was nice enough to snap a picture and send it to me. I must have missed it when I had the covers off.. somehow. ContiTech has a "lifetime warranty", so I called them. They stated that I would need to buy a replacement, have it installed, send the old one back, and if they found it to be defective, they would send me a new water pump. I asked how that was helpful, as it would leave me with an extra one, and I'd still be out the $1100 in labor to install the new one.

Interestingly enough, the shop said that this kit was the exact one they use on the 4.2L cars that come in, and they've never had any problems with the water pumps. I almost mentioned that if that's the case, then it must have been an installation error. They charge $400 for an OEM water pump, so I will be supplying my own again.

MainelyA8

At this point, I am considering replacing the water pump myself. I just had two weeks off from work; it's too bad this couldn't have happened sooner! I am hoping that the entire front won't need to be remove to replace the water pump, but it's looking like the timing belt has too much tension to work around it.

the_duke

How many miles since your pump was installed? I small amount of seepage during break-in is normal. And it will leave some pink residue so unless it's obviously wet I wouldn't worry.

the_duke

I was just thinking that maybe you could get that pin off a junkyard motor. Or worse case Put a bolt and nut in there to space the cover out far enough that it doesn't rub. Locktite would be a good idea in either case. I used it on mine. Can't remember if there was residue on the one I swapped over or if I just decided it was a good idea.

MainelyA8

I've driven about 1083 miles since the service. I couldn't really tell if it was wet or not, but it seems to be leaking from two different areas. I had the same concern on my older Jeep, but was told it would only leak from the bottom part of the water pump during the break in period. Granted, that dumpster on wheels and this car are very different.

MainelyA8

I thought of the same thing, but this car is so uncommon in my state. Couldn't find a single junked one. The shop offered to do your second idea, but they were worried it wouldn't hold so I declined. I did find a no-name water pump on Amazon for about $40, that includes the post (going by the pictures). It's a lot to spend on that, but I figure that the cover hitting the pulley and then shredding the belt on torn up plastic will cost a lot more.

Edit: Loctite is a great idea, thanks for mentioning it!

the_duke

It should not be leaking there and that is definitely wet. If the shop supplied the parts they they should have a warranty on the parts and labor they provided. You shouldn't be liable for anything. They should also be tracking down the spacer pin and fixing it as it's their fault not yours.

MainelyA8

That's unfortunate. I supplied the parts, due to them marking the TB kit (minus the T-stat) up to $1,000 when I got the initial quote. They are insisting that the water pump is defective.

I called ContiTech, and they said that since they do not supply parts directly to consumers that I would need to go through the vendor I purchased it from. So, I contacted Amazon. They are sending out another entire timing belt kit. It's a nice gesture, but I'm hesitant to use another ContiTech water pump, and it still leaves me with another upcoming $1100 bill. I spoke with someone from ContiTech today a second time, who said that he's never seen a pump fail or show up as defective that quickly. I requested that they pay for the labor to have the new one installed, since it has just over 1,000 miles on it. Waiting for a call back.

I think I am SOL as far as the post goes. The shop said that since they didn't have the one that was replaced, they didn't know if it was actually there or not. I reminded them that I drove the car for 20,000 miles and didn't experience the belt rub until they worked on it, but it fell on deaf ears.

Also Duke, thank you again for all of your help with this stuff!

MainelyA8

I'm wondering if it could be something as simple as the bolts not being torqued down all the way. Wishful thinking, but if they can't handle replacing a screw-in post, that wouldn't surprise me.

Giovanni Giovino 6.0+6.0TT

That's a very good possibility, only problem I see though is it appears that the coolant is leaking from the pulley shaft (defect) and from the bolted surface mounting area (installers fault), gasket maybe, see if you can you can just check the tightness of the bolts seen in the photo, just see if they move easily, don't crank them down.
How was your coolant level ?