Changing the waterpump with timing belt - why??

[Condi]

Whats the thinking behind this? Water pumps dont go that often do they? It seems like a way of making the garage some extra cash because they can, Ive never known a waterpump fail and yet everyone seems to change them when the timing belt is off.

I know its 'only' £30, but when Im only paying £120 or so for the cambelt its still another 25% which might not need paying.

[smartphone hater]

I've had two water pumps go. One was driven by the cam belt so replacement engine was required.

[cuprabob]

Water pumps do fail and it makes sense to change it at the same time as the cambelt as over 80% of the labour is the same.

Stupid not to.

[Mr_B]

They don't need changing at every cam belt service of say 30K miles, but if you get to the third cam belt service at say 90k miles, I'd stick one in as its cheap insurance; you are just paying for the part, the labour is almost free as someone is in there doing the belt.

[Si_steve]

The bearings wear in them...On a lot of engines the waterpump is driven by the cambelt.

Waterpump failure = cambelt failure...Is it worth the risk?

[magpie215]

my waterpump failed in a spectacular way with little to no warning...YMMV

[Marf]

Condi said:

Whats the thinking behind this? Water pumps dont go that often do they? It seems like a way of making the garage some extra cash because they can, Ive never known a waterpump fail and yet everyone seems to change them when the timing belt is off.

I know its 'only' £30, but when Im only paying £120 or so for the cambelt its still another 25% which might not need paying.

Worth doing on cars whose cambelt changes are expensive in terms of labour. You'd be pretty pissed off if you'd paid £600 for a cambelt change only for the pump to fail and for you to be slapped with another bill for £400 worth of labour to fit a waterpump.

[MrGman]

In all my years and many miles of driving a water pump is the only thing thats caused me to be stranded as far as i can remember. So for an extra £30 I'll always be changing it along with a cambelt.

[hairykrishna]

The engine in my 928 got lunched because the previous owner thought like you. I'd foolishly assumed that it'd been done when he told me he'd had the cambelt replaced. It hadn't, it failed, and the steel impeller carved a big hole in the aluminium block. When you're essentially paying for all of the labour involved anyway (or doing all of the labour) it makes sense when the part itself is cheap.

[Baryonyx]

Consider something like my A8. The front end of the car comes off to get access to change the cambelt. There is also access to the waterpump at the same time. You have to take it to someone with the trolley to lift the front end off the car just to get the cambelt done, which is an expensive job in itself. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

Last time my A8 had the cambelt done (April 2012) it had the waterpump, thermostat and alternator belt changed too. Still cost over £1000 but with a considerable saving on labour.

[LeeMad]

i had a waterpump go on an old escort runabout, luckily it only started leaking so i had enough warning to change that and the cam belt.
water pump its self is easy to change, its just that youve got to take the cambelt off in most instances

[redstu]

I have hadvthem "go" on 3 cars, none if which were cambelt driven. They only leaked but it's a far better design to be driven from a separate belt.

[steve singh]

Standard practice on the mk5 GTI - if the water pump fails you can kiss your engine good bye...

[Crafty_]

If the pump is driven by the cambelt when the old one is slackened and the new one tensioned it can disturb the seal between water pump & block, which then starts leaking, which means loosening cambelt to replace the pump.. No point in paying the labour twice.

[davepoth]

LeeMad said:

i had a waterpump go on an old escort runabout, luckily it only started leaking so i had enough warning to change that and the cam belt.
water pump its self is easy to change, its just that youve got to take the cambelt off in most instances

That's the reason - if the cambelt is off it's a couple of bolts to change the pump, if you have to change the pump at some other point it's essentially a cambelt change to get to it.

[4key]

Condi said:

I know its 'only' £30, but when Im only paying £120 or so for the cambelt its still another 25% which might not need paying.

That is effectively your answer. A cambelt is only £10ish, you are paying £110 for labour. Its a very good idea to change everything in that area to save paying another £110 labour charge for the sake of an extra £50 worth of parts.

Preventative maintenance.

[RizzoTheRat]

My water pump belt went (admittedly due to a fuel leak rather than just old age), jammed the pulley and threw the timing. £4500 for a new head as the valves managed to damage the guides too.

[WeirdNeville]

Condi said:

Ive never known a waterpump fail

That's because everyone changes them when the cam belt is done.

[The Black Flash]

Baryonyx said:

Consider something like my A8. The front end of the car comes off to get access to change the cambelt. There is also access to the waterpump at the same time. You have to take it to someone with the trolley to lift the front end off the car just to get the cambelt done, which is an expensive job in itself. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

Last time my A8 had the cambelt done (April 2012) it had the waterpump, thermostat and alternator belt changed too. Still cost over £1000 but with a considerable saving on labour.

A thousand quid to change 2 belts and a thermostat? Jeeeeesus.

[BFG TERRANO]

Mr_B said:

They don't need changing at every cam belt service of say 30K miles, but if you get to the third cam belt service at say 90k miles, I'd stick one in as its cheap insurance; you are just paying for the part, the labour is almost free as someone is in there doing the belt.

What needs a new belt at 30k? I thought 60 to 100k was more the norm?