Help needed - Has your OE water pump failed?

[lotusflasherman]

Just want help making decisions ... would like to know if you've actually had an OE pump fail and if so at what age & mileage, or are you still running on the OE pump?

My first SE did almost 150k miles on the OE pump until the car was written off. Have a '91 SE with 53k miles but been on SORN for 5 years so needs a new cambelt so I bought a Gates kit from Rock Auto, not yet fitted, with water pump included as 'popular opinion' is to change the pump while doing the belt. It appears the water pump included is not actually designed for the M100 and has been modified - see this thread Page 2 -water pump - do they fail? and looks to be a pattern part from China.

I'm currently rebuilding my Subaru engine so was looking on Youtube and found this - Gates kit from Rock Auto - not what is says on the box.
Most Subaru owners will not fit pattern parts from China as they fail too quickly and last week I had the distraction of replacing a radiator in the kitchen that was only 18 months old because it sprung a leak halfway up due to a lump of slag in the steel. Cleaned off the nice shiny paint to consider welding it up and there was slag everywhere so just bought another (very probably another made from re-used steel from China too!)

So my dilemma is -
'Do I leave the OE water pump on?' (If it ain't broke don't fix it )
or
' Do I fit the nice shiny bit of junk from China?'

[HJ2]

In my opinion not everything from China is garbage any more. Those days are really behind us and you nowadays get some real good quality parts from China.
The challenge is how to distinguish the garbage from the quality! I am open to suggestions on that one as I am still searching and learning...
I would replace the pump btw...

[Rambo]

Phil - I've never had an OEM pump fail on any of the 3 Elan's I've owned

However, I have always changed the water pump for a RockAuto part ie Airtex when doing the cambelt change (x5) so other than that I can't comment

I've never heard of any other LEC owner who has had a blown or leaky OEM pump but I have heard of problems when they have been replaced with copy parts

[bbjon]

I had the bearing on what looked like the original water pump fail on mine last year at about 93000 miles. Having said that the car had been stood for a long time leading up to it which doesn't do anything any good.

The failure was vaguely progressive Monday - Fine, Tuesday - Drip, Wednesday - Niagra.

I guess I'd change the pump - It's mightly annoying having to strip everything off again after a recent belt change because the water-pump has failed (ask me how I know.....)

[Simon_P]

What does the WSM say?
It's only a bearing and a seal. If the bearing is OK and the seal doesn't leak there's nothing wrong.

[lotusflasherman]

What does the WSM say?
It's only a bearing and a seal. If the bearing is OK and the seal doesn't leak there's nothing wrong.

Agree with you on that. Manual is 'silent'. Not a Service Schedule change item so 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' applies...

I can understand the 'while you're in there to do the belt, change the pump as well' but if you can't get an OE pump are you creating unreliability ????
On a long Youtube vid' about a total rebuild of a Subaru E255 engine 'Subaru Master Mechanic, Mike Bauer', said "I've never known a Subaru waterpump fail but seen plenty of pattern pumps from China fail. Why people change them I don't know, it's just plain dumb" .... so thought I'd ask with reference to Elan as Rock Auto/Gates are supplying pumps from China. I'm thinking that junk from China may sit in the box on the shelf until the OE pump shows signs of leaking. Sod's Law says it won't because I have a spare ..

[Giniw]

If it really fails by ... seizing up, isn't there a risk that it breaks the belt itself?
I don't know if it's a realistic scenario though ...
(I need to change my cambelt on a another car and I don't know what to do now! )

[bbjon]

The water pump is unlikely to just seize up. When the bearing starts to fail you generally get movement in the impellor shaft and it springs a leak.
If the bearing gets worse the leak becomes a torrent and you get a horrible noise! By this time you will have decided to change the pump.
For it to seize it would probably have to get damn hot - and being a waterpump it's got decent cooling

[Giniw]

Thanks
It's sometimes hard not to be paranoid ...