How Much To Replace Water Pump? – (Cost And Why)

Water Pum plays an important role in our life. A lot of people don’t know how much it costs to replace a pump when it breaks down.

What Is A Water Pump?

The water pump is a crucial part of the engine cooling system in your car. Its job is to keep the engine coolant flowing through the radiator and engine. The radiator is connected to the water pump by a rubber hose, which is mounted to the front of the engine (where the drive belts are). The drive belt (such as the serpentine belt) or timing belt, depending on the make and model of your car, spins the water pump. Utilizing a metal or plastic impeller, its duty is to circulate the water.

The best option when replacing a water pump is to select a replacement that is as similar to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) as possible. Therefore, if the factory water pump in your car had a plastic impeller, you should replace it with a plastic impeller.

What Is The Cost Of Replacing The Water Pump

Depending on where you live, the car you drive, and the mechanic you select, you could spend anywhere between $300 and $700 replacing a water pump in your car. It costs not too much to buy the part. The primary cost factor is labor. This is a labor-intensive repair because the water pump is frequently buried and has to be accessed by removing other components.

Part: The cost of a water pump is typically between $50 and $100. Considering the component will last you 60,000–90,000 miles, it is surprisingly affordable.

Labor: As we’ve already mentioned, the most expensive part of replacing this particular part is the labor. You can expect to spend at least $200 but it may cost up to $650.

Why Replace A Water Pump?

Your car’s make and model will have a huge impact on how difficult a water pump replacement is. This is an intermediate-level repair for the majority of trucks and SUVs because it is simple to access the water pump and typically doesn’t necessitate the removal of many other parts. Due to the fact that cars can be more difficult to maneuver around, the water pump area. The timing belt must be taken off of many newer engines in order to replace the water pump, which is a complicated repair.

It is a good idea to perform a coolant flush if your water pump has catastrophically failed to make sure that any remaining impeller or bearing pieces have been flushed from the engine block.

What Occurs If The Water Pump Is Not Replaced?

It should be your top priority to replace your water pump if it starts to leak or start to malfunction. Inadequate water pump replacement can result in overheating, which can seriously harm an internal engine. In order to alert drivers of a potential overheating issue, the majority of modern vehicles will have a warning light (not a check engine light) if the engine temperature is too high. You should pull over as safely as you can to avoid any damage.

How Often Should The Water Pump Be Changed?

The water pump only needs to be replaced when it has failed or is about to fail, unlike worn items like brake pads or windshield wiper blades. Failures can range from minor leaks to more serious issues like broken bearings or impellers. Even though a freak mechanical malfunction is always possible, improper cooling system maintenance can cause your engine’s water pump or other parts to fail before they should. A water pump should last for well over 100,000 miles with routine coolant changes and flushes, serpentine belt replacements, and appropriate vehicle inspections.

Common Symptoms You Need To Replace A Water Pump

• Water pump leaking
• Engine overheating
• Noisy water pump

How Long Does It Take To Replace The Water Pump

Changing a water pump in a typical car will take two to three hours. The actual turnaround time will vary depending on the make and model of your car, which will determine where the water pump is located inside the car and which engine needs to be removed in order to access the part.

To sum up, a water pump is necessary for you to drive your car. Keep an eye out for warning signs that yours requires replacement.

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Related Maintenance Services

When you replace the water pump, the following services are frequently carried out:

Coolant flush

Thermostat replacement

Serpentine belt replacement

Timing belt replacement

Replace radiator/heater core hoses

Claim Your Custom Maintenance Schedule

Get the FIXD Sensor and free app right away for a personalized maintenance schedule based on your make, model, and mileage, and never forget an important maintenance appointment again with automated maintenance alerts! Set a reminder for a coolant change and/or flush to ensure that the water pump.

Your car’s water pump plays a crucial role in keeping the cooling system running smoothly and preventing engine overheating. Due to the warping of engine parts, engine overheating can result in serious problems. By giving your cooling system the attention it needs, these pricey repairs can be avoided.

The price to replace the water pump varies depending on the manufacturer of your car and the mechanic you choose. The overall cost ranges from $300 to $750. Usually, the component itself costs only $50 or $100. The labor hours themselves, whose cost varies from mechanic to mechanic, are what really drive up the price.

Similar to the timing belt, a vehicle’s water pump needs to be replaced every 60,000 to 90,000 miles. It makes sense to replace both of these components at the same time because, in some cars, the water pump is located behind the timing cover.

What Does The Water Pump Do?

The coolant pump should actually be called the water pump in reality. Your water pump shouldn’t only be circulating water! Never!! It should instead be circulating a mixture of 50% coolant and 50% distilled water, with slight variations depending on the climate you and your car live in. Where is the flow of this water coolant mixture occurring? Naturally, your radiator and engine.

Your vehicle’s engine heats up. The controlled gas explosions that are occurring under the hood start at 495 degrees Fahrenheit, and the burning temperatures are well above 1500 degrees, so trust me when I say they’re hot. The metal components of your engine block are simply not made of a material that can withstand that much heat, even in controlled doses at the low end of that temperature range (not much is).

An engine should be kept at a temperature of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You get excellent combustion in the cylinders at this temperature thanks to the oil’s excellent flow. The question is, how do we make those numbers apply to the engine components that are most near where the collisions are occurring?

So the brainiacs who invented the modern car cooling system came up with a solution.

When the engine is at the operating temperature, the water pump forces the coolant fluid out of the radiator and into the front of the engine, around the cylinders. This is how the typical coolant system operates, and there is little to no variation in this across vehicles. From there, it will enter the head, where it will cool the valves. Once again being cooled down by the airflow produced by your moving vehicle, it then exits the cylinder head and travels to the radiator to be recycled and put back to use.

In the engine, there is a thermometer, which is essentially a temperature-controlled valve that reads the temperature and opens and closes a gauge, opening more when the engine is hotter to allow coolant to flow. Your thermometer will indicate that the gauge is closed when the engine is cold because we want the vehicle to reach operating temperatures, where gas is burned most efficiently, and as soon as possible.

The water pump that comes with most cars is strong! It can finish emptying a small swimming pool in under an hour. This corresponds to 20 complete coolant circulations per minute in your car!

A Tid Bit On Engine Coolant

I understand what you’re thinking: how could any substance come into contact with a heated surface of that high temperature and not boil?” When a liquid boils, it can no longer accept heat transfer, so it is unable to cool anything down. Therefore, a liquid that is boiling would be disastrous in a cooling system. Before the engine overheats, a frozen coolant is likely to destroy the water pump.

The chemical ethylene glycol, which is used to make antifreeze, is the secret ingredient in the coolant. For a liquid, this chemical has a few really unusual characteristics. With a boiling point of 386.6 degrees Fahrenheit, it has a very high boiling point and a relatively low freezing point of 8 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the perfect coolant to use because of this.

Replacing The Water Pump

A difficult process may be involved in replacing an old water pump with a new one. This is due to the fact that a large number of engine block components must be eliminated in order to access the pump. Due to the need to disassemble the engine, this repair is typically done in conjunction with another maintenance task, such as replacing an engine belt.

This is a great way to cut labor costs and labor hours. The engine block must be taken apart and put back together, which requires a lot of time, effort, and knowledge. The parts themselves are fairly simple to replace.

What Are The Signs Of A Bad Water Pump

So how do you know when to replace the water pump if it is so tucked away and hidden in your engine block that it is challenging to do so? The water pump should last between 60,000 and 90,000 miles, as we’ve already discussed.

Thankfully, there are some clear indications that the water pump is malfunctioning. If your water pump is within the previously mentioned expiration range, keep an eye out for these six signs.

1. Poor coolant circulation: The water pump is in charge of transferring engine coolant through your radiator and engine block, stealing heat from those hot engine components, and preventing warping brought on by overheating, as we’ve already discussed. The engine will start to overheat slowly at first if the coolant is not circulated properly.
2. Steam: Your car is probably running too hot if your engine is smoking or steaming. The internal parts of your engine block have probably already sustained some damage by this time. When this occurs, you must stop right away, turn off your vehicle, and avoid further damage. Before opening the hood, make sure your engine has completely cooled down. Expect some pricey repairs and call a tow truck.
3. Whining noises: If you hear whining coming from your engine block, the water pump belt may be damaged or loose. It could have a high-pitched whine or squeal or it could sound like a harmonic buzz. On the other hand, a growling or grinding sound indicates faulty bearings. In any case, a mechanic should identify and fix all of these problems.
4. Engine Overheating: Engine overheating is the most frequent negative side effect of a bad water pump. Your engine can’t efficiently release the heat it builds up without engine coolant being pumped through the system. To prevent heat warping, have your car towed to a reputable mechanic so that the problem can be quickly diagnosed. No matter what, don’t start the car.
5. Leaking: similar to what you read on our gunk “tell”, leaking is going to be the same issue, but more severe to the point that you are getting pools of fluid under your car. This fluid, in contrast to AC condensation and dripping, will either be orange or green depending on the type of coolant your car uses. Take your car in as soon as you can if you notice this problem. Please exercise caution and help clean up the mess because engine coolant is toxic to both humans and animals.
6. Gunk: You most likely have a leak if you can clearly see dried-up gunk engine coolant under your hood. You still want a mechanic to look it over even if the leak is slow and only a small amount of engine coolant is getting onto the floor.

Do you understand how much cost and how to deal with this problem with the water pump?