Pootie Tang
Member
Thanks. I can't tell which way is which. If you are sitting in the driver's seat, which side of the car is the water pump on?
Water pump!!!!
- Thread starter MAZDAROGER
- Start date
Water pump is on the passenger side of the 9 and should be the same with the explorer. My thing is they tore down the engine without removing it from the car and you can see the water pump in the pic. Is this only possible with the explorer or can the same be done to the 9? If so then it would only require the engine to be lifted maybe 6 inches to access the water pump. Also then the labor should not be more than 8 hrs and that is stretching it.
Pootie Tang
Member
Are you posting pictures of an Explorer or a CX-9 job?
swedishfella
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazda CX-9 GT
I had my water pump replaced a few weeks ago in the 9. I don't think theres any way they could have done it without pulling the engine. I went and checked it out when it was all torn apart. There were parts everywhere. Its pretty tight on that side of the engine bay. It would probably take twice as long to try to fight with every part while leaving the engine in tact. The dealership has so many tools and resources so an engine pull is not that time consuming. I think they quoted around 11 or 12 hours to do the whole job. They also replaced a coolant pipe that runs down the valley of the V6. That pipe was leaking profusely. All in all it turned out to be an $1800 bill for everything.
Pootie tang, the picture I posted was of a ford explorer being torn down for the water pump. It looks from the pictures like it is on the passenger side just like the cx-9. That is why I am asking if the same process or procedure can be applied to the cx-9? The reason I am asking this is when they were working on my 9 for the water pump, it took them almost 3 weeks to give me the car back. When they did start working on the 9 I got a call from them pretty quick that they were done. It was like maybe 8 or 9 hours later which I was kind of shocked being that this repair was supposed to take 11-12 hours.
I'm doing a timing chain and water pump replacement on my 2011 CX-9. I just got the timing cover off today, it wasn't easy, but so far I haven't seen the need to pull the engine. If this proves successful, I'll put together a DIY with pics since this seems to be a very expensive repair if the dealer does it. I've done a lot of research on common fail components for the 3.7L engine, so I'm doing the chain, tensioner, water pump, and both Variable Valve Timing (VVT) actuators (right bank and left bank). I wouldn't want to have to do the tear down again any time soon.
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astriuminc
Member
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- CX-9 2013 AWD
I'm starting to worry about the water pump, thinking I should be proactive and get it replaced before it fails, it looks like it can be done without lifting the engine but it is not for the faint of heart or for anyone who has never done it before, even a pro like the one in the videos below is nervous about doing it !! Video shows a Ford Flex, but it's the same engine as CX-9 also same as Ford Edge, Explorer. Now understanding more after watching the videos, it's not so much the mechanicals of the water pump BUT the seal itself between the water pump spindle seal and the engine block. If the seal fails, coolant leaks in.
Ford is insane making it so hard to replace a water pump. After seeing the video, now I understand how coolant can get into the engine block, one little faulty seal or bushing at the pump can inject pressurized coolant into the engine block !! and to top it off Ford has the pump running off the timing chain ??? WTF ! this CX-9 is a Ford in disguise, wish I had known about this, I would never have bought this car. oh well, live and learn.
word of advice: do a quick check of your coolant level now, if it's between H and L marks, you're good, if it's below L the coolant maybe leaking into the engine block thru the water pump seal. I would check the engine oil with the dipstick to see if there a "milky" consistency to it, if there is, you've got coolant leaking into your engine.
offtopic: the first section of the part 1 video is good for those of you wanting to replace spark plugs, it shows how to take off the intake plenum by the firewall to access the three rear spark plugs.
here's some wacko that made a Hollywood type trailer production of a failed CX-9 water pump,
but it gives you idea of the damage that is done:
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F*** !!! my coolant level keeps dropping but there's no obvious leak in my driveway, I suspect I have a bad water pump seal and coolant is leaking into engine. I placed a black tape to reference coolant line and check every morning when cold, and each time the line keeps dropping, NOT A LOT, but noticeable like 1/8" every day like a slow drip each time I drive. Strange thing is car still runs normal. 78,000 on odometer, this sucks, might have to start thinking about trading this POS in and look at new CX-9. Hopefully, trade in estimator won't look too much into engine and car will hopefully run fine during estimator test drive.
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SOLD ! it was definitely a coolant leak into the engine, had to get rid of it , was looking at a engine rebuilt with $2500 bill minimum,
took it in and estimator gave me a fair price of $16K @ 78,000 miles, now it's Mazda's problem again for making a subpar design , estimator didn't catch the coolant problem but I'm sure they will once they go thru the all points inspections and do the oil change before they try to resell it. I wish I can see there face when they do the oil change and it's a milkshake consistency that drips out when they remove the drain plug.
took it in and estimator gave me a fair price of $16K @ 78,000 miles, now it's Mazda's problem again for making a subpar design , estimator didn't catch the coolant problem but I'm sure they will once they go thru the all points inspections and do the oil change before they try to resell it. I wish I can see there face when they do the oil change and it's a milkshake consistency that drips out when they remove the drain plug.
astriuminc
Member
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- CX-9 2013 AWD
this is becoming a freaking nightmare, now I'm all worried about a catastrophic water pump failure, I went to an independent shop to get a quote on replacing the water pump, I'm at >80,000 miles and so far my coolant level looks ok *keeping fingers crossed and knock on wood* , but I want to get that water pump replaced anyway with a new one, got quoted for $2000 parts and labor. Anyone else get the water pump replacement quoted ? I saw the videos to see what was involved and I don't have the resources at my disposal to do the job myself.
when I google, this seems to be a common issue with Ford Duratec 3.5 and 3.7 engines because the water pump is mounted right inside the engine's timing belt cavity.
I feel for this family, happened to them while on a road trip while in the middle of the desert, with no warning whatsoever:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/water-pump-failure-leads-to-dead-engine.424482/
when I google, this seems to be a common issue with Ford Duratec 3.5 and 3.7 engines because the water pump is mounted right inside the engine's timing belt cavity.
I feel for this family, happened to them while on a road trip while in the middle of the desert, with no warning whatsoever:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/water-pump-failure-leads-to-dead-engine.424482/
Repair pal has the estimate at between 1184 to 1489 dollars. They also will show you a lists of shops honoring the repairpal estimate. This is a lot less than the 2 thousand dollars that you was quoted. I see that you are in ny as well. It might be cheaper depending where you are at in the state. The estimate is for nyc zipcode 10010
I just pulled out the old water pump, so it can be done without removing the engine from the car. While i'm in there, I'm also replacing both VVT Actuators since they are easy to do at this point.
astriuminc
Member
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- CX-9 2013 AWD
Nice ! this is good news, how does it look ? no leaks I hope.........
just curious, how many hours to get to this point of removing the pump itself ?
It looks good. Having the service manual (in pdf) helped so I had all the torque specs and order for tightening sequence. I haven't gotten everything back together yet, but I did replace the water pump, both VVT actuators, the primary chain, tensioner, and guides. I had some parts drama, which slowed me down some. the water pump I got from Napa did not mesh with the chain, it was the wrong sprocket. The Mazda dealer did not stock it, but I checked with Ford (since it is a Ford engine) and cross-referenced the part number on the old water pump and they had one in stock, so I'm OEM with everything now. I should have it together tomorrow so I can test it out and make sure there are no issues. I was very careful with the timing marks on the cams, the VVT, and the crank (lots of alignment needed with DOHC set-up). I feel good about the timing mark alignments, so I do not expect any issues. In terms of time, I think if it is your first time doing this particular repair on this particular car, I would plan for a full day for tear-down and another full day for reassembly. I think it could be done quicker, but there is always a learning curve and lots of stopping to check instructions, etc. Keep in mind I did the VVT actuators as well, which contributes to the length of the repair. I learned a lot and will work on putting together a DIY for anyone else that feels up to the task on this one.
For just the water pump and primary chain replacement, there is not much needed in the way of specialty tools. I did need special tools for replacing the VVT actuators though because you have to lock down the camshafts when removing the VVT actuator, it is really torqued down tight, but a breaker bar or cheater pipe will do it. It also took a T55 torx socket bit to remove the bolt, but that is a cheap buy at Autozone. Removing the crankshaft pulley requires a puller, but you can get the free rental at Autozone for that as well. I'm willing to share tools, but would require a deposit for the cost of the tools and reimbursement for whatever the shipping would come out to be.
douchbaggery
Member
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- Mazda CX-9
Which side of the engine is this on? I heard the pump is between the engine and tranny, which seems can't be true... ?
douchbaggery
Member
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- Mazda CX-9
No. Its been fine. I'm just wondering how common this is and if I should replace it? I have 168,000 miles on my 08 CX9. Cooland doesn't leak it seems, and nothing in the crankcase but oil, so far so good. I'm kinda thinking to leave it alone, as its been fine. But seems once its bad, its too late and engine is trashed right?
If the hose though is prone to failure then I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and do it, what do you guys think?
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