The Hidden Dangers of Chain-Driven Water Pumps: A Cautionary Tale

The cost of replacing a chain-driven water pump can be astronomical, with some estimates ranging from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. And if that's not enough, many of these pumps are prone to failing catastrophically, causing irreparable damage to the engine and potentially even rendering it useless.

For example, consider an engine that breaks down on the highway at 60 miles per hour. If the water pump fails, the timing chain will fly off, causing the pistons to hit the valves. This is a classic case of an interference engine, where the consequences can be devastating. In such cases, the engine may need to be completely replaced, with associated repair costs running into thousands of dollars.

The problems with chain-driven water pumps are particularly evident in Ford's Duratec series 3.5 and 3.7 liter V6 engines. These vehicles have been plagued by a class-action lawsuit due to the faulty design, which has led to numerous reports of engine failure. In fact, some owners have reported hearing strange noises coming from under the hood, which are often indicative of a failing water pump.

One of the most significant problems with chain-driven water pumps is the tensioning mechanism that keeps them running smoothly. Many of these pumps rely on hydraulic tensioners to keep the chains tight, but over time, these tensioners can become worn out or corroded. This can cause the chains to vibrate or rattle, which in turn can put additional stress on the pump.

As a result, it's essential to check the water pump regularly and address any issues promptly. Running old coolant through the system for extended periods of time can also lead to premature wear and tear on the pump. In fact, many manufacturers recommend changing the coolant every five years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Another key factor in preventing water pump failure is regular maintenance. This includes checking the engine oil filter regularly, as a dirty filter can cause the chain-driven system to malfunction. Additionally, keeping an eye on the coolant levels and color is crucial, as a decrease in coolant levels or a noticeable change in color can indicate a problem with the water pump.

It's worth noting that some vehicle manufacturers have been accused of prioritizing cost savings over engine reliability. For example, the Subaru 2001 to present flat-six engine has been criticized for its chain-driven design, which is prone to failure due to wear and tear on the tensioners. Despite this, many owners are reluctant to replace their vehicles, often choosing instead to continue driving them until they reach an age where repairs become too expensive.

In conclusion, chain-driven water pumps can be a ticking time bomb in any engine. It's essential to stay vigilant and address any issues promptly to avoid costly repairs down the line. Whether you're a seasoned mechanic or a DIY enthusiast, it's crucial to take the time to inspect your vehicle regularly and perform maintenance tasks as needed.

**Recommended Maintenance Schedule:**

* Check coolant levels and color every 6 months

* Change engine oil filter every 5,000 miles

* Replace coolant every 5 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first

* Inspect water pump for signs of wear and tear every 12 months

By following these simple maintenance tips, you can help prevent costly repairs down the line. Remember, it's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your vehicle's health.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: entoday I'm gonna talk about a very bad car design your car might have and you don't even know about a timing chain driven water pump no water comes out pretty simple devices they pump water they pump water that's in the engine and they pump it through the radiator so can dissipate heat and that goes back any engine it's just a cycle of pumping it through taking heat from the edge anticipating that the radiator going back to the engine pretty simple right and they used to be built simple easy to replace take my 94 salka okay here's the water pump right here it's got a couple of belts on it you take the belts off you're on bolt this away you go it's all by itself has nothing to do with the timing belt inside here at all it's a simple reliable design I could change that one out in about half an hour nothing job if it goes bad no big deal you see it's outside if it breaks it would just fall off you don't want to change it before then but in and of itself it won't do any damage if the stupid thing breaks and even on its relatively modern Toyota Matrix where's the water pump it's right here front of the engine same thing you take the belt off take some bolts off off goes the water pump now this engine has a timing chain inside it the Selleck had a belt this is a timing chain but the water pumps independent of it so you don't care but of course in the engineers dream of making cars cheaper to build and more complex a lot of vehicles started to have timing belts that ran the water pump like in this Lexus known as v6 design and it's a timing belt and the water pump is inside here with the belt it runs off of the timing belt it's cheaper to make them that way so the timing belt runs to the water pump rubber timing belt fins around spins as a water pump this setup is still external to the engine and engine oil so if the pump breaks the belt would break the car wouldn't run anymore but this is a non-interference engine so it doesn't damage the engine and if the water pump breaks the coolant will leak out but the : will just leak on the ground you won't get inside the engine and mix with the engine oil but then the engineers want a little hog while one of the first users of timing chain driven water pumps was Nissan is in side the engine oil run by the timing chain the chain has to be lubricated with oil so that's sealed and it uses the engine oil salt on that design engine if the water pump breaks water mixes with the engine oil comes off the waters got to go somewhere on the older design it just leaks externally gets on the ground doesn't hurt the engine but if you get coolant mixed in with your engine oil that can quickly destroy your engine it's a very expensive job to replace the timing chain driven water pump because you got to take the front of the engine apart a lot of times you gotta change the timing chain itself and the pump it can easily go from one to three thousand dollars depending on the design of your car that you change the water pump yourself by mysel car that matrix if you're good mechanic you do it less than an hour at parts of my cars just 60 70 dollars but on these timing chain driven water pump systems who since it cost so much a lot of people don't do preventive maintenance the water pump starts to go out they don't change it and if it breaks loop can be catastrophic engine destruction so you might well ask why do they build them like that well coach course is cheaper to make them that way here are some engines that have that design that I would warn you about the Nissan VQ series v6 engines that are in 2001 to present a Nissan's and infinities the first time I ever worked on one of these what's in a Z car and I was like man what kind of an idiot design this car it's such an expense to change the water pump no I don't even hold water pump is a part that's gonna wear off it spins and eventually either the bearing that it spins on wears out or it has rubber seals to keep the coolant from getting out and eventually the rubber seals wear out then the coolant leaks through and the pump shot so eventually these things are gonna wear it if you got that design gonna cost you a fortune and if you don't fit it can destroy your engine cuz water and oil they get mixed up and your angel destroy the bearings your whole and you'll be toast now the next vehicle with these ridiculous timing chain bill water pumps are two Subarus almost every Subaru 6-cylinder boxer engine since 2000 has a timing chain in it that runs the water pump and it's the same thing isn't these signs up there water pump brakes get water in your oil goodbye engine and I don't want people in the past not to buy the Subaru six-cylinder engine anyway because the problems I have with noise wearing out blowing head gaskets hydraulic lifter where this is another reason not to buy him that water pump goes out cost a fortune to change you you don't fix it when it's rattling goodbye engine if it breaks off and throws coolant say you're going 60 miles an hour down a highway well if the water pump breaks of course then the timing chain will fly off too and then the pistons will hit the valves because it's an interference engine then it's destroyed no matter because if the water pump breaks in the timing chain doesn't work and you have an interference engine where the valves hit the Pistons you're going highway speed goodbye engine it's gonna smash the valves crack the head do all kinds of damage not just water damage that case that had broken a timing chain came off good bye engine and mainly good bye car - but perhaps the biggest problem of these chain driven water pumps occurs in the Ford Duratec series 3.5 and the 3.7 liter v6 engines that they use in tons of their vehicles there was a class-action suit against Ford for that spot recently a federal judge threw it out and didn't allow anybody to get compensation well now there's a shocker for you the federal judge siding with corporations I mean who didn't see that one coming well they can judge this all they want but the real judgement is it's a bad design shoulda never built them like that they don't care they're still building them that way and of course you find some of these problems with the Mazdas because some of them osdas used the Ford 3.7 liter engine so it's just a Ford engine before design now some of them are built in Hiroshima Japan but therefore design they got the same flaws so if you own one of these cars you good idea to pay attention to the old water pump you start to hear noise you start losing a little coolant you want to check that thing Ron toe because being chain driven out of these vehicles the chains are tension by hydraulic tensioner a lot of times those tensioners start to go bad you'll hear the chain rattling well guess what if the chain is rattling it's vibrating guess what that'll do the vibrating chain is what operates the water pump you know vibrate it now I've seen the water pumps break because of that you hear noises under one of those engines you fix it sooner than later don't wait and of course you want to prevent it from going bad make sure you have clean coolant follow whatever your coolant says if it's us to change it every five years change it every five years this particular one says guaranteed five years one hundred and fifty thousand miles so if you have one of these timing chain driven water pump vehicles change your cool and frequently every five years in most cases you can check to see what you have but five years is a pretty safe thing they last a lot longer than five years so if you change it every five years you're not gonna have any problems with it getting corroded it gets corroded guess what it can ruin the seals on the pump then water gets in on the bearings of the pump and the pump goes and your engine goes if it breaks off while you're driving it I want to lose and also change your engine oil filter frequently - that's what keeps the chain and then hydraulic tension or that's chain operated working correctly if they don't work right and they start flopping around that's gonna wear the pump out - it's not like the olden days I get myself uh well you can see the water pump right here and you can replace it very easily it's a very expensive thing you don't want it to go bad tell me I'm a cheapskate so I never buy a vehicle like that in the first place if I was thinking about getting the car and I saw gee it's got a chain driven water pump inside the engine off I wouldn't buy the car cuz I keep my cars fifteen twenty thirty years - three hundred thousand miles I don't want to deal with crap like that if a company in stall this money on research and development to have this chain-driven engine with a chain driven water pump it's gonna take a lot to move them away from that design because it would cost them too much to switch it back so you see like I say two Subarus 2001 to present a flat six is like that it's not gonna be changing cuz you don't like it they don't care they're making them cheaper and they're making them silly get better gas mileage AICPA stuff they don't care about the longevity in the long run they actually want the cars to break down when they get a little bit older so you buy another one but at least now prepare for the inevitable if you own one of those vehicles or if you don't own one tech Scotty's advice don't buy one so if you never want to miss another one of my new Chi repair videos remember to ring that Belltoday I'm gonna talk about a very bad car design your car might have and you don't even know about a timing chain driven water pump no water comes out pretty simple devices they pump water they pump water that's in the engine and they pump it through the radiator so can dissipate heat and that goes back any engine it's just a cycle of pumping it through taking heat from the edge anticipating that the radiator going back to the engine pretty simple right and they used to be built simple easy to replace take my 94 salka okay here's the water pump right here it's got a couple of belts on it you take the belts off you're on bolt this away you go it's all by itself has nothing to do with the timing belt inside here at all it's a simple reliable design I could change that one out in about half an hour nothing job if it goes bad no big deal you see it's outside if it breaks it would just fall off you don't want to change it before then but in and of itself it won't do any damage if the stupid thing breaks and even on its relatively modern Toyota Matrix where's the water pump it's right here front of the engine same thing you take the belt off take some bolts off off goes the water pump now this engine has a timing chain inside it the Selleck had a belt this is a timing chain but the water pumps independent of it so you don't care but of course in the engineers dream of making cars cheaper to build and more complex a lot of vehicles started to have timing belts that ran the water pump like in this Lexus known as v6 design and it's a timing belt and the water pump is inside here with the belt it runs off of the timing belt it's cheaper to make them that way so the timing belt runs to the water pump rubber timing belt fins around spins as a water pump this setup is still external to the engine and engine oil so if the pump breaks the belt would break the car wouldn't run anymore but this is a non-interference engine so it doesn't damage the engine and if the water pump breaks the coolant will leak out but the : will just leak on the ground you won't get inside the engine and mix with the engine oil but then the engineers want a little hog while one of the first users of timing chain driven water pumps was Nissan is in side the engine oil run by the timing chain the chain has to be lubricated with oil so that's sealed and it uses the engine oil salt on that design engine if the water pump breaks water mixes with the engine oil comes off the waters got to go somewhere on the older design it just leaks externally gets on the ground doesn't hurt the engine but if you get coolant mixed in with your engine oil that can quickly destroy your engine it's a very expensive job to replace the timing chain driven water pump because you got to take the front of the engine apart a lot of times you gotta change the timing chain itself and the pump it can easily go from one to three thousand dollars depending on the design of your car that you change the water pump yourself by mysel car that matrix if you're good mechanic you do it less than an hour at parts of my cars just 60 70 dollars but on these timing chain driven water pump systems who since it cost so much a lot of people don't do preventive maintenance the water pump starts to go out they don't change it and if it breaks loop can be catastrophic engine destruction so you might well ask why do they build them like that well coach course is cheaper to make them that way here are some engines that have that design that I would warn you about the Nissan VQ series v6 engines that are in 2001 to present a Nissan's and infinities the first time I ever worked on one of these what's in a Z car and I was like man what kind of an idiot design this car it's such an expense to change the water pump no I don't even hold water pump is a part that's gonna wear off it spins and eventually either the bearing that it spins on wears out or it has rubber seals to keep the coolant from getting out and eventually the rubber seals wear out then the coolant leaks through and the pump shot so eventually these things are gonna wear it if you got that design gonna cost you a fortune and if you don't fit it can destroy your engine cuz water and oil they get mixed up and your angel destroy the bearings your whole and you'll be toast now the next vehicle with these ridiculous timing chain bill water pumps are two Subarus almost every Subaru 6-cylinder boxer engine since 2000 has a timing chain in it that runs the water pump and it's the same thing isn't these signs up there water pump brakes get water in your oil goodbye engine and I don't want people in the past not to buy the Subaru six-cylinder engine anyway because the problems I have with noise wearing out blowing head gaskets hydraulic lifter where this is another reason not to buy him that water pump goes out cost a fortune to change you you don't fix it when it's rattling goodbye engine if it breaks off and throws coolant say you're going 60 miles an hour down a highway well if the water pump breaks of course then the timing chain will fly off too and then the pistons will hit the valves because it's an interference engine then it's destroyed no matter because if the water pump breaks in the timing chain doesn't work and you have an interference engine where the valves hit the Pistons you're going highway speed goodbye engine it's gonna smash the valves crack the head do all kinds of damage not just water damage that case that had broken a timing chain came off good bye engine and mainly good bye car - but perhaps the biggest problem of these chain driven water pumps occurs in the Ford Duratec series 3.5 and the 3.7 liter v6 engines that they use in tons of their vehicles there was a class-action suit against Ford for that spot recently a federal judge threw it out and didn't allow anybody to get compensation well now there's a shocker for you the federal judge siding with corporations I mean who didn't see that one coming well they can judge this all they want but the real judgement is it's a bad design shoulda never built them like that they don't care they're still building them that way and of course you find some of these problems with the Mazdas because some of them osdas used the Ford 3.7 liter engine so it's just a Ford engine before design now some of them are built in Hiroshima Japan but therefore design they got the same flaws so if you own one of these cars you good idea to pay attention to the old water pump you start to hear noise you start losing a little coolant you want to check that thing Ron toe because being chain driven out of these vehicles the chains are tension by hydraulic tensioner a lot of times those tensioners start to go bad you'll hear the chain rattling well guess what if the chain is rattling it's vibrating guess what that'll do the vibrating chain is what operates the water pump you know vibrate it now I've seen the water pumps break because of that you hear noises under one of those engines you fix it sooner than later don't wait and of course you want to prevent it from going bad make sure you have clean coolant follow whatever your coolant says if it's us to change it every five years change it every five years this particular one says guaranteed five years one hundred and fifty thousand miles so if you have one of these timing chain driven water pump vehicles change your cool and frequently every five years in most cases you can check to see what you have but five years is a pretty safe thing they last a lot longer than five years so if you change it every five years you're not gonna have any problems with it getting corroded it gets corroded guess what it can ruin the seals on the pump then water gets in on the bearings of the pump and the pump goes and your engine goes if it breaks off while you're driving it I want to lose and also change your engine oil filter frequently - that's what keeps the chain and then hydraulic tension or that's chain operated working correctly if they don't work right and they start flopping around that's gonna wear the pump out - it's not like the olden days I get myself uh well you can see the water pump right here and you can replace it very easily it's a very expensive thing you don't want it to go bad tell me I'm a cheapskate so I never buy a vehicle like that in the first place if I was thinking about getting the car and I saw gee it's got a chain driven water pump inside the engine off I wouldn't buy the car cuz I keep my cars fifteen twenty thirty years - three hundred thousand miles I don't want to deal with crap like that if a company in stall this money on research and development to have this chain-driven engine with a chain driven water pump it's gonna take a lot to move them away from that design because it would cost them too much to switch it back so you see like I say two Subarus 2001 to present a flat six is like that it's not gonna be changing cuz you don't like it they don't care they're making them cheaper and they're making them silly get better gas mileage AICPA stuff they don't care about the longevity in the long run they actually want the cars to break down when they get a little bit older so you buy another one but at least now prepare for the inevitable if you own one of those vehicles or if you don't own one tech Scotty's advice don't buy one so if you never want to miss another one of my new Chi repair videos remember to ring that Bell\n"