waterpump OEM or aftermaket

[h20cooled7]

I have 2 friends that are retired porsche techs, they swear by OEM waterpumps and Im a firm supporter of OEM parts, but they are thrifty! Is there a decent aftermarket waterpump for 944s that will not put me in the red and be reliable?

[dgcantrell]

I hate spending 3 to 5 times as much for a water pump than they should cost. I went non-OEM on the waterpump I just put on the 88 S I'm working on. We shall see how long it lasts.

[v2rocket_aka944]

I've never had an issue on aftermarket new or OEM rebuilt pumps on the 944.
The water pump is easy enough to change that I'd rather spend $100 than $600 on one, and replace it sooner if I have to.

[campbelljj]

Zims http://www.***********/index.html

[John_AZ]

^^

Z's now push URO pumps. Post 9. Long time craftsman rebuilder is gone.
Waterpump lifespan

Until proven for a loooooooong time, I'll pass on a URO.

Now my choice would be a new, not rebuilt, GEBA, German made. Shop around.
GEBA-Autoteile GmbH: GEBA

LASO? Undecided.

J_AZ

[h20cooled7]

What if they are tensioned correctly will you get more life out of them.

[v2rocket_aka944]

Originally Posted by John_AZ

^^

Z's now push URO pumps. Post 9. Long time craftsman rebuilder is gone.
Waterpump lifespan

Until proven for a loooooooong time, I'll pass on a URO.

Stay tuned for the next 5-6 years lol...
The next engine I put together will be made non-interference and I intend to do an endurance test of the TB and water pump.

i intend to modify the belt tensioner to hydraulic "dynamic" style sort of like the 968 had. the 968 belt change interval was upped to 60000 miles with the new tensioner.
and the waterpump fails because the bearing wears out due to belt tension...so maybe an auto-adjusting TB will make the pump live longer.

i will be using whatever Zims is selling at the time of assembly, hopefully in coming months.

[djnolan]

How do you determine if the WP seal is leaking? I pressure tested my cooling system, and several hose clamps were leaking, but even after tightening up, there was still pressure loss and no visible fluid leak. All I could think of was WP seal, head gasket, air pockets, that could be causing this...

[v2rocket_aka944]

you sure the coolant overflow "vent" hose wasn't leaking out your pressure

[dgcantrell]

The cap on the reservoir tank is only rated for about 15PSI. Anything higher and it's going to puke it out the overflow. If the system holds pressure at 14-15PSI it should be ok. A good way to tell if the water pump is leaking is to look for coolant leaks around the front of the engine behind the timing belt cover. Or just take the covers off and inspect.

[djnolan]

I don"t think it was the overflow tube, as I was using the rubber stopper attachment and it is also a new coolant tank.

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by dgcantrell

The cap on the reservoir tank is only rated for about 15PSI. Anything higher and it's going to puke it out the overflow. If the system holds pressure at 14-15PSI it should be ok. A good way to tell if the water pump is leaking is to look for coolant leaks around the front of the engine behind the timing belt cover. Or just take the covers off and inspect.

Early cars use a radiator cap with a KPA 110 rating or 15 pounds.

Late cars-'87 on, use a radiator cap with a KPA 150 rating or 21 pounds.

J_AZ

[dgcantrell]

Hmm.... I might have the wrong cap on my car. I'll have to check it. Mine is an 87. I've been having slight temp issues and a little coolant loss for a while. nothing major but if the cap is not hold the pressure, that would explain it.

[djnolan]

Originally Posted by dgcantrell

A good way to tell if the water pump is leaking is to look for coolant leaks around the front of the engine behind the timing belt cover. Or just take the covers off and inspect.

Do you have to remove the covers or are there drain holes?

[dgcantrell]

No drain holes but the covers don't "seal" the front of the engine. They just keep small things like gravel and other items from getting in there and possibly cause a belt issue. You should be able to take off the air deflector cover off the bottom of the engine and inspect. If there is any coolant pooled on the bottom air deflector, it could indicate a water pump leak.

[djnolan]

Thanks, there wasn't any coolant coming out of the belt cover. What else could cause the loss in pressure?

[h20cooled7]

Soooooo I should be safe with Zims reman?

[WizPorsche944]

GEBA or LASO what is OEM ?

[944tothefloor]

I would have gone with Zim's until John informed us they sell URO now. I bought a reman'd one from them 4-5 years ago and it looked new one I got it. Still going strong today after about 13k miles. URO? ridiculous. I don't know anything about that brand.

So, I would look into a reman Porsche unit - not buy it yet, but look into it, if I were you. You can get it here on pelican and it comes with some parts. Looks nice, too.
This is a link for a 1986 updated turbo pump.

Water Pump 951106921X - Genuine PORSCHE - Genuine PORSCHE - 951-106-921-X-M100 | Pelican Parts

[dgcantrell]

I bought a re-man unit (I think from Zims) back in 2000 or so for my 87. Not had a problem with it at all. I think the OEM units are made by GEBA though. My only experience with URO stuff is the crappy DME relay I bought off an Ebay vendor. It lasted every bit of 6 months. I took it apart to inspect and the thing was half-assed assembled. One of the relay elements wasn't even fully seated in the circuit board before it was soldered.

Djnolan, do you smell any antifreeze smell from the exhaust, especially when you first crank the car? If so, you have definitely got a leaky head gasket (more likely) or possible cracked head. Is your car running hot?