Sudden Catastrophic Water Pump Failure

[Rick#7]

With as many cars as I've owned over the years, I'm no stranger to water pumps failing, however, this was a 1st for me. In the past, I always had some warning like water leaking from the seep hole, bearing noise, or a gradual loss of coolant even though there was no leak in the radiator. That was the case with my previous 2 Mustangs which both had the 3.7 V6. When they topped 100k, I had to start adding water to the radiator. At first just a cup or 2 per month, but after a year and another 25k it was more like a cup per week and a clear sign a new pump was in order.

This time, I have only 70k on the car. I was an hour into a 3 hour drive home after visiting friends and family for Thanksgiving, and with no prior indication of any problem, doing 70 mph on the interstate I hear a fluttering noise similar to a plastic bag flapping in wind. A few minutes later, I detect a faint smell of antifreeze. About 10-15 minutes after that the temp gauge starts climbing.

Luckily, my brother has a flatbed trailer, and was kind enough to drive an hour to get me, then tow my car the rest of the way home so I could work on it in my own garage. All in all, I was fortunate how things turned out, but the sudden failure was new to me. Now I just have to convince my girlfriend the car is good enough for the next road trip in 4 days! LOL

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[Crew4991]

The water pumps are a well documented failure part on the v6 engine. V8 and ecoboost engine owners have also complained about it but not to the extent of the 3.7 engine for some reason. Get that water pump replaced and you should be set.
Safe travels on your next road trip.

 

[Rick#7]

I managed to get over 100k on both my V6 mustangs before any water pump issues (or any issues other than a battery for that matter). Even then, the cars never left me stranded, as long as I kept refilling the water, the engine would keep going without overheating. However, my current car is a GT, and I was thinking I had at least another 30,000 mi before any issues would come up that could potentially strand me on the road.

In this case, when the water pump went it took the serpentine belt with it since the bearings in the water pump shot out and the pulley was wobbling all over the place. As a matter of common practice, I replaced the thermostat and o-rings in the hoses while everything was apart. With all of that done, I'm hoping nothing else comes up that could sideline the car during a trip.

 

[WayneK]

Just curious. How often do you replace the system coolant?

 

[Rick#7]

I usually try to get it replaced between 50-60k miles, however being completely honest I hadn't done it yet on this car. This past year has been particularly hectic and challenging, starting with getting side swiped last Dec which caused $8k in damage, my house being flooded during hurricane Helene, and a number of smaller emergencies in between, but that's no excuse for slacking on routine maintenance, I should've got it done.

 

[WayneK]

Sorry to hear about all your calamities. I can appreciate your priorities. Coolants contain lubricants that need to be replaced over time. I also believe that water pumps and other parts in todays new vehicles may be inferior to ones that were used on older vehicles when they were new. I personally try to replace fluid prior to the recommended intervals because of this assumption.

 

[Garfy]

I usually try to get it replaced between 50-60k miles, however being completely honest I hadn't done it yet on this car. This past year has been particularly hectic and challenging, starting with getting side swiped last Dec which caused $8k in damage, my house being flooded during hurricane Helene, and a number of smaller emergencies in between, but that's no excuse for slacking on routine maintenance, I should've got it done.

Yeah, coolant should be replaced not merely by mileage but by time as well; if this is the 2015 GT in your account description, that's 9 years which is too long to go without a coolant change. I'll be doing mine in the spring as it's 4 years old already, though very, very low mileage (coolant test strips still showed it's ok but I don't want to take any chances).

 

[Partock]

Get other things done while you're in there. Maybe the oil pump. Mine was running rough and found out my cam phasers were bad. Had that, chains, guides done and while they were in there, new oil and water pump. Preventative measures. If you plan on keeping it, it might be worth investing a little more while you're at it.

 

[Racin4ds]

Just went to Orlando with my daughter to by her '17 GT with 90k miles on it off the lot, water pump started making noise 15 mins into the 2 hour ride home. It made it to my house but was shot and had tons of wobble by then. My 2015 has 127k on it and still the OEM water pump...

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