300tdi Water Pump

[KeithMac]

I just had a water pump on my Defender go out again. This is the second one in 12 months. So, I’m wondering, has anyone re-condition one of these pumps. Clearly some of the bought ones are less than perfect. I am thinking it shouldn’t be too hard.
Let me now if you have done this, or what you think it would take. I now have 2 used ones to play with.

[whyatts]

Not sure about reco but have you tried a genuine part? We fit 1-2 of these to 300’s every month and have not had any early failures.

[donh54]

Couple of years since I did mine, but I'm sure Mario reckoned that there were some rather dodgy ones available.
Another case where saving a few bucks on the buy price can cause you grief later on.

[loanrangie]

Not worth the effort for $70.

[KeithMac]

Not worth the effort for $70.

I kinda agree but something inside of me quakes at having 2 broken ones that I think SHOULD be able to be fixed. Know what I mean?

[donh54]

Fixed the one on my old Austin Loadstar truck yonks back, by drilling and tapping a grease nipple into the neck. One pump with a grease gun every morning, no more weeping!

[bee utey]

I can tell you now that I have repaired quite a few water pumps, mainly P76 V8 ones plus a smattering of other types. The big problem is the cost and quality of replacement bearings and seals. It's not much good worrying about the cost of a pump when the bits cost more than the whole pump. The seals I currently use are $45 each, high temperature 5/8" water pump seals with ceramic contact rings. Some modern pumps are simply not fixable as the seals are designed to be installed at the factory and are not able to be replaced separately.

Another example is the 300TDi front timing cover fan bearing. The Ford pump that has the donor bearing fitted is cheaper to buy complete than a loose bearing. As a bonus you get a drive flange that fits with a little modification. Every annual scrap run has a couple of cut open Ford water pump housings in it.