A Ford Explorer water pump can cost you thousands.

[petro]

A friend of ours found themselves in a dilemma that for most folks is a few hundred dollar repair, even cheaper for the weekend mechanic.
Their water pump failed on a 2016 Ford Explorer with the V6.
Apparently the engineering geniuses at Ford decided to tie their water pump internally in the engine to the timing chain.
Cheapest quote so far is 3,500 to 4,000 with 11 hours work required to literally pull apart half the damn engine.
Here is a partial video of the nightmare...


Saw a news story when looking it up and there is a class action lawsuit against Ford as most consumers are shell shocked by the expense of an obviously horseshit design.
I could easily do a waterpump on my Jeep. But sure as hell wouldn't take on this nightmare.




Anyone have a Ford that had this issue?
I would be livid.

 

[Deplorable Yankee]

That's nuts!
Anyone who has one should sell it fast

 

[ABikerSailor]

I don't have a Ford, but I do know of several different models of cars that put stuff in some of the most difficult places. My old roomie had a PT Cruiser, and to change the spark plugs meant you had to take off the top part of the engine to get to it.

My fiancee's Nissan Versa Note has kind of the same issue. In order to get to the spark plugs, you have to take off a whole bunch of stuff (one of them being the air box) just to get to them, and it's a lot of work.

My 2008 Civic that I just bought? Simple............all you have to do is disconnect the ignition coils and pull them off (1 clip and 1 bolt/nut each, 4 total) and you can easily get to the plugs to change them. I'm happy I bought that car, because it's got a lot of the modern stuff, but it's not so modern that it's hard to work on, and other than oil/transmission fluid changes, and spark plugs every 100,000, it's a pretty good auto if you take care of it. The previous owner did, and damn thing looks almost brand new. Best part? I got it with new tires for only around 4,000. Had to change out the A/C compressor 3 months after I got it, but that only cost me around 570.00.

 

[White 6]

A friend of ours found themselves in a dilemma that for most folks is a few hundred dollar repair, even cheaper for the weekend mechanic.
Their water pump failed on a 2016 Ford Explorer with the V6.
Apparently the engineering geniuses at Ford decided to tie their water pump internally in the engine to the timing chain.
Cheapest quote so far is 3,500 to 4,000 with 11 hours work required to literally pull apart half the damn engine.
Here is a partial video of the nightmare...


Saw a news story when looking it up and there is a class action lawsuit against Ford as most consumers are shell shocked by the expense of an obviously horseshit design.
I could easily do a waterpump on my Jeep. But sure as hell wouldn't take on this nightmare.




Anyone have a Ford that had this issue?
I would be livid.

That is the same engine in the 2002 V6. It has 2 timing chains or belts, one in front, one in the rear and same kind of quote to repair, because you had to pull the engine to do the job. My daughter's went out. We let it sit for a few months, while she drove one of my vehicle, then put out feelers for an engine, instead. I found a great mechanic at Hwy 70 wrecker in Jackson, when I had an upper and lower ball joint problem on my Jeep. He found rebuilt in Florida, quoted me installed and warranted for $2,800, installed, complete and out the door with him sending back the old one. It was and is perfect, sounds perfect, runs perfect. When it came in on a pallet, it looked factory fresh. He's not the fastest, but when he is done, it's right.

 

[petro]

My Jeep has a crappy design issue in the duel climate control.
There are several small motors that turn the blend doors with cheap plastic gears that snap after some time causing one side to blow either hot air when using AC or cold air when using heat because the blend door gets stuck.
Had to do both sides myself a year apart taking half the damn dash off to replace these stupid gears. Now a year later another has snapped.

Have the dealer do it for 1,200?

Yeah...No, screw that, going to rip it apart before winter again.

Modern vehicles have far too many expensive failure points with all the unnecessary crap added to overcomplicate them.

 

[Moonglow]

That is the same engine in the 2002 V6. It has 2 timing chains or belts, one in front, one in the rear and same kind of quote to repair, because you had to pull the engine to do the job. My daughter's went out. We let it sit for a few months, while she drove one of my vehicle, then put out feelers for an engine, instead. I found a great mechanic at Hwy 70 wrecker in Jackson, when I had an upper and lower ball joint problem on my Jeep. He found rebuilt in Florida, quoted me installed and warranted for $2,800, installed, complete and out the door with him sending back the old one. It was and is perfect, sounds perfect, runs perfect. When it came in on a pallet, it looked factory fresh. He's not the fastest, but when he is done, it's right.

I have to get a new engine fer my F150 it has two fire chambers that are compromised with oil...

 

[petro]

My nightmare a couple years ago with my Grand Cherokee.
Easier to just put the thread link here.

Own a 2011-2015 5.7 Hemi? You might want to read this.

Start off with one day at drive thru noticed a loud tick and realized it was my Jeep. Next day MIL light comes on. Stop at auto parts store and read code. P0303, Third cylinder misfire. Single cylinder code. Try the basics, new coil pack a couple plugs. Code back to #3. Move on to the injectors...

www.usmessageboard.com

 

[Natural Citizen]

Yeah, that's dumb.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Modern vehicles have far too many expensive failure points with all the unnecessary crap added to overcomplicate them.

Unfortunately, car designers decided to overcomplicate things because consumers wanted more and more conveniences and luxuries in their automobiles.

Like I said, my used 2008 Civic that I just got is a nice balance of new stuff without being too complicated to work on myself. And, I'm also happy about the year, because before 2008, they had switched from timing chains to timing belts, as they thought they would be easier to work on, but the belts would break on occasion, tearing the whole engine apart. Around 2008 is when they decided to put the timing chains back in to make them reliable again. You can tell the difference on the engine, because if it has a plastic cover over the timing, it's a belt. If it has a metal housing, it's a chain. And, the chains only need to be checked/adjusted every 150 to 200 thousand miles or so. If the chain starts to get out of adjustment, it will start making a funny noise, and that is when you know you need to see a mechanic. But even then, because they are small engines that are fairly easy to work on, the labor costs won't kill you.

 

[petro]

Yeah, that's dumb.

Literally never heard of an internal chain driven water pump until today.

One really has to research problems on particular newer vehicles before buying.

Latest thing at least in Twin Cities is thefts of KIA's and Hyundai's because of a design flaw in the steering column making them the easiest vehicles to steal.

St. Paul PD: Kia thefts up 1,300%, Hyundai thefts up 584% in 2022

A deadly crash in St. Paul is shining a light on a growing problem both in the Metro and nationwide: the thefts of Kias and Hyundais.

www.fox9.com

 

[petro]

Unfortunately, car designers decided to overcomplicate things because consumers wanted more and more conveniences and luxuries in their automobiles.

Like I said, my used 2008 Civic that I just got is a nice balance of new stuff without being too complicated to work on myself. And, I'm also happy about the year, because before 2008, they had switched from timing chains to timing belts, as they thought they would be easier to work on, but the belts would break on occasion, tearing the whole engine apart. Around 2008 is when they decided to put the timing chains back in to make them reliable again. You can tell the difference on the engine, because if it has a plastic cover over the timing, it's a belt. If it has a metal housing, it's a chain. And, the chains only need to be checked/adjusted every 150 to 200 thousand miles or so. If the chain starts to get out of adjustment, it will start making a funny noise, and that is when you know you need to see a mechanic. But even then, because they are small engines that are fairly easy to work on, the labor costs won't kill you.

Oh yeah.
Had that timing belt issue on a piece of crap Hyundai years ago that I always regretted buying.
Fixed the engine then tranny failed six months later.

Went straight to the junk heap after that.

 

[westwall]

That is the same engine in the 2002 V6. It has 2 timing chains or belts, one in front, one in the rear and same kind of quote to repair, because you had to pull the engine to do the job. My daughter's went out. We let it sit for a few months, while she drove one of my vehicle, then put out feelers for an engine, instead. I found a great mechanic at Hwy 70 wrecker in Jackson, when I had an upper and lower ball joint problem on my Jeep. He found rebuilt in Florida, quoted me installed and warranted for $2,800, installed, complete and out the door with him sending back the old one. It was and is perfect, sounds perfect, runs perfect. When it came in on a pallet, it looked factory fresh. He's not the fastest, but when he is done, it's right.

I would have found a better engine and swapped for that. These days there are bound to be better units that could slot in.

 

[Natural Citizen]

Literally never heard of an internal chain driven water pump until today.

One really has to research problems on particular newer vehicles before buying.

Latest thing at least in Twin Cities is thefts of KIA's and Hyundai's because of a design flaw in the steering column making them the easiest vehicles to steal.

St. Paul PD: Kia thefts up 1,300%, Hyundai thefts up 584% in 2022

A deadly crash in St. Paul is shining a light on a growing problem both in the Metro and nationwide: the thefts of Kias and Hyundais.

www.fox9.com

Me either. Not that I remember anyway.

Not sure I'd wanna steal a KIA or a Hyundai, if I were a thief.

They must be steaing them just to steal.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

A friend of ours found themselves in a dilemma that for most folks is a few hundred dollar repair, even cheaper for the weekend mechanic.
Their water pump failed on a 2016 Ford Explorer with the V6.
Apparently the engineering geniuses at Ford decided to tie their water pump internally in the engine to the timing chain.
Cheapest quote so far is 3,500 to 4,000 with 11 hours work required to literally pull apart half the damn engine.
Here is a partial video of the nightmare...


Saw a news story when looking it up and there is a class action lawsuit against Ford as most consumers are shell shocked by the expense of an obviously horseshit design.
I could easily do a waterpump on my Jeep. But sure as hell wouldn't take on this nightmare.




Anyone have a Ford that had this issue?
I would be livid.

It is a 2016 and the drive train warranty has expired. The Explorer's had their water pumps directly off the timing chain because they rarely if ever failed, requiring repair. That is very common on many models of cars and trucks. Having the water pump powered directly from the engine without a belt drive is highly efficient and should actually reduce required repairs.

I drove a 2001 Explorer for many years, buying it in late 2005. Repairs required? Replaced the alternator in my daughter's boyfriend's driveway at a cost of less than $100. It never even required towing. I traded it in after 10 years on a newer model.

When the telemarketer called about your vehicle's extended warranty, you should have talked to them. Lesson learned I hope.

 

[petro]

It is a 2016 and the drive train warranty has expired. The Explorer's had their water pumps directly off the timing chain because they rarely if ever failed, requiring repair. That is very common on many models of cars and trucks. Having the water pump powered directly from the engine without a belt drive is highly efficient and should actually reduce required repairs.

I drove a 2001 Explorer for many years, buying it in late 2005. Repairs required? Replaced the alternator in my daughter's boyfriend's driveway at a cost of less than $100. It never even required towing. I traded it in after 10 years on a newer model.

When the telemarketer called about your vehicle's extended warranty, you should have talked to them. Lesson learned I hope.

It is a friends vehicle.
They bought it used.

Sorry, I find it to be a shitty design on what should be a simple repair.

External water pumps have worked just fine for decades and were considered one of the easiest repairs.

 

[White 6]

My Jeep has a crappy design issue in the duel climate control.
There are several small motors that turn the blend doors with cheap plastic gears that snap after some time causing one side to blow either hot air when using AC or cold air when using heat because the blend door gets stuck.
Had to do both sides myself a year apart taking half the damn dash off to replace these stupid gears. Now a year later another has snapped.

Have the dealer do it for 1,200?

Yeah...No, screw that, going to rip it apart before winter again.

Modern vehicles have far too many expensive failure points with all the unnecessary crap added to overcomplicate them.

I had the same problem on the Explorer

I have to get a new engine fer my F150 it has two fire chambers that are compromised with oil...

I'm no mechanic anymore, if I don't have to be. Working on tanks and the modernization of cars has taken all the fun out of it for me. Tony, my mechanic pointed out real quick, never get attached to your engine, if it is cheaper to drop another one in, than fix the problem.

 

[Moonglow]

I had the same problem on the Explorer

I'm no mechanic anymore, if I don't have to be. Working on tanks and the modernization of cars has taken all the fun out of it for me. Tony, my mechanic pointed out real quick, never get attached to your engine, if it is cheaper to drop another one in, than fix the problem.

I buy older autos and rebuild them, I started at twenty years old doing Triumph Spitfires.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

It is a friends vehicle.
They bought it used.

Sorry, I find it to be a shitty design on what should be a simple repair.

External water pumps have worked just fine for decades and were considered one of the easiest repairs.

People who claim to have only recently known about internal water pumps are just proof positive about their reliability. They have been used for many, many years and you simply did not know.

The older external water pumps failed at a much higher rate because the seals on the pump itself around the drive pulley were very prone to wear and tear and still required removal of the whole pump and replacement .

 

[petro]

People who claim to have only recently known about internal water pumps are just proof positive about their reliability. They have been used for many, many years and you simply did not know.

The older external water pumps failed at a much higher rate because the seals on the pump itself around the drive pulley were very prone to wear and tear and still required removal of the whole pump and replacement .

In no way will anyone convince me that a water pump that has a replacement cost in the thousands is justified as better technology.

I would rather replace six of the inferior external ones myself.

Still haven't touched mine and I have far more miles than the friends "Superior" internal pump.

 

[White 6]

I buy older autos and rebuild them, I started at twenty years old doing Triumph Spitfires.

You da man. I haven't been inside an engine since the 90s, but I don't get scared into trading, before I am ready. I'm the kind that find people like you, and says, what can I do here, if not under any time constraints. Until the Explorer, it never occurred to me, that dropping in a professional rebuild engine might be cheaper and better solution than tear down, fix the problem and still have a 160,000 mile engine waiting for the next thing to go out.