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V6 3.7 Duratec Water Pump Drive Chain Design Flaw?

7K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Siber Express 
#1 ·
Anyone have knowledge concerning a design flaw in Ford 3.7 6 Cyl Duratec Engines in 2011-2014 mustangs (at least)? There was a class action suit against Ford (Bobby Roe and Donald M. Christenson, et al., v. Ford Motor) for a poor design since the engine’s water pump is powered by the drive chain and if the Water pump fails antifreeze will mix with engine oil destroying the engine without much warning after overheating? A recent Scotty Kilmer Mechanic YouTube video stated this issue and that water pump replacement, due to integration with the drive chain, can cost upwards of $1,500 if your engine is not destroyed after a water pump failure? What prevention measures can be taken to prevent a water pump failure? $1,500 for a water pump replacement OUCH!!! Thank you to all who respond.
 
#2 ·
The Mazda/Mustang internal WP design is nuts. I think regular check of coolant level and oil level and oil appearance is one way to monitor internal seepage However, the weep hole is designed to channel WP seal leakage toward the outside where it should be readily visible that the pump is failing.

A total failure of the pump can internally leak but I'm not sure how many of those have occurred causing engine failure.

The chain drive design and location of the pump assures replacement will be expensive if you outsource it to local shop. Or mentally exhaustive if you try to undertake the task yourself. Additional cost is often incurred to replace other hardware that's found worn out when the timing cover is removed to replace the pump.

I don't think most buyers of the V6 think of this maintenance task before buying a 3.7.

And to answer your question, I don't know any preventative actions or periodic maintenance that can prevent the water pump from failing.
 
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#3 ·
The water pumps on our 3.7 are on the front of the motor and very easy to replace. They aren't chain driven. A lot of them do go bad at low miles because of a design flaw of not having a check valve in a return hose that doesn't allows air to get into the system. Here is a Thread I started on another Mustang Forum showing the $25 hose replacement and part number. I only have 32,000 miles on my 2011 but my water pump is still going strong. Our 2014 Edge has the 3.5L and has the chain driven water pump that can mess up the engine but not the 3.7 in Mustangs. Here is a link to my Thread https://themustangsource.com/forums/f801/maybe-heads-up-537306/
 
#4 ·
The water pumps were designed to have a life expectancy of 200k miles...so basically, the engine would be worn out before the engine was..... but with all good engineering designs, the young engineers at Ford failed to remember the past...… and this is no different than GM...specially the Cadillac…… the starters 9V8 coupe) are designed for a life of 20 years or 200k miles …..but when they need to be replaced...you're pulling the engine/trans to get to the starter..


on, btw, the duratec engine was designed and built by Ford.
 
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