Ed Hall Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 The waterpump on my 1988 Eldorado has lasted about 3 years. The bearing is starting to sound like there gravel in it so I'm about ready to replace it. I've heard bad things about rebuilt waterpumps but how about new ones from Napa or Kragen? Both of those places want about $70.00 for a new life time waterpump. I will call the dealer tomorrow and see how much it costs for a Delco. I also checked rockauto.com and they've got 2 Delco's one for $70 and another for $140. I don't know what the difference is. Right now I'm leaning towards getting the lifetime waterpump from Napa. Any opinions on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 I have used Napa and other aftermarket water pumps/starters/alternators etc all my life and rarely had any problems. Having said that, after what I've learned on this board I am startingto change my thinking and may go with OEM in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky2 Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 "Lifetime" is the key word here. I think these aftermarket pumps have short ones. Today I replaced a CarQuest pump that I had installed 11 months ago. Check out the 4.9 waterpump post. After reading that, I hustled over to CarQuest and returned my freebee aftermarket pump and picked one up from local Cadillac dealer. CarQuest pump was $80. Cadillac pump was $180. To me, installing one of these is not really what I'd like to be doing frequently. If you have enough advance warning that it's going out, you can always get one from GM parts direct for $92. Or check out Brasington Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tco43 Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 I have had good luck with Napa parts until I put a Napa water pump on my 4.9L. It lasted 11 months and I replaced it with another Napa pump they gave me under the lifetime warranty and that one lasted. But the replacement labor is something you don't want to do that often. I would definitely use an OEM water pump only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Ed you missed this thread, all is revealed: http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1129 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 I do not know about your 88 Eldo but on the Northstar NAPA carries the same waterpump made by Airtex that the dealer has, a lot cheaper. If you can find out who makes the OEM part you might find a parts store that carries the same as OEM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted March 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 What's the risk of continued driving with a bad bearing? Could is sieze up at any time? I'm going to call the dealer at 8:00 and ask for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper602 Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 I have replaced 3 pumps in my 4.9 over the last 4½ years. I'm in need of the 4th. ALL have been OEM. I'm sure the aftermarket pumps are even worse. The pumps are under warranty, but NOT the labor. I have never had any problems with the seals or leaking. All of the problems have been bearing problems. All of this and I have to replace it AGAIN. The only problems I have had with my car are water pumps and front end work. But i'm sure that is because of the 20" wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted March 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Any experiences with a new Bosch pump from Pep Boys? The dealer wanted $180 bucks so I decided to get the $30 cheapie from Pep Boys. If the Bosch pump has the special bearing, I can go exchange the pumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 I do not know about your 88 Eldo but on the Northstar NAPA carries the same waterpump made by Airtex that the dealer has, a lot cheaper. If you can find out who makes the OEM part you might find a parts store that carries the same as OEM. I often wonder about that. Is the Napa Airtec pump the same as the Delco Airtec pump just because it is made by the same company. If so, the dealers have one helluva mark up. If not, then Airtec is using cheaper bearings for aftermarket. I wonder if Airtec would tell you if you were to call and ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exedman Posted March 27, 2004 Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 I got the new freebie waterpump put in yesterday for labor ($75.00) and the inconvenience of killing a couple of hours. It was made in Canada. When I bought my first 88 Deville, Consumer Reports said...."Beware the waterpump" and I believe that has held over the years with subsequent 4.5s and 4.9s. Why on earth does an otherwise good quality product such as Cadillac allow the continued use of a design that has plagued its vehicles year after year????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted March 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 I decided to put in the $30 cheapie waterpump from Pep Boys. It has a lifetime warranty so if it doesn't last, they're going to loose lots of money since I plan on keeping the car going for a long time. It took me about an hour to do the job so it wasn't too bad, just a little tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted March 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 I would have bought a OEM pump but I would have had to order one and wait for it to come. I'm going to be ordering an OEM pump soon and keep it handy so next time it goes out, I can stick it on. I collected and reused the coolant since I knew that it wouldn't be long before this pump goes out again. I had put in new coolant and bars leak about 6 months ago because the radiator plastic pep cock blew out and let all the coolant out. I permanantly fixed the problem by epoxying the pep cock to the radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exedman Posted March 27, 2004 Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 I have replaced 3 pumps in my 4.9 over the last 4½ years. I'm in need of the 4th. ALL have been OEM. I'm sure the aftermarket pumps are even worse. The pumps are under warranty, but NOT the labor. I have never had any problems with the seals or leaking. All of the problems have been bearing problems. All of this and I have to replace it AGAIN. The only problems I have had with my car are water pumps and front end work. But i'm sure that is because of the 20" wheels. How many miles are you getting out of these OEM's? 40k might be acceptable but 15k certainly wouldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted March 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 I'm not sure if the pump that I replaced was OEM or not. It did last 2 1/2 years and about 40k miles. We'll see how long this one lasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted July 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 Update 2-1/2 years later: The $30 cheapie waterpump defied all expectations and is still pumping strong after 30k more miles on the car. I did buy an OEM Delco pump but havn't had to install it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted December 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 Update 2-3/4 years later: The cheapie $30 water pump finally failed after 35k miles. I was on a roadtrip and went to fill up when I heard that familiar bearing noise. I pulled into a Walmart parking lot and first thing I did was pull off the serpentine belt. Turning the pump by hand revealed a very rough bearing ready to fail. Luckily, I had my spare Delco water pump in the trunk as well as my tools so after 2 hours of work, the new pump was installed. I shopped at Walmart and bought some antifreeze as well as a tube of Bars Leak. I kept the old water pump in order to exchange it and take advantage of its lifetime warranty. I'll keep the replacement in the trunk just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted December 30, 2006 Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 If your waterpump is the stamped unit I also have observed that they go bad VERY quickly with little or no warning. I once changed one behind a Marriott Hotel with borrowed tools after being flatbedded 21 miles it self-destructed on my 91 Seville. Its smart to carry them in the trunk along with the tools and a new belt as it is wrecked when it goes! I always bought the new Napa unit and they lasted about 35,000 miles, the guru thought that 35,000 miles was low service. Maybe its possible the AC Delco unit would have lasted longer. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth Posted May 20, 2007 Report Share Posted May 20, 2007 in 4 years, i have lost 2 pumps, and now it is leaking again, this will be #3. none had the bearing problem reported above, just leaking. the last unit that leaks now, #3, is an expensive OEM, about 15,000 miles. i added extra GOLD Bar's, and leaking is almost gone, but still there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 in 4 years, i have lost 2 pumps, and now it is leaking again, this will be #3. none had the bearing problem reported above, just leaking. the last unit that leaks now, #3, is an expensive OEM, about 15,000 miles. i added extra GOLD Bar's, and leaking is almost gone, but still there. Make sure you don't use more than a 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water. Make sure your belt, idler wheels and pulleys are in line and that they don't wobble at all. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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