3.5eco transverse prone to water pump failures?

[SM105K]

Boy oh boy I've never had mine changed, don't know when it was last done if ever, got the car with 52k and I've driven 20k....better get this done!  Too close for comfort

I am in the same boat.  Bought mine at 51K and I have 69K now.  I am going to try and install my IC this weekend, so I will replace the coolant then.

Good call, I'll wait until I do the same since the radiator will need to come out anyhow! 

Just fill the radiator back up?  Our system burbs itself doesn't it?  Not sure if that's the correct term...lol

I am going to try and get as much out as I can.  I know SBS said he got roughly 1.5 gallons out so... Going to go to Ford today and get some coolant and a new t-stat.  I am probably going to remove the front end this afternoon and get to work.

[802SHO]

Boy oh boy I've never had mine changed, don't know when it was last done if ever, got the car with 52k and I've driven 20k....better get this done!  Too close for comfort

I am in the same boat.  Bought mine at 51K and I have 69K now.  I am going to try and install my IC this weekend, so I will replace the coolant then.

Good call, I'll wait until I do the same since the radiator will need to come out anyhow! 

Just fill the radiator back up?  Our system burbs itself doesn't it?  Not sure if that's the correct term...lol

I am going to try and get as much out as I can.  I know SBS said he got roughly 1.5 gallons out so... Going to go to Ford today and get some coolant and a new t-stat.  I am probably going to remove the front end this afternoon and get to work.

Let me know what kind of fluid you get.  You said youre going to Ford, what do they use?  I just want to fill it back up with whatever is best. 

Let us know how it goes with your IC install..pretty cooooolllllll

[SM105K]

Boy oh boy I've never had mine changed, don't know when it was last done if ever, got the car with 52k and I've driven 20k....better get this done!  Too close for comfort

I am in the same boat.  Bought mine at 51K and I have 69K now.  I am going to try and install my IC this weekend, so I will replace the coolant then.

Good call, I'll wait until I do the same since the radiator will need to come out anyhow! 

Just fill the radiator back up?  Our system burbs itself doesn't it?  Not sure if that's the correct term...lol

I am going to try and get as much out as I can.  I know SBS said he got roughly 1.5 gallons out so... Going to go to Ford today and get some coolant and a new t-stat.  I am probably going to remove the front end this afternoon and get to work.

Let me know what kind of fluid you get.  You said youre going to Ford, what do they use?  I just want to fill it back up with whatever is best. 

Let us know how it goes with your IC install..pretty cooooolllllll

I just called Ford. $22 for a new t-stat, $8 for the gasket,  and $22 per gallon of OEM Orange Ford Coolant.  I am actually heading to the dyno right before that.  Hoping to crack 400 AWHP tune only! Then I will take her home and start taking her apart.

[802SHO]

Boy oh boy I've never had mine changed, don't know when it was last done if ever, got the car with 52k and I've driven 20k....better get this done!  Too close for comfort

I am in the same boat.  Bought mine at 51K and I have 69K now.  I am going to try and install my IC this weekend, so I will replace the coolant then.

Good call, I'll wait until I do the same since the radiator will need to come out anyhow! 

Just fill the radiator back up?  Our system burbs itself doesn't it?  Not sure if that's the correct term...lol

I am going to try and get as much out as I can.  I know SBS said he got roughly 1.5 gallons out so... Going to go to Ford today and get some coolant and a new t-stat.  I am probably going to remove the front end this afternoon and get to work.

Let me know what kind of fluid you get.  You said youre going to Ford, what do they use?  I just want to fill it back up with whatever is best. 

Let us know how it goes with your IC install..pretty cooooolllllll

I just called Ford. $22 for a new t-stat, $8 for the gasket,  and $22 per gallon of OEM Orange Ford Coolant.  I am actually heading to the dyno right before that.  Hoping to crack 400 AWHP tune only! Then I will take her home and start taking her apart.

Man if you crack 400 awhp tune only that will be epic!  Since you're swapping out thr t stat why not upgrade it

[SM105K]

Man if you crack 400 awhp tune only that will be epic!  Since you're swapping out thr t stat why not upgrade it

We will see.  She went 391/470 last time.  Honestly IMO there is zero gain from a lower T-stat. We can go round and round, but operating temp is operating temp.  In 118 degree heat, it does not matter. The T-stat is at mercy of how efficient the actual cooling system is. I laugh inside when people say put a lower T-stat in, and even when tuners recommend a lower t-stat.  Here is a good read about this...

http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/2012/04/low-temp-thermostats-whats-the-advantage/

[802SHO]

Man if you crack 400 awhp tune only that will be epic!  Since you're swapping out thr t stat why not upgrade it

We will see.  She went 391/470 last time.  Honestly IMO there is zero gain from a lower T-stat. We can go round and round, but operating temp is operating temp.  In 118 degree heat, it does not matter. The T-stat is at mercy of how efficient the actual cooling system is. I laugh inside when people say put a lower T-stat in, and even when tuners recommend a lower t-stat.  Here is a good read about this...

http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/2012/04/low-temp-thermostats-whats-the-advantage/

Haha thats funny after I posted, I thought later about upgrading it and not even knowing a difference...

[ZSHO]

Man if you crack 400 awhp tune only that will be epic!  Since you're swapping out thr t stat why not upgrade it

We will see.  She went 391/470 last time.  Honestly IMO there is zero gain from a lower T-stat. We can go round and round, but operating temp is operating temp.  In 118 degree heat, it does not matter. The T-stat is at mercy of how efficient the actual cooling system is. I laugh inside when people say put a lower T-stat in, and even when tuners recommend a lower t-stat.  Here is a good read about this...

http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/2012/04/low-temp-thermostats-whats-the-advantage/

Since your in AZ I would @ least try to lower the Coolant ratio down to 40/60 Coolant or lower especially if categorized under Extreme Hot climate. Z

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/vdirsnet/OwnerManual/Home/Content?bookCode=O38417&languageCode=en&marketCode=US&viewTech=IE&chapterTitleSelected=G1724827&subTitleSelected=G1724834&topicHRef=G1612346&div=f&vFilteringEnabled=False&userMarket=USA

[SM105K]

Man if you crack 400 awhp tune only that will be epic!  Since you're swapping out thr t stat why not upgrade it

We will see.  She went 391/470 last time.  Honestly IMO there is zero gain from a lower T-stat. We can go round and round, but operating temp is operating temp.  In 118 degree heat, it does not matter. The T-stat is at mercy of how efficient the actual cooling system is. I laugh inside when people say put a lower T-stat in, and even when tuners recommend a lower t-stat.  Here is a good read about this...

http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/2012/04/low-temp-thermostats-whats-the-advantage/

Since your in AZ I would @ least try to lower the Coolant ratio down to 40/60 Coolant or lower especially if categorized under Extreme Hot climate. Z

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/vdirsnet/OwnerManual/Home/Content?bookCode=O38417&languageCode=en&marketCode=US&viewTech=IE&chapterTitleSelected=G1724827&subTitleSelected=G1724834&topicHRef=G1612346&div=f&vFilteringEnabled=False&userMarket=USA

Funny that you say that.  That is exactly what I did.

[Defiant]

I've been reading up on these cars and was heavily considering buying a SHO seeing as how it's pretty much the perfect car for me but the water pump and chains look to be problematic and are a huge red flag.

Ford for whatever reason made the car transverse so they couldn't stuff an external pump like on the F150. So now changing the pump and/or chains is a huge job which sucks for people like me who do all their own repair work.

Browsing this forum there doesn't seem to be much talk about WP failures except for this thread that caught my eye. I'm sure it isn't terribly common but again most of the cars on this forum have sub 100k miles. So I can imagine how many more problems will rise up as these cars age.

I love the car but feel extremely discouraged now, it sucks as a Ford fan (I own a Mustang) to see them make dumb engineering mistakes over and over and not learn from it. Time to look for something LS powered I guess...

[ZSHO]

I've been reading up on these cars and was heavily considering buying a SHO seeing as how it's pretty much the perfect car for me but the water pump and chains look to be problematic and are a huge red flag.

Ford for whatever reason made the car transverse so they couldn't stuff an external pump like on the F150. So now changing the pump and/or chains is a huge job which sucks for people like me who do all their own repair work.

Browsing this forum there doesn't seem to be much talk about WP failures except for this thread that caught my eye. I'm sure it isn't terribly common but again most of the cars on this forum have sub 100k miles. So I can imagine how many more problems will rise up as these cars age.

I love the car but feel extremely discouraged now, it sucks as a Ford fan (I own a Mustang) to see them make dumb engineering mistakes over and over and not learn from it. Time to look for something LS powered I guess...

Welcome Defiant! I guess with any vehicle you need to stay on Top of your vehicle maintenance aspect and neglecting it will cause these issues to arise sooner than later.. Due setup an intro by following the below link. TIA. Z

https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/board,14.0.html

[lamrith]

I've been reading up on these cars and was heavily considering buying a SHO seeing as how it's pretty much the perfect car for me but the water pump and chains look to be problematic and are a huge red flag.

Ford for whatever reason made the car transverse so they couldn't stuff an external pump like on the F150. So now changing the pump and/or chains is a huge job which sucks for people like me who do all their own repair work.

Browsing this forum there doesn't seem to be much talk about WP failures except for this thread that caught my eye. I'm sure it isn't terribly common but again most of the cars on this forum have sub 100k miles. So I can imagine how many more problems will rise up as these cars age.

I love the car but feel extremely discouraged now, it sucks as a Ford fan (I own a Mustang) to see them make dumb engineering mistakes over and over and not learn from it. Time to look for something LS powered I guess...

Well given the cars are not super old yet yes mileage is low in general.  100K point with "avg driving is 8.3yrs.  So 1st year Sho's are getting to and over that 100k point now.  That said I know a few people on this forum are over 100K if I recall, and quite honestly, folks on this forum are enthusiats that probably run their cars a fair bit harder than normal owners.  If there was going to be a market segment to see issues, it would be this one imho

My reason for posting this thread was to inquire about it.  People on FB and now you seem scared of the setup, but I do not understand why.  They are far from the 1st Mfg to use this sort of setup, and I have yet to hear about an actual "rash of failures" with the powerplant/water pumps.  Just seems like looking for something to be a problem or worry about is all.  Sure it would be great if they were outside like classic engines, but the Ecoboost is decidedly not classic, that is what makes it special!

[ClearwaterSHO]

I've been reading up on these cars and was heavily considering buying a SHO seeing as how it's pretty much the perfect car for me but the water pump and chains look to be problematic and are a huge red flag.

Ford for whatever reason made the car transverse so they couldn't stuff an external pump like on the F150. So now changing the pump and/or chains is a huge job which sucks for people like me who do all their own repair work.

Browsing this forum there doesn't seem to be much talk about WP failures except for this thread that caught my eye. I'm sure it isn't terribly common but again most of the cars on this forum have sub 100k miles. So I can imagine how many more problems will rise up as these cars age.

I love the car but feel extremely discouraged now, it sucks as a Ford fan (I own a Mustang) to see them make dumb engineering mistakes over and over and not learn from it. Time to look for something LS powered I guess...

  I mean, can't go wrong with the LS POWA. However, don't let the car scare you. Get a 13+ because there were some changes to the timing chain and WP from what I'm told. You can research to make sure that isn't BS, but the guy that old me is a reliable person. With that said, my car has 114k on the clock. Many, many, many passes down the strip. I drive it hard, but I am religious with my maintenance. I confidently drive my car from Tampa to Memphis multiple times a year. The SHO will love you as long you love it.

[metroplex]

There's at least 1 class action lawsuit regarding the transverse 3.5 water pump. They generally don't fail at under 100k miles but when it does, it's $1500-$2000 to change. Or if it takes out the engine, then it's $8000+ (cited in one of the class action lawsuits). I don't know why Ford kept the transverse design all these years, especially when the longitudinal 2.7 EcoBoost fits in the Fusion with an external waterpump.

[SHOdded]

Class action lawsuits pop up like weeds.  Whether they have any merit, no one really knows.

[FoMoCoSHO]

There's at least 1 class action lawsuit regarding the transverse 3.5 water pump. They generally don't fail at under 100k miles but when it does, it's $1500-$2000 to change. Or if it takes out the engine, then it's $8000+ (cited in one of the class action lawsuits). I don't know why Ford kept the transverse design all these years, especially when the longitudinal 2.7 EcoBoost fits in the Fusion with an external waterpump.

At around 107K mine mine was replaced under ESP while rebuilding the entire timing set.

No leaking but there was shaft play.

I was planning to replace it anyway while it was apart.

The defective timing set would have grenaded the engine well before the pump.

Should be GTG for another 100k unless I grenade it with too much AJPTurbo power.