I'm about to change out my thermostat tower for the metal version incl. a new crossover pipe, etc. (have all the parts) and thought maybe I should change the water pump while I'm at it.

I searched back through previous posts for a recommendation for which pump to by (brand, vendor) but now I'm more confused than ever. Should I get a metal impeller (and which ones have them), or some say stick to a plastic impeller because you have to change out the type of antifreeze? If plastic is it the black impeller or the white impeller I should be looking for? Am I OK with the offerings from Napa or Autozone or Amazon or ebay or should I get OEM. Even if you exclude the the really cheap ones, the range of prices is pretty large. e.g. SNG Barret has two types, one almost $140 more than the other. The text doesn't mention the impeller material for either of them.

Anyway, I'm hoping someone can help cut down the large range of opinions and maybe even recommend which pump to buy.

 

I need to do this too, however, mine is a 2005 and the aluminium housing isn't an option. The metal bladed pump one has the possibility of causing cavitation, if I recall correctly, and the black plastic does not. Is this correct?

 

Here is my take on the orig plastic impeller units. I think the early on models has issues, 97/98??? But on the whole people think they are crap I guess because they crapped out at 70-100k. Mine went at like 99k on my 03.
I had bought the metal one but it looked cheap, no o-ring and it had a paper gasket.
For less then 70 bucks I put this on mine which was identical to what I pulled off of it.
99% chance you will sell the car the long before it goes bad again!!!

Engine Water Pump ACDELCO PRO 252-800 | eBay

 

I may be wrong, but I suspect that the ones from S N G Barratt are exactly the same. It's just that they source the more expensive one via Jaguar, and the other comes direct from the same manufacturer.

I have purchased lots of stuff from them (in the UK) and the "cheaper" version of the same part has always been in my opinion, of very high quality.

 

I got this:

ACDELCO 252800

Installed it last week end. Nicely built, comes with o-ring, metal impeller and metal gasket. Not expensive, but has a nice quality part feel to it.

Might want to replace the belt while you are there, I suppose.

Be sure to spin the accessories by hand to check all the bearings, including the idler and the tensioner.

 

Thanks to all for the replies. I just ordered the AC Delco that brgjag and fmertz have used along with a new bypass hose and I already have a belt so I'll change that out, too.

 

Hi, I JUST finished this job on my '03... I ordered BOTH an AC delco pump and one from GMB. I prefered the look of the GMB pump as the impeller seemed to have a bigger opening and a better finished impeller... the ports were larger as well. I used the dexcool coolant and a bottle of purple ice water wetter... worked like a charm... runs @ 186 degrees at highway speeds... never going over 197 degrees even in traffic. This job snow-balled on me, the more I did the more I saw to do... valley hoses, belt, sway bar bushings, titanium sway bar bolts, tianium shock bolts... but it was worth it.

 

the one I ordered is alu and has the white plastic impeller and a comes with proper seal - came with 3 year's warranty - it will be mounted soon together with a new thermostat - I hope after that the engine cooling temp will drop significant as mine is running very hot (normally 92-93C).
I share a pic



xkr - waterpump, replacement

 

Edit - post deleted - got my Fahrenheits and Celciusus mixed up !!

But ............ normal temperature would be between 87F and 100F so maybe you don't have a problem.

Just to clarify .............. Steve (Jagwrangler) has a fantastic module which makes the temperature gauge read an accurate figure rather than a zero - midscale - toolate range. Look at www.thejagwrangler.com for more detail

http://www.thejagwrangler.com/xk8--x...realgauge.html

"Normal" engine temperature is between 190F (87C) and 215F (101C) so don't worry if things seem a bit hot. I am constantly amazed, and not a little concerned, that I get hit by a blast of heat every time I get out of my car. It's a low capacity high efficiency cooling system which means that if it goes wrong, you don't have much warning, but the high temperatures are normal.

 

[Steve (Jagwrangler) has a fantastic module which makes the temperature gauge read an accurate figure rather than a zero - midscale - toolate range. Look at TheJagWrangler - Home - About Us for more detail

I can also highly recommend Steve's temp. module !
I installed one in mine and it works perfect, this little module means I can finally relax when driving without constant worrying that my engine is overheating.