Finally had someone look at my TII and determine where the Antifreeze leak was. Its my water pump.



So, I need to find a replacement for it. I was wondering if I should go with an OEM unit or an aftermarket. Is there any difference in reliability/durability?



What do you guys think?

 

I went with a basic OEM replacement from Autozone. It has held up fine so far. They give you a lifetime warranty and it was cheap.. I think around $60. The water pumps on these cars look pretty simple. I guess just the bearings go bad eventually.

 

the oem ones last forever, and they are only like 65-70 reatail at the dealer i think



mike

 

I got a price of $110 from the dealer, and around $70 from Napa. The thing I didn't like about the Napa one is that it rusted over the winter, making my engine bay look that much worse.

 

Hmm... I got quote on the OEM Mazda for $180 and thats with a discount...

 

Get new OEM water pumps not rebuiled ones. For some reason S5 water pumps cost a litle more than s4 water pumps.

 

I got OEM from Mazdaformance for my GTUs for $61. I use Mazdaformance for all my stock parts. I call on Monday and have parts on Friday.

 

Whats their website?

 

mazdaformance.com i think

 

Just go OEM.



Was it leaking out the weep hole? If so, the seal inside near the impeller has failed. No big deal. New ones are relatively cheap. You can expect it to last as many years as your original one did.



Make sure when you do the flush that you add some water pump lube. It's to help lubricate the new seals in a new pump.