Car has 85k on the clock, and is now 14 years old. I am taking it on a 3000 mile plus trip to the south of France in July, and am quite keen to avoid a breakdown… Ambient temperatures may well be nudging 40C down there.
I plan to change the serpentine belt and idler pulleys, should I do the waterpump at the same time? I know it sounds like a no brainer, but did read about someone who only got 40k out of a Bosch replacement, and 60k out of a Gates, so wondering if the original is bulletproof, why swap for something potentially inferior…
Would you guys even do the belt and idler and tensioner if they were still working fine? I guess I could carry spares with me, but space will be at a premium.
No right or wrong answer bar how much you value peace of mind really.
My Old F.a.r.t. view leans towards better safe than sorry…just something else off your niggling tick box.
TBH, I’d probably do a flush and pop in the new rad cap & thermo.
But I’m a bit OTT tbh.
It’s bad enough you canny take a full time spare…
I call it Risk Management.
It makes me feel intelligent…which is a tough call.
well… can you get the OEM and how much is the difference to the aftermarket? IMHO the OEM may even be a a Bosch or Gates…
but even so… you change the pump now chances to have an issue with it in July is reduced… from memory they cost like 50-60 quid so… if you are there doing the work just pick one and change it.
Just an opinion.
Okay, so you change the water pump…….
You are now in the territory of changing the thermostat.
Ahh, but what about the hoses?
Will a clamp/jubilee clip fail?
Maybe the head gasket will fail?
Now what about the radiator?
Will the electric fan fail?
Unless you have any symptoms of a potential failure, I would leave well alone.
You could potentially go on forever.
Likewise, I would leave the belt too, but perhaps take a spare just in case. (Condition will prevail).
Good breakdown cover will be your friend.
Enjoy the trip, we are off to Spain and Portugal in September.
All the best.
Personally unless the car is modified I would be content to check brakes and make sure I have EU breakdown and that’s it. If the car service is due soon I’d get that done as well.
I would only think about doing the pump (and thermostat tbh) if you have to change the belts for xyz reason
Hmm…the last two posts are really my thoughts too. Leave well alone if it’s all working ok. Check the auxiliary belt for condition, buy a spare just for peace of mind.
If I wanted to spend money on (making sure) and they’ve not been changed I’d change, belt, pulleys and tensioners. Stats can fail anytime, my last NC’s at around 65k miles. Your car could have had that changed along with a coolant change before your ownership, see SH if present.
Never read about any water pump problems on the NC, that’s not to say they don’t have problems, plenty on the stat failures though.
Get organised (if you haven’t already) with some decent European breakdown cover and enjoy the holiday.
Done some further reading, and it does seem like the waterpump is pretty reliable, so will leave alone.
Thermostat… I am leaning towards changing. It is one of those things that could cause catastrophic failure if it fails closed. And at 14 years old might jusr save me heart ache.
Belt and tensioner, I will change these. For about £60 has to be worth it when the best guidance I can see on the life of a belt is 50 to 100k. And I have read about a few people who have had tensioner bearing failures that emit an omminous rumble.
The AC will be on permanently down in France, so the belt will be working slightly harder than in Bonny Scotland
Also I will do the work well in advance so any issues have a chance to arise and be dealt with… I used to work for a garage in the south of France and we were forever seeing holiday makers that got the car serviced especially for the trip. And that service caused the breakdown. Over filled oil, loose battery terminals, loose bolts, plugs and clamps etc. Thats why I normally subscribe to the “If its not broken dont fix it” mentality before going on a long trip. But that old brown belt… kind of think that is a “when not if” question I can pre-empt.
Off on holiday (flying, not driving) next week, so wont be doing anything for a week or so.
But, I can get a Gates belt, tensioner and idler for about £90. I would go with that.
IF I decide to do the waterpump, and I cant get a Gates pump, I will go for SKF and use thier tensioner etc. And they are slightly cheaper than Gates.
Mazda ones, from MX5parts are about £250. Wont be doing that.
Thermostat - no idea as yet. I believe there are two different types, so will do some more research and work out what is on mine. Then need to work out if I can just change the thermostat and re-use the housing, which makes it a bit cheaper.
Thermostat, doesn’t matter about which one. The difference will be a longer or shorter neck on the stat housing. If you buy the longer neck one and have the shorter neck version fitted (original) you just trim the coolant hose by 30mm on the car. You can even get away without trimming it but it sits better trimming it.
See below for Autolink stat, whilst there check out their auxiliary belt and pulleys/tensioners, it’s where I got mine from.
From what I gather on other forums, the early thermostats are the problematic ones, the later ones were a different design and are better. My car is probably young enough to have the revised design (I will check) and if so, think I will leave the thermostat alone. (If it aint broke…). If it is the earlier problematic one, I will change it and risk upsetting 14 year old clamps and hoses.
As for Autolinkuk, thanks for the link. Prices seem very good if the stuff is OEM, but if it is not, I am a bit unsure about buying something when I don’t know the brand. There is a wide range of costs on other sites (eg Autodoc) depending on brand - so worry about a supplier that shifts “no-name” parts.
Autolink will be pattern parts, they do have Mazda OEM parts too. Always found their parts good and reasonably priced, never a problem.
The last NC stat I fitted was a Mahle branded one from Opie oils, about £12. Prices have definitely gone upwards for such simple stuff. They don’t seem to have them now, no idea about the Autolink stat. The Mx5parts stat (Mazda) is very pricey but you takes your choice on which you feel is the one for you.
