Prophylactic water pump and idler service?

[buck91]

So I've read of some people Prophylactic changing the water pump on these 5.0 coyote engines due to occasional failure of the plastic impellers. I'm getting close to 140k on my stock so thinking it might be a good idea- or does it even matter? Looks like 99% of the aftermarket units as well as the ford replacements still use plastic impellers with the exception of AC Delco...

Along that same line, some people advocate changing the belt tensioner and idler pulley but again this is something I've never done until failure. Thoughts?

 

[JHZR2]

Do you mean preemptively?

 

[Number_35]

Do you mean preemptively?

I'm sure the OP does - he used "prophylactically" (i.e. for prevention) correctly, although it's commonly used regarding birth control.

 

[BHopkins]

I can see changing the water pump before it fails, particularly if you are already doing repairs that make the water pump accessible, and it is normally somewhat difficult to get to.

For my cars at least, the idler pulley and belt tensioner are very easy to get to. So I'll wait until the first signs of failure. If you are paying attention, they will warn you that they are going bad, long before they fail bad enough to cause problems. But again, if they are difficult to get to, and you are already in there doing work that makes them accessible, go for it.

Belt tensioners and idler pulleys are hard to predict, as are water pumps. I put 230k miles on an Alero and never replaced any of these parts. But I had to replace a belt tensioner and idler pulley on my SL550 at around 70k miles. So replacing them preemptively, particularly if they are easy to access, may be a waste.

 

[Paco Pena]

I'm sure the OP does - he used "prophylactically" (i.e. for prevention) correctly, although it's commonly used regarding birth control.

It's all preventative maintenance.

Paco

 

[JTK]

They'd probably last better if they were made of latex.