I love your videos and appreciate your insights. I am a sidewalk mechanic who started with replacing the head gaskets on 1962 For Fairlane
I bought this 2004 Acura RL 4 years ago with 130k miles. (Its got the 3.5L 6 cyl engine which runs great and the tranny shifts smoothly and the car doesn't look 20 yrs old.) The owner gave me his records and he had the timing belt and water pump changed just before 100k. All good, right? The water pump is leaking badly now with the car just shy of 160k. I tried some bars leak but the fluid is pouring out now. The records don't say the brands and I haven't got the parts exposed enough to see the brands but I'm pretty sure they are aftermarket. The Acura forums pretty much don't recommend aftermarket water pumps as opposed to recommending Gates timing belts, but the dealer wants $500 just for an Acura water pump. The aftermarket pumps (Gates, Continental, GMB) are about $150 - 250 at Rockauto.
Any ideas. Am I stuck buying the dealer one, pretty much?
tried some bars leak but the fluid is pouring out now.
Why would you try that stuff on a leaking water pump? It's not designed for leaking seals and it would be a temporary bandaid at best even on something like a leaky radiator that it's actually designed for.
The aftermarket pumps (Gates, Continental, GMB) are about $150 - 250 at Rockauto.
Since if the water pump seizes up it will snap the timing belt and destroy the engine I would stick with the OEM part. There are online sources that sell Acura OEM parts at a discount. (Still expensive, but less than dealer list price.) Might as well put in a new timing belt as well while you're in there since they're not very expensive.
I've used bars leak for over 50 years and it has helped the cars I've used it in go for years. This problem started months ago. When I put in the bars leak it was a while ago and just a small leak, just drops on the driveway, and not obvious where it was coming from.In fact, I've used bars leak for over 50 years and it has helped the cars I've used it go for years longer. This will only be the 2nd pump I've had to replace. It took a long while before this leak developed to where it started to pour out which was week before last. I finally took off the top left timing belt cover the other day and when I pressured the radiator I could see the coolant squirting out the top of the water pump.
You're right about the online sources, I am going to contact some online sources and see how long it will take to get the parts that way.
For my Accord 4 cylinder, I used an Aisin branded water pump, which TMK is one of the OE supplier. Unfortunately, I didn’t see an Aisin branded water pump for your V6.
I (sadly) recommend buying from the dealer if you can’t find a legitimate Aisin or maybe even a Denso (another Japanese OE supplier, not sure if they do water pumps though.) The water pump is usually driven by the timing belt, which takes an effort to get to.
If it was an easy access non-critical component, you might try to cheap out, but this is a hard access critical component.
BUT try to negotiate the price down, or find a parts coupon, or try another dealer in the area to price compare.
I can’t believe the prices dealers charge, because they basically have a monopoly on genuine parts.
those are good thoughts...I found the Aisin catalog at https://aisinaftermarket.com/online. They don't list a water pump or timing belt for this Acura Rl. I can't find that Denso makes water pumps. I am going to investigate online Acura sources which was Chuck Tobias' suggestion and see how long and how much it takes to ship.
The water pump is leaking badly now with the car just shy of 160k. I tried some bars leak
that was a bad move
I've used bars leak for over 50 years and it has helped the cars I've used it in go for years.
Bars Leaks is not designed for seals around rotating shafts, it's designed for cracks in stationary cooling system components. Now if the water pump leak is due to a cracked housing or something like that then Bars Leaks may work for a while.
I've used bars leak for over 50 years and it has helped the cars I've used it go for years longer.
I would never count on those kind of "sealers" for anything more than a temporary measure until a proper repair can be done. Over the last 50+ years I have also seen the stuff plug up heater cores and generally make a mess of cooling systems.
I am going to contact some online sources and see how long it will take to get the parts that way.
Sound like a plan. Why pay retail? Just beware of counterfeit parts, don't buy "OEM" parts from eBay or Amazon. (Those are two major sources of counterfeits.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ-ma1w8r6Q
An acura forum recommended a vendor, oemacuraparts.com, which is actually part of an acura dealer in Arizona. 1-866-347-8355. I talked to the guy, Tim Poliniak, who was recommended in the acura forum. Pump and timing belt are $425 compared to $675 at my local dealer.
As far as the sealers are concerned, I agree that using sealers in general is risky and I only use them on a limited basis and usually on cars that are older. I don't use just any sealer indiscriminately, I research them carefully. But it was professional mechanics that recommended Bars leak to me in the 60's and in fact, another one I know suggested it last year, When I put in the bar's leak it was just a couple drips on the driveway after it sat. In fact, Scotty Kilmer , has a video, How to Fix a Leak in Your Car (Radiator), at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thUC9DmmExw where he recommended Bar's Leak radiator sealer. I have also used ATP205 in mywife's 96 Toyota, recommended by Scotty, and that has reduced oil leaking in the car while it appears to run a little smoother. So I believe there is a time and place for certain sealing products.. For my money, you just have to weigh the risk of using a sealer to get more miles against the cost of repairng cars that are 20 or 30 years old and may be close to the scrap heap..
That's the point with those "mechanic in a bottle" sealer products, they are best used when the next best option is the junkyard, or if maybe if you're on a trip and suddenly spring a radiator leak to get you by until it can be repaired properly.