'97 Taurus GL 3.0L: Water Pump Recommendations?

[Colt Hero]

'97 Taurus GL 3.0L: Water Pump Recommendations?

What should I be looking for in a water pump replacement for this car (if I don't go with the Motorcraft dealer unit)?

1.) Should I avoid remanufactured units?

2.) Are there any special features that are worth paying for (like particular impeller designs, special bearings, etc.)

3.) What about AutoZone's Duralast units? Any opinions?

4.) Are these things sold in pieces such that I may have to transfer parts off the old unit to the new if I buy the "wrong" thing? For example, does the "neck" come with the new unit. My "neck" rotted out a few years ago and I hammered in a brass replacement. Will I have to do that again?

5.) What kind of sealant is used? I've got a tube of sealant left over from my Lower Intake Manifold gasket job on my '02 Impala. It's the black (Permatex). Can this stuff be used?

[wafrederick]

Stay away from AutoZone's waterpumps!I know someone that put 3 or 4 in a Chrysler LHS,all from AutoZone and they failed.All AutoZone cares about is the lowest price selling junk parts and skip quality.The remans are good.The new waterpumps are more money than a reman.The new waterpump comes with a new gasket most of the time.

[Colt Hero]

wafrederick:

Sorry, but I bought the Duralast anyway. They had the Valucraft and Duralast in stock and I bought their "better" unit. I put the two side by side on the counter and couldn't really see any major reason to buy one over the other. The Duralast had an aluminum body and the Valucraft did not (I don't think), plus the vanes on the Duralast were a different color metal (annodized or galvanized possible???) so these ended up being the deciding factors. I almost went with the Valucraft anyway, however, because the pulley definitely turned smoother - AND the Duralast unit had metal burs visible around the bearing. But they had a 2nd Duralast unit that looked cleaner and so I bought that one. The Duralast comes with an LLT, while the Valucraft only has a 1 year warranty. It's probably a wash because the only thing I think that can go wrong with these things is the $5 bearing on the pulley. So you pay ~$10 more up front for the Duralast to cover the cost on the possible failure of the bearing...

[Colt Hero]

Ended up installing the Duralast aluminum unit. The old unit came out pretty much intact - no bearing issues and no vanes rusted off as others have mentioned. I DID notice, however, that if I held the unit up against the sky, hairline cracks could be seen through the bent edges of each vane. Hopefully this was affecting flow and my heat will be better now. Really hasn't been cold enough here yet to prove this theory, though.

One issue afterwards: I was getting a fine vibration in the steering wheel when turning right sometimes. It seems to have gone away. It was a feeling very similar to what you feel when your passenger wheels roll over the corrogated pavement in the brakedown lane on the interstates. Maybe this was air in the power steering line? I never physically detached the Power Steering unit, though - just took it off the threaded studs and pushed it aside to give a better view to the water pump below.