After being advised by a tech at nissan that my water pump was going bad, I decided to go ahead and change it. So far, things really havent been going too smoothly, I tend to take a rather long time to accomplish things like this, but when I got the old pump out, I noticed that the little holes on the sides were PACKED full of dirt/mud. Anyone know what would cause this? Do I just need to flush my coolant more often maybe? Whatever it is, I really didnt like the way it looked, but hopefully it won't happen to my new pump.

 

Sounds like your cooling system had TONS of corrosion in it.

 

:

 

somone loved bars leak? or let it go to hell

 

either that or you've got some bastardized mud daubers over there in CA.

 

Mud -as we like to refer to it as- seems to manufacture itself in neglected cooling systems. I guess that is why a flush every 2 years is a good idea.

On a related note, I am replacing the pump in a 96 max. The old pump has an orange o-ring and a black o-ring. The new Nissan pump came with two black o-rings. They are loose, not installed on the pump. The only difference is that one has a white paint dot on it.

Would it matter which one goes where? They are identical in size.

 

Wish I could help ya, the pump I got had 2 orings already on it, both solid black. So I guess I'm gonna be keeping up with regular flushes from now on, I'd try to take a pick, but I doubt it would turn out that good.

 

I just noticed a little wetness around my pump as well. Seems like a common problem. I have studied the Chilton book, but seems a bit complicated when it starts messing around with the timing chain. Is this a big deal, or can it be done by without messing up the timing settings?

 

Yeah, the two black O-rings is a mystery as to which goes where. I think I put what I felt to be the bulkier of the two in between the coolantil sides.

 

It might be due to using a coolant containing silicates (a big no-no on these cars) and you're looking at the precipitate.

That's a theory, not an answer.

Dave