2011 CX-9 water pump failure

So, heading says it all. I was out of town, wife called said it was toast. No warning, just stopped. It’s been a good car, just disappointed. Always happens at the worst of times. So…my current options I have been told, about 8 grand to swap another engine in, or sell it to a scrap yard for like a grand. We just put new tires on it about 6 months ago, heck that was $900ish…is it worth parting out on my own or are there options I haven’t been told of?
 
Was that a quote from a dealer or an independent shop? Definitely shop around, try to find an independent shop that specializes in Mazdas if there are any near you.
 
How many miles does the vehicle have?, did you buy new or used? These are the things that should be considered when deciding whether or not to put money into it.
 
Thanks, it was an independent shop I trust and work with. We purchased used about 6 years ago. It’s been great, we have had several long trips in it, so I think it’s around 180,000 miles now…
 
Used engines are in the $2-3k range, and can be swapped in for another couple grand in labor.

It seems like it's worth around $8-9k with a working engine. If it were me, I'd probably scrap it and move on. What shape is the rest of the car in?
 
Parting it out would be tough as the demand for parts isn't that great. Take off what you think you can sell (tires etc) and cut your losses. Or, give her some love and keep her.

I paid $10K for my '09 two years ago, and now I see them for $6-8k, so their value is dropping.

And FYI, it most likely didn't stop with no warning; the temp gauge would start climbing then the engine would start making some noise.
 
Yea, think I am going to cut my losses. If I had the time, I would get a used engine and do it myself. But with starting a new career, I just don’t think the wife would like me taking that on also!
 
So, heading says it all. I was out of town, wife called said it was toast. No warning, just stopped. It’s been a good car, just disappointed. Always happens at the worst of times. So…my current options I have been told, about 8 grand to swap another engine in, or sell it to a scrap yard for like a grand. We just put new tires on it about 6 months ago, heck that was $900ish…is it worth parting out on my own or are there options I haven’t been told of?
Currently having the same dilemma. Having someone look at it tomorrow. I’ve read some things about a class action lawsuit. Anyone have more info on this?
 
You must be joking. A 10 year old vehicle with a worn out water pump and a "Class action suit"
 
Actually my car is 7 years old and I doubt the engine should need to be replaced within that timeframe. So do you have any info to share that you would find helpful if in this same situation?
 
Yea some people have gotten together to start a class action on this due to location of water pump and it being contained inside the timing housing I believe. With this failure, the engine does not over heat, from the research i have done, and what my wife told me about when it happened to her, the CEL comes on and it goes into a “limp mode”. I would assume if you were to continue to try and drive it the engine would over heat. But she immediately shut it down and had it towed to an indie shop. We are still trying to decide what to do with it. I have looked at a few used engines. I wonder if i took it out and sent it to a shop to rebuild if that would work…i used to rebuild and swap engines myself, so it would be a task, but i am sure i could do it…with a few cold ones. Has anyone done that with thiers?
 
Also, again from what i have read. With the location of the water pump, if the bearing in it goes out, the water will start leaking down into the oil pan and mixing with the oil. I have not seen/read a situation where it happened over time. Its always the same “driving one day, car gets sluggish and just stopped” so now you have oil moxed with water running through the engine. Many have said the 2nd issue from this is possible metal shavings from said bearing from water pump. So, its either scrap the car for what you can get for it, or replace the engine. Again, i wonder if the engine can be pulled, sent to a machine shop to clean and check, then “rebuild” with new bearings, water pump and timing components. Seems to me this possibly could work and be a little cheaper than a used engine that i would want to replace some of those parts anyway…
 
Also, again from what i have read. With the location of the water pump, if the bearing in it goes out, the water will start leaking down into the oil pan and mixing with the oil. I have not seen/read a situation where it happened over time. Its always the same “driving one day, car gets sluggish and just stopped” so now you have oil moxed with water running through the engine. Many have said the 2nd issue from this is possible metal shavings from said bearing from water pump. So, its either scrap the car for what you can get for it, or replace the engine. Again, i wonder if the engine can be pulled, sent to a machine shop to clean and check, then “rebuild” with new bearings, water pump and timing components. Seems to me this possibly could work and be a little cheaper than a used engine that i would want to replace some of those parts anyway…
Thank you! It did happen all of a sudden with no noise or dashboard light indicating a problem, and my oil was “muddy”. Took it to AAA and they said coolant was low, engine overheated, and that I had a cracked head gasket. I had an oil change just a couple of months prior with no indication of a problem. I’m stuck now also trying to figure out what to do but unfortunately for me, no nothing about cars. Car is in otherwise good condition.
 
... With this failure, the engine does not over heat, from the research i have done, and what my wife told me about when it happened to her, the CEL comes on and it goes into a “limp mode”. ....

Doing research is good, but how do you know that the engine in your vehicle didn't overheat? How about the OBD code(s) - did you get that information? And the condition of the oil and the coolant - did you look at them yourself to see if there's evidence of those fluids mixing?

You're asking about possible engine rebuilding options, but have not supplied any information on what condition it might currently be in, so it's impossible to offer any advice about rebuilding it.
 
Currently having the same dilemma. Having someone look at it tomorrow. I’ve read some things about a class action lawsuit. Anyone have more info on this?

The class action suit has been mostly dismissed, I think all but a couple claims have been tossed out.

I wouldn't expect any relief to come of this, Ford is choosing to litigate rather than settle. It's a poor design, but the plaintiffs in the case haven't produced evidence that Ford knowingly installed defective parts.
 
I've read a number of posts about this failure and the stories seem to fall into a couple categories:

1. The check engine light comes on, and the code is related to a timing disagreement between one or both camshaft sensors and the crank sensor. This is likely caused by the oil getting contaminated with water and gumming up the VVT actuators.
2. The car just dies, no warning.

I am wondering if the water pump can either start to leak slowly in some cases and in others it fails catastrophically and dumps a massive amount of coolant into the oll suddenly. In the slow leak case it could slowly contaminate the oil and cause the VVT errors. On the other hand, a sudden large leak could trash the bearings without any warning at all and without overheating the engine. Either way, the result is contaminated oil and probably bearing damage.
 
Is it fixable? The dealership says it will be about $10k to fix but a neighborhood mechanic may be able to do it for half. Generally speaking, will replacing the engine take care of the problem? Trying to decide whether it’s worth the headache or cut my losses and maybe sell it for $1000.
 
It's a bit of a gamble to fix it which is why the dealers typically just jump straight to replacing the engine.

It's impossible to know the condition of the crankshaft bearings, connecting rod bearings, and the crankshaft surfaces without really ripping into the engine, which costs big money. So, you could roll the dice and replace the water pump, the VVT actuators, flush the oil, and cross your fingers, but that costs $3-4k at dealer rates. You can cut that cost by a substantial amount if you can do your own work, but it is not a simple job (there's a DIY on this forum if you want to see what you are facing). But, there's no guarantee that the bearings aren't scored and if it fails afterwards you've spent all that money for nothing.
 
Edmaz, I haven’t pulled the codes, it didn’t over heat, I can attest to that. The fluids did mix, but when it happened it was shut off immediately. I am sure I don’t know the whole story, but I trust what my wife told me and her story matches others. I was really just generally asking, would it be worth pulling, sending to a machine shop to clean and check then put back in with new parts, vs buying a used. Guess I could have just asked if anyone experienced that side. I know someone has posted a thread and I am about to jump on it. Don’t mind doing the work myself so…
 
... I haven’t pulled the codes ...
You definitely should read the codes before doing anything else. The ECM put it into limp mode because of something significant that it didn't like, and you really should find out what that is, and how it might relate to any repair you're considering.


would it be worth pulling, sending to a machine shop to clean and check then put back in with new parts, vs buying a used. ...
I'd be surprised if a machine shop would do that job, unless they're also engine rebuilders. So unless you already know of a shop that will do this, you would need to see if you can even find one.

And if you decide to DIY, then why not just remove everything down to the block, and see what that brings. If there's been very little mixing as you believe, then you should be able to just replace the WP and HG, button it up, and be done with it. No sense IMO of going through the extra work of removing and reinstalling the engine, unless you have to. But as always, your vehicle, your choice.
 
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