I have a 1997 f150 with a 4.2 engine. It has about 140,000 miles. Anyway just recently the water pump broke, and of course the coolant leaked out and I was stranded. It looks like you would hit the water pump pulley (from the top) with a big hammer. It did not break off, but just cracked on each side and leaked the coolant out.
Has anyone heard of this before?
Anyway I am putting a new pump on today, but I started to wonder why this happened. My first thought was some caveman mechanic worked on this truck, because on other repairs I have seen evidence of using a big hammer and over-tightening every bolt. I also know that the water pump was removed and replaced because of the blue silicone squished out around the pump. Thank you for any feedback. Dennis

 

You never know where the pump was manufactured. A couple decades ago, I bought a new water pump that cost $11 for my 86 Monte Carlo SS that was manufactured in Poland. It worked fine.

 

Got the new water pump in today. Did not start it because I need to get more antifreeze and I did not want to open the garage door. It is wind and freezing rain outside and tomorrow is another day (better I hope).

 

Hopefully you got it fixed. Stay warm!