Gates Water Pump 42097 Review

I bought this water pump for my 2006 Buick Lacrosse. I replaced the pump at the same time as replacing two leaking plastic water heater elbows. The pump fits perfectly. This pump comes with a metal gasket that should seal on its own. My mechanic smeared sealant just in case. There are no leaks yet.

Another great Gates product, I've always used timing belts with them. I chose this over the Delco AC pump because it comes with a metal gasket (which is what you want) and not the paper gasket that comes with the Delco AC. Precision fit, easy installation apart from any scratches from old gasket material and sealant from the last installation. By the way, this metal gasket doesn't require any sealant, I haven't used it, it's nice and tight, no leaks.

bought in 2018 to replace a leaking pump. Fast forward to this year and my car started losing coolant again. At first the mechanic thought it was the pump but after replacing it again found that the leak was actually the head gasket and the two year old pump was fine. I have no idea how long it would have taken as I ended up trading the car in for a new one. I think it wasn't that difficult to install.

My old water pump was leaking out of the drain hole so I ordered this from Gates. The hardest part was getting the old pump out as the shop that installed the old pump used about 10 pounds of RTV. Be sure to cut off the old RTV and have a pry bar handy (note the guide pins on the timing cover) if yours does too. As another reviewer mentioned, you also need to remove the two power steering pump bolts to access the bottom bolt on the pump. Also, be sure to flush the system completely before…