Thinking about buying aQ45

[philsShelby]

I was curious as to how hard it is to change out a water pump. It is a `994 Q45. He said that the water pump is bad. Im not sure how he can tell but he said after 30 minutes the car will start to run hot. I think it has 150k miles on it. Also said it has a rough idle sometime and a tune up would most likely help it. Thanks for the help.

[Ozzie]

Water pump is easy....

Remove all the belts, unbolt the pump, replace, put belts back on, done!Took me around 15 minutes.

The water pump has a relief hole on the underside, close to the pulley, to allow water out once the seal(s) perish. (it's a small slot, you should be able to feel it with your finger)

Water will run out of this slot once the seals are dead.You will probably see some staining on the timing chain cover from the leaking water if this is the case.

Good luck!

[96Qowner]

Don't run that motor hot - very bad. If the present owner knew it was hot, he might already have caused damage. Don't repeat his mistake. Think hard about it before you buy the car.

The rough idle is most likely injectors. There are instructions on Q45.org about an easy way to test the injectors:

Checking Fuel Injector Resistance - 1990-1996 Q45

Also a discussion of rough idle, on the same site:

Resolving Rough Idle - 1990-1996 Q45

[maxnix]

Read the buying guide sticky!

Don't buy a Q45 that has been over heated.

Perform compression test no matter what.

Look for coolant seepage under the plenum and around the heads.