What's a good aftermarket brand for waterpump replacement?

[skydragoness]

Like the title says, just wondering what else besides Nissan makes good replacement parts. I checked out Rockauto for waterpumps for my DE and they have Beck/Arnley, Cardone, AC Delco (from what i hear they are good?), Airtex, etc.

As far as the waterpump goes, I had a screeching belt sound pop up Friday night that was intermittent and then went away after 2 miles of driving. This evening I finally got around to tightening the power steering/water pump belt as it had some decent amount of play. So i suspected that was the culprit. Well, I took it out for a 3 mile drive and the belt screeched, but only for a second and only when i down-shifted (wasn't driving the car hard at all) and it stopped screeching at all on the 3 miles back to the house. The alternator belt felt fine and as for all the belts they are all Nissan-made and were installed this past September. Eh, i don't know the history of this car so i figured maybe the waterpump is acting weird as I have been told that loose/stretched belts screech all the time--which they aren't.

Any input is appreciated
Modified by skydragoness at 8:12 PM 11/22/2005

[NateDogg]

I would just stick with OEM if I were you. There have been a couple of revisions to them and I wouldnt chance getting an inferior product for saving a couple bucks from an off brand.

[skydragoness]

Perhaps. But it depends on the difference in price, you see, a lot of aftermarket water pumps w/ the exception i think of the more expensive Beck/Arnely(40.00) and AC Delco (43.99) are just remanufactured Nissan OE waterpumps. They may also have warranties while Nissan doesn't do such a thing w/ their parts. That's why I was asking which brand does a better job. I have yet to check what the Nissan OE one runs but the difference in price isn't going to be a 'couple of bucks' i bet. Despite the fact that i can have my bf get one with his discount since he works at Nissan. The remanned' OEM ones run between 20.79 to 30.00.

Anyhow, anyone else have any exp.? I had the waterpump done on my prev. S13 but i have no idea what brand it was since it was done by a mechanic.

[Meantime]

I've had good experiences with AC Delco pumps, but I agree that the OE part is your best bet.

I had a screeching belt on my KA due to a locked-up A/C compressor, it had similar symptoms to what you're describing before it totally siezed up, check if your pulleys are all rotating smoothly.

[skydragoness]

I've had good experiences with AC Delco pumps, but I agree that the OE part is your best bet.

I had a screeching belt on my KA due to a locked-up A/C compressor, it had similar symptoms to what you're describing before it totally siezed up, check if your pulleys are all rotating smoothly.

Cool! Thanks for the input. I'm going to take a look at it in the comfort of the heated Nissan garage tonight to see if everything is rotating smoothly. Like I said the waterpump is factory (blue sealant and such) but is not leaking at all. So not having to replace it right now before xmas would be nice.

[Touchdown038]

I'm running an AC Delco (with lifetime warranty) on my rebuilt motor and it seems to be good so far. Spun nice and easily before I put it on.