A properly functioning water pump is critical to the continued functionality of any engine. If your water pump fails and you continue to drive your vehicle while the engine is hot, you will destroy your engine – no ifs, ands, or butts about it. Your engine relies on your water pump to force coolant through its water jacket. By forcing coolant that has just gone through the radiator into the engine, you also force the heated coolant out of the engine and into your vehicle’s radiator where it is cooled as it travels through the radiator, only to come out, hit the water pump, and go through the cycle again.

Water pumps are a belt driven accessory with two main different configurations. The first configuration type involves the power originally coming from the crank shaft pulley. Some vehicles use a serpentine belt to drive all accessories, including the water pump. If this is the case for your vehicle, your serpentine belt is very important. In addition to driving the water pump, it would also drive the alternator, power steering pump, and air conditioning compressor. It does this by taking power from the crank shaft pulley which is typically mounted on the front of the engine. You can also take power from the crank shaft pulley indirectly. For example, I have a friend with a 1968 Corvette with a water pump driven by a double pulley that comes of the air conditioning compressor. The main belt spins the air conditioning compressor pulley not only rotates the compressor, but has a secondary groove with the water pump belt in it. That belt in turn rotates the air conditioning compressor.

The second main type of water pump configuration is one in which the timing belt drives the water pump. This is common in Camry engines, Honda engines, or any vehicle with an interference engine (my 1997 Audi A4 has a water pump driven by the timing belt). Here is something you should know. Any time you change a water pump driven by a timing belt, replace the belt. Any time you replace a timing belt that drives a water pump, replace the the water pump.

There are two reasons for this. The first is that both of these are maintenance items. They have to be replaced at some point or your engine won’t work (I have information on maintenance schedules below).

The second reason is that if your belt or pump breaks, the other unit won’t work. If your water pump locks up, it will strip the teeth on the timing belt. If that happens, and you have an interference engine, you’ll be calling Low Mileage Engines looking for a new motor. While we value our customers and want to do a good job for you, we prefer helping folks who have gotten a lot of life out of their original engine and haven’t had a preventable failure!

You should always follow your vehicle’s owners manual for the maintenance schedule. A General rule of thumb for vehicles made in the last 20 years are that if you have a KIA, you should replace the belt and water pump every 40,000 miles. All other vehicles should be considered for a timing belt change at 60,000 miles. Again, and I cannot stress this enough, make sure you replace the belt driving the water pump when you replace it, and vice versa.

Age should also be taken into consideration in the maintenance schedule. Personally, if the mileage to justify a change hasn’t been reached but the belt has been in use for five years, I would change it because belts can get dry rot over time. Changing a belt is so cheap compared to what could happen if the belt breaks that it doesn’t make sense to not change it.

You should consider replacing the water pump on any used engine you install, period. As a bolt on accessory, a water pump isn’t warranted and failure could lead to overheating, which voids any warranty. This includes warantees on new engines, used engines, remanufactured engines, reconditioned engines, rebuilt engines, or any other adjective in front of “engines.”

If your water pump has failed and you find yourself needing a replacement engine, please, call the sales staff of Low Mileage Engines at 901-266-9996. We would be more than happy to quote you on the engine you need, explain what makes our warranty the best in the industry, and answer any questions you may have.

no ifs, ands, or buts

Popularity: 5% [?]

A History of Honda Accord Engines, 1990-Present

Ranked second on the list of Affordable Midsize Cars by U.S. News, the Honda Accord has shown great improvements since Honda began manufacturing it in 1976. Although the Accord has had many changes in things such as its design and size, this article will focus on the transformation of the Accord’s engine over the past twenty years in North America; the engines in cars overseas differed at times from the North American models. Certain aspects, such as the size and power, of the engine have change from 1990 to now and have only increased the reliability and popularity of the Accord.

In 1990, Honda introduced its fourth generation of Accords. This generation of Accords included a 2.2 liter, 16 valve electronic fuel injected engine standard. There were three versions of the Accord in this generation: DX, LX, and EX. The DX and LX came equipped with engine F22A1, which had 125 horsepower with four cylinders and 93 kW. During the fourth generation, the EX version of the Accord came equipped with two different engines. Engine F22A4 was used in 1990 and 1991; this engine had 130 horsepower with 97 kW. In 1992, engine F22A6 was introduced in the EX Accords, and it had 135 horsepower with 100 kW; this engine was used until 1993.

In 1994, the fifth generation of Accords was introduced. The main change in this generation was seen in the EX model. The engine still had 2.2 liters with four cylinders, but the new VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) version of the engine increased its horsepower to 140 horsepower with 108 kW. According to HowStuffWorks, the VTEC allowed the engine to have multiple camshafts. In 1995, Honda began using the C27 engine in the Accord. This was a V6 engine with 2.7 liters, and it was only offered in the LX and EX versions.

In 1998, the sixth generation of Accords burst onto the scene. This generation of Accords came with the option of a four-cylinder engine or a V6 engine. The DX four-cylinder engine was equipped with 2.3 liters, 130 horsepower, and 97 kW. The LX and EX models came with 150 horsepower, 112 kW, and included VTEC. The other engine option was the V6 engine. All V6 models included three liters, 200 horsepower, 150 kW, and VTEC.

2003 was the first year for the seventh generation of Accords. During this generation, the four-cylinder engines had 2.4 liters with 160 horsepower; while, V6 engines saw an increase in horsepower to 240 horsepower because of changes to the intake and exhaust. The Accord Hybrid was introduced in the 2005 model year and included a V6 engine that produced 255 horsepower. In 2006, the 30^th anniversary year for the Accord, the V6 engine increased its power to 244 horsepower and the four-cylinder engine increased its power to 166 horsepower; the 2006 Accord Hybrid was re-rated at 253 horsepower with 189 kW.

According to Edmunds, the current Accord has better engine performance without losing any of its fuel efficiency. Now in its eighth generation, the Accord still offers a four-cylinder or V6 engine. The basic 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine now produces 177 horsepower; in the EX, an upgraded version of this engine is available that produces 190 horsepower. The V6 engines now are 3.5 liters and include VCM (Variable Cylinder Management), which shuts off two or three of the cylinders while driving; the VCM can increase the horsepower of the V6 to 271 horsepower with 202 kW.

Overall, the Honda Accord engine has shown itself to be very reliable. Drivers around the country have continued to show their love for the Accord, as seen in the increase in sales. The Accord continues to win awards and despite the importance of the appearance of a vehicle, the Accord would not receive these accolades without having a strong engine. It is evident in the previous twenty years that Honda values improvement in its engine, and as the heart of the vehicle, one must believe that the Accord’s engine will only get better in the next twenty years.

As always, if you need an engine, please feel free to get fill out an online request for a quote on replacement engine or call us at 901-266-9996.

Popularity: 5% [?]

What You Need to Know About Water Pumps

no ifs, ands, or buts

A History of Honda Accord Engines, 1990-Present

Get a free quote on a used engine