I have an 06 MMH with 65k miles. I want to replace the M/E pump as "predictive" maintenance. I still have the larger origional pump.

I saw a Dorman pump on Rock Auto for ~$137. Have there been any issues with aftermarket pumps? or is there a reason I should stay with OEM.

Thanks,
~C

 

The OEM pump is available for $166+shipping from Silver State Ford Parts online. That's what I bought.

 

86,000 miles on my 2005 FEH with the orginal MECS pump. No issues yet. I did purchase a new replacement pump last year and keep it in the vehicle during the warmer months of the year. Unless I develop issues, I'm planning to keep the orginal MECS pump in until around 100-120,000 miles when it will be replaced.

 

You might check with local dealers parts depts. I've found that one of my local dealers usually has parts for the same prices and the lowest I can find at any dealer on-line. For example, in this case, he has the MECS pump for $167.

 

Thanks All,

I replaced mecs coolant for the 5 year maintenance recommended by the service manual.
I think I will buy the pump and just hold on to it. It is easy enought to install on the side of the road...(if necessary). That's a great price from Silver State, thanks. I think I will go OEM for just a few bucks more. The local dealer wanted about $300 for th pump.

 

OEM parts are "generally" made to stricter specifications and tolerances. For a price difference like the ones you quoted, it doesn't seem worth contemplating. Go with the Ford part. The other might be fine but do you want to find out the hard way over $30? Thanks for posting the information - Rockauto is the best.

 

Not so because OEM parts mostly are not made by Ford. Look at the gas line leak recall on the 2013 Escape. Ford doesn't make gas lines. They hardly make or machine any parts themselves these days as everything they can is outsourced.

Recall for engine fluid leaks on the 2013 Escape again. Engines come from the UK poorly assembled but I'm unsure if it's Ford assembled there.

 

OEM Parts can be made by many different manufacturers, yes, of course, I agree. However, they are made to Ford Factory specifications and tolerances. Depending on what type of part it is, it may be a very unique design to a specific manufacturer. I think this particular part fits that description.

Sometimes (not always) aftermarket manufacturers will cut corners by using inferior materials and manufactur parts using more liberal tolerances. The parts may be manufactured in a different country... Such as... Oh... say, China? If one could ascertain the manufacturer's information that would give you some idea of the quality of the part, it might be an OEM quality part with a different label on it. I don't usually have time to research who made a particular part, or if it's a quality part or not.

OEM parts have never let me down. An excellent example of this is thermostats. If you compare OEM Ford thermostats to aftermarket (junk), you'll see a difference that is impossible to ignore. The gauge of the metal is much thinner on the non-OEM part, the qaulity of manufacturing is starkly different, and the part may, in some cases, not even look the same at all aside from actually fitting inside the thermostat housing.

Obviously if an OEM part is known to be weak or of poor design, there may be aftermarket parts available that address those know issues. Generally (yes, I'm generalizing here) OEM parts are worth spending a few bucks extra for because they will fit and they will perform per the originally designed specifications and parameters of the car.

That said, sometimes it's a HUGE price difference! Some wear items are good examples of this. Brake parts - Huge price difference between OEM and even the highest quality aftermarket parts.

Don't take my word for it. Ask a few professional mechanics which parts they would choose if money was not an issue. I came to this opinion after many years of working on cars, and through the advice of experienced mechanic friends. I've had to spend many hours replacing poor quality parts in my early days when I couldn't afford the good stuff. OEM parts are indeed "generally" considered by experts to be the best.

 

The '09 Escape which I own started to have LH half-shaft ATF leaks in late '08 blamed on poor surface finish on the axle to the point the parts were back ordered for two months. The repair job became a kit. Some have had the leak three times and one I can hardly believe nine times.

This happened so many times that Ford to save cost altered the repair kit forcing the mechanic to use only one part of the half-shaft or rebuild it.

The same problem exsisted in the '10MY also. Why would it take that long to fix a part quality problem?

I'm on my second ATF leak right now but never had the half-shaft seal leak yet. They power washed the area, added dye to the ATF, gave it back to me to wait for it to leak again. So it sits with a drip pan underneath it. I told them that it leaks after a drive on the Xway and they never even drove it! There's more to the story but I've said enough.

 

In this case, let's hope there is an aftermarket fix if Ford can't figure out how to correct the problem! I hate reading things like this... Known problems that the engineers can't seem to figure out how to fix. At least they're attempting to fix it. Not that it makes it any better for owners of these vehicles. It could be worse... If it was a Chrysler product, you'd be told that it's a design flaw and you'll just have to live with it - Bummer dude. Every Chrysler owner I know has complained about flaws in their cars that Chrysler refuses to even acknowledge that it should be fixed.