Going 60 MPH over a hill pass when I got the dreaded triangle of doom and "Stop Safely Now". I had only EV at this point - and there was no shoulder. So I stopped dead in the middle of the far right lane. I had to turn the engine off for 10 LONG seconds and then turn it back on to recover. It lasted about 2 minutes and happened again. This time there was a shoulder, and I pulled over, turned the engine off an back on, and was able to get home.

The MECS pump has been very noisy lately, so it is not unexpected. I left the car with the dealer (extended warranty) and got a rental (off the extended warranty), since he said they might have to order parts.

If I hadn't had the warranty which pays for the replacement after failure (but not before), I would have proactively replaced the part last month.

62.5K on my FEH.

 

Thank goodness you and the FEH are in one piece. Some of us don't have this issue and there are reports of drivers going over 100,000 miles on their MECS pump without replacement.

 

Yeah, I was REALLY fortunate that there was unusually light traffic last night. Most evenings that freeway is like the Indy 500.

BTW, at noon the manager called and said it was fixed. The pump was bad and they replaced it. The manager said it was the MECS pump, but the repair order says water pump. I checked the temperature last night, and the SG did not show any high engine temperatures.

The repair order said:

Perform DIAG - Found code P0A3E

Over heating code - performed TSB 08-24-5 inspect and test water pump. Failed replace pump assembly and retest - OK

Part number 5M6Z8C419A Kit - Water Pump Repair.

 

Steve, I checked code POA3E and it is a generator overheat code. Hope they changed the MECS pump and not the EV heater pump like I've heard reported in the past.

GaryG

 

Well, the loud noise is gone, so hopefully it was the right one. Certainly the service manager said it was the MECS pump.

I never thought about it, but since it is a cooling pump, it is logical that it is pumping a liquid. Hard to believe they would use simple water for that system though, considering the cold extremes the vehicle may be exposed to.

 

It's not plain water....it uses the same coolant as in your radiator/engine cooling system.

 

Thanks for the info. I suppose "radiator/engine cooling system liquid coolant pump" would be a bit long for the parts catalog.

 

The MECS pump is pretty visible. Look behind the front bumper and you should be able to see whether you have a new one.

 

I changed the MECS pump yesterday on my 2007 FEH 34,000 miles. Went pretty smooth after reading a few posts. Used Zerex G-05 to refill the system. Did not vent, hoping that normal driving will get all the air out. Will pay attention to the level for the next few days.
I took apart the old original pump and it seems like a pretty good design for the pump but as soon as I got the motor apart the black carbon dust began falling out in large quantities. The brushes were just 1/8 inch long.
Hope the new motor is brushless. I will get new brushes and repair this MECS pump in case I need it again.
Bought new in Dec. 2006 and so far changed the traction blend door actuator and this MECS pump. Rotated tires and changed oil a few times so still pretty happy with it even if it turned off the engine on I-95 (4 hours from home) going 65 and then said "Stop safely now" as if I had any choice but to stop after it killed the engine.

Biought pump from http://www.tousleyfordparts.com for $167 plus 12 bucks shipping.

 

Good report. What part number did you order?