Quick question on intercooler pump...

[RailHomie]

I know there have been a million and a half threads on the intercooler pump issue (and I've read most, if not all of them), BUT I want to make sure...

I have an '04 with 116k miles on it (just got it a couple weeks ago), and I checked to see if the pump was working. I started the car and watched the fluid inside...no movement. I pinched one of the rubber tubes, fluid didn't travel up, pinched the other...the same.

I'm thinking the pump is not working at all (though I've read some conflicting posts saying that it won't flow if the polarity is wrong).
And I'm definitely noticing a performance difference between the engine being hot and cold.

Will the dealer replace this for me for free? Obviously it's completely out of warranty, but it is a TSB...?
If so, what do I say to them to get them to do it? I know I'm not supposed to give them the TSB number.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Pat

[ebristol]

The pump is set on a 10 second delay after the car is started. So it does not come on immediately. Check with your dealer to get a repair history of your car and find out if the TBS has been performed and if the pump has ever been replaced.

With 116K you now own the RL with the most milage reported on this forum!

Congrats.

[IMkenNY]

TSBs wont get you a free pump but their only $100 on Ebay.

[RailHomie]

Yeah, I know about the 10 second delay, I waited on that.
The guy i got it from was pretty meticulous about writing down the things that were done to it and also gave me printouts that saturn gave him after servicing as well. Is this step just to make sure I can get them to do it? (since they probably wouldn't do it if it was done before?)

Yeah, not exactly the best thing to be a record holder on, hah.
But hey, looks like I'll be the one to test it's longevity...

[ebristol]

Originally Posted by RailHomie

Yeah, I know about the 10 second delay, I waited on that.
The guy i got it from was pretty meticulous about writing down the things that were done to it and also gave me printouts that saturn gave him after servicing as well. Is this step just to make sure I can get them to do it? (since they probably wouldn't do it if it was done before?)

Yeah, not exactly the best thing to be a record holder on, hah.
But hey, looks like I'll be the one to test it's longevity...

Its not a bad thing.

Oh and change your supercharger oil!

Change your SC oil

Sorry but its my latest pet peeve! lol

[RailHomie]

Yeah, I've definitely put that on my list of things to do. How often does transmission fluid get changed?
So the verdict is that even if the IC pump hasn't been serviced before, I'm not going to get a free replacement?
If not, I'll save the trip and buy one to do it myself. Seems quite simple. I know Ford sells them for around $90. Is that the best price that's been found?
Thanks for your help guys.

[ebristol]

Originally Posted by RailHomie

Yeah, I've definitely put that on my list of things to do. How often does transmission fluid get changed?
So the verdict is that even if the IC pump hasn't been serviced before, I'm not going to get a free replacement?
If not, I'll save the trip and buy one to do it myself. Seems quite simple. I know Ford sells them for around $90. Is that the best price that's been found?
Thanks for your help guys.

Depending on how the car driven....I would recommend changing the trans fluid every 60k. If your car has that many miles it must be a lot of highway miles. How does it look? Get your trans fluid from Saturn. I know someone who used RP and had transmission troubles after. He thinks the RP had something to do with it.

Saturn will not pay for a new IC pump. Ford dealers have the best price on the IC pump. Sometimes you can find one a little cheaper on ebay. But if your pump is dead go get a new one right away.

You could probably change it yourself. But it would not hurt to call Saturn and ask them if they can do the repair for you if you bring in the pump. Its worth a try. But with 100K miles and not being the original owner they might not go for it.

Good luck!

[Ahriman]

for the record, our pump wont flow at all if its wired in reverse. our pump has an impellar not a propellar, i have a broken pump that i smashed open just to see for myself.

[RailHomie]

Ah, I thought I'd read that somewhere. Maybe that's my problem. I need to check the polarity then and switch it if needed before I go buy a pump!
Thanks!