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Water Pump- Bosch vs GMB vs Gates

billkaz

Bomber Dream
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Location
Maple Ridge, BC
Just picked up a 92 240 Wagon. Previous owner says it it tends to run a little warm in warm weather and thinks that the radiator needs replacement. I've got the rad already, and it looks like the water pump may be weeping a bit, so I might as well do that at the same time.

Question is, which water pump brand seems to be the preferred replacement?
 
Hepu. Order one online.

All the ones you listed probably have crappy stamped impellers, I know the GMB does, and I am pretty sure the Bosch does as well. The volvo OEM ones do too now so don't get those either.
 
And a cheap stamped impellar is going to impede coolant flow and thermal capacity how? Is it going to increase shaft wear?

I don't think so.

Alden, are we going Gucci, just for Gucci's sake, or is there a reason you're so choosy about your water pump?
 
The last hepu i bought was $45 so they're not expensive.

The stamped is more likely to cavitate that then cast because of its design. For mom it's probably fine, but I rev my car and cavitation is bad mmmkay?
 
Ran a Bosch one shortly after I picked up my wagon since I needed one asap and that's all I could get. A year later the bearings were shot and the impeller had started spinning on the shaft, plus the impeller was rusting...with a proper 50/50 mix run the whole time.

Currently have a GMB on the truck, known plenty of guys running them in non-Volvo applications without an issue.

Spend the extra $5-10 and get the Hepu.
 
Ran a Bosch one shortly after I picked up my wagon since I needed one asap and that's all I could get. A year later the bearings were shot and the impeller had started spinning on the shaft, plus the impeller was rusting...with a proper 50/50 mix run the whole time.

Currently have a GMB on the truck, known plenty of guys running them in non-Volvo applications without an issue.

Spend the extra $5-10 and get the Hepu.

You most likely bought a Bosch pump when a Bosch pump was actually a re-branded Airtex pump. The Airtex is pure garbage. I had two of them fail within months of being installed. They are so bad Bosch had their own pumps made. The GMB pumps are fine, IMO. I have been using GMB pumps on Volvos for the past 30 years and never had one fail prematurely.
 
I've run Bosch, GMB and HEPU.


Three Bosch pumps in my car in a two week period because of ****ty failures causing it to leak like a sieve and make me limp my car home from the college twice, the last leak luckily was slow enough that I could just top it off but I still got a HEPU in there and the HEPU is fantastic.

The only GMB I've used worked well, didn't need RTV or anything and it's still working just as intended in my girlfriend's car.


I forget what's in the 760 but I think it's a Bosch. Got it before the ones in my car that were all ****, but I also RTV'd the **** out of it because that car is mangled and needed the help.
 
bosch

i recently changed out a bosch i installed and it lasted 45,000 miles.
picked it up at local auto parts store for 50 bucks. pep boys.
didnt buy another.
 
I usually install the GMB pumps on both customer cars and personal cars, but use the Hepu pump from time to time. With a sample group or several hundred redblock water pumps and 15 years or so, I have found no significant difference in their longevity. The Hepu pump does look like a nicer unit when you are holding it in your hand, but that's not all that important to me.

EDIT I see references to RTV above- I suggest using Hylomar on the gasket and a little vasoline on the o-ring instead for this application. Makes your life much easier next time you do the pump.
 
I usually install the GMB pumps on both customer cars and personal cars, but use the Hepu pump from time to time. With a sample group or several hundred redblock water pumps and 15 years or so, I have found no significant difference in their longevity. The Hepu pump does look like a nicer unit when you are holding it in your hand, but that's not all that important to me.

EDIT I see references to RTV above- I suggest using Hylomar on the gasket and a little vasoline on the o-ring instead for this application. Makes your life much easier next time you do the pump.

Wow.

http://cleanflametrap.com/wasserpumpen.html
 
I usually install the GMB pumps on both customer cars and personal cars, but use the Hepu pump from time to time. With a sample group or several hundred redblock water pumps and 15 years or so, I have found no significant difference in their longevity. The Hepu pump does look like a nicer unit when you are holding it in your hand, but that's not all that important to me.

EDIT I see references to RTV above- I suggest using Hylomar on the gasket and a little vasoline on the o-ring instead for this application. Makes your life much easier next time you do the pump.

^^ And whatever you do, don't use RTV on the seal between the head and pump, or on the water tube o-ring. That will result in a leak more often than not.
 
The Bosch I had was circa 2006ish, actually had Bosch stamped into the casting, stamped impeller and all that jazz.

That does not mean it was made by Bosch. The belts, filters etc Volvo sells all say Volvo on them, yet, are manufactured by Continental, Mann etc. The early Bosch pumps, circa the one you bought, were made by Airtex. The pumps Bosch sells now are made by Bosch. That is according to a Rep of a huge wholesale warehouse that supplies a majority of the auto parts stores in my region.
 
Yeah, I'm well aware of the mass production lineup, with Airtex repackaging a lot of stuff. Just kinda tossed it out there if it helped ID when it was made and under whom.
 
I blew out a few heater cores with the GMB. I wouldn't use it on most. I prefer the hepu and think they last a little longer.

Still, the bearings and life of the GMB given a balanced engine cooling fan, properly tensioned OE belts and not shot alternator bushings, and good coolant/pressure cap, will last a long time.

Either or for most cars that aren't revved real high. Hepu if you want to rev it a bit with the OE pullies.
 
FWIW too, the Hepu fits better than my OEM volvo pump that was twice the price ever did

Y'wanna know why? :) The top seal Hepu supplies is garbage, so it compresses easily, making it real easy to thread the screws. In a year or so, you'll have a leak. I did. Twice. I replaced two pumps with Hepu's at the same time, both failed there after the same number of miles. I've done countless B230/B234 water pumps, and never had a leaker.

On stamped impellers in OEM pumps: Lotsa "I know best" in the community on this subject. I never had a problem with cooling. I did a water pump on an XC-90 T6 and was surprised to see a nearly identical impeller on that pump. For 6 cylinders, and two turbo's!

Best thing you can do is go Hepu with seals from Volvo, but then you're paying as much or more than OEM. OEM Pump from Tasca is $71 as of last night.

-Ryan
 
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