Ah, that's right. Well the pump is silly easy to replace. So little had to come off to do it, pretty much just belt and fan if I recall. The t-stat housing stays in place.

Also:
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/t...r-pump.164650/

So maybe Airtex is OEM, but I have a feeling what they made for Rover proper was of some version of higher quality. Because water pump failures are not a super common issue on the 4.4 - they do at higher milage of course. But the feedback on Airtex pumps seems to indicate they fail VERY early.

 

Well that's a bummer. I'll talk with AB Monday again and see what they say. I would think they wouldn't put it out for sale if they did not approve.

There's been a few times I've kicked myself over the extra cash vs. the downtime w/new leak but then again, I've learned a lot also.

 

I have found the 2 piece pumps will leak from the gasket they use between the halves. The airtex I had used a paper gasket and it started leaking nearly immediately.

 

Talked to Atlantic British and they are sending a new pump. They said rarrely do these leak as they are the OEM mfg. and it's the same pump. The shop is willing to look at it and see if they messed up the install. If they did, they will cover the labor and fix. If it's the part that failed, I pay the labor again. Since I failed getting the fan off I'm going to try that although how they can tell if they failed the install is beyond me and I just expect the part to be at fault. Shop apt. next week and will update then.

 

Just as an FYI, I've found the AC Delco pump to be well made and reliable. I like that it's a one piece design too.

 

Turns out it was the t-stat housing that was leaking. Not the water pump., Now it's not leaking.