Is there any connection between the battery and the cooling system/water pump?

[jlourens]

I have a 2010 Edge SEL at 150k miles.

Battery died last week and could not get it jumped, so I charged it over night. Battery was under a year old so I took it to my mechanic to see why it could've died. They pointed out the cable connecting my battery was corroded/worn out, so they suggested replacing it.

They replaced it and I drove home. By the time I got home (10 minutes), the engine temp meter was completely on H. I had never run into any sort of engine trouble or overheating before. The check engine light came on shortly after.

Took it back to the mechanic the next day and they told me the water pump failed. They claim they were nowhere near it and the work they did on the battery wouldn't have affected it. To me, that's an insane coincidence that it broke right after they were working on it.

Is there any connection between these parts? Is the mechanic (Firestone) liable if they did cause it to break?

Is it worth it to replace it at this point if the fix is worth more than the car?

[garycrist]

I hate to tell you it was coincidental. IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. When was the coolant last checked

or a full service done?

 

GL

Gary

[dabangsta]

No direct correlation between electrical system and mechanical water pump in the 3.5. Maybe the cooling fans and that caused it to overheat and the water pump seal to fail?

[Cerberus]

I tend to believe there is no such thing as a coincidence.

now, a 2010 3.5, that has the water pump inside the timing cover, yes?

My 2011 fusion sport had the same engine and a captive water pump, so I'm presuming yours is the same.

That does make it a major PITA.

If you look down the front of the block behind the alternator, you may see a discolored stripe where its been leaking from the weep hole which is designed to route leaking coolant out of the engine.

If it has been leaking for some time, and the leak is close to the charging cable, that could explain the corrosion.. 

so IF the situation is as I suspect, It's likely that the pump was failed before the alternator problem presented itself in an obvious way.

as long as your engine oil is not milked up, its probably worth fixing, but it will likely be expensive, because as I said, it is a major PITA

 

if your engine is not the one with the captive water pump, disregard all.

[jlourens]

3 hours ago, Cerberus said:

I tend to believe there is no such thing as a coincidence.

now, a 2010 3.5, that has the water pump inside the timing cover, yes?

My 2011 fusion sport had the same engine and a captive water pump, so I'm presuming yours is the same.

That does make it a major PITA.

If you look down the front of the block behind the alternator, you may see a discolored stripe where its been leaking from the weep hole which is designed to route leaking coolant out of the engine.

If it has been leaking for some time, and the leak is close to the charging cable, that could explain the corrosion.. 

so IF the situation is as I suspect, It's likely that the pump was failed before the alternator problem presented itself in an obvious way.

as long as your engine oil is not milked up, its probably worth fixing, but it will likely be expensive, because as I said, it is a major PITA

 

if your engine is not the one with the captive water pump, disregard all.

Thanks for the response, yes it is the one with the captive water pump. Our decision we're left with is whether to spend the $5k to fix it or to say adios and move on to another vehicle.

We're probably 3-5 years out from wanting to purchase our 'big family car' that we're hoping to keep for a long time. So need to bridge that gap with either the Edge or find a reasonably priced used car until then.

[Cerberus]

6 hours ago, jlourens said:

Thanks for the response, yes it is the one with the captive water pump. Our decision we're left with is whether to spend the $5k to fix it or to say adios and move on to another vehicle.

We're probably 3-5 years out from wanting to purchase our 'big family car' that we're hoping to keep for a long time. So need to bridge that gap with either the Edge or find a reasonably priced used car until then.

I dont think 5k is a reasonable price for the water pump job.. but I might be wrong.. I'd have guess 2-3k tops.

If you have options, shop the job, but never do business with the cheapest place either, unless they come well recommend from other customers