G5200 'chineesium' waterpump - caution

[BruceP]

Just a warning to some folks who may be replacing waterpump on their Kubota.

I spent an entire Saturday replacing the waterpump on my G5200 (D600 engine) The original 30+ year old pump was leaking coolant out of the weephole.

Since I put less than 30 hours on my tractor each year , I made the consensus decision to go with a 'chineesium' replacement waterpump. ($60 instead of $150 for real Kubota waterpump)

Although the 'chineesium' replacement bolted into the engine.... it would not turn by hand because the impeller was hitting the casting inside the housing.

I ended up using dremel-tool to grind the impeller on the replacement pump to create clearance within the housing. This added over an hour to the job.

Other than that, my tractor now runs great and does not loose antifreeze.

I am still questioning if saving $90 was worth the hassle of needing to modify a brand-new part before I could use it.

 

[lugbolt]

Your results are pretty typical for inexpensive aftermarket parts

 

[BobInOK]

Land of almost right.

 

[edritchey]

I'd be curious if it hold up for very long.

 

[dlundblad]

Just imagine if you didn***8217;t check for the clearance.

Thanks for the warning.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I did an aftermarket water pump on my L3450 many years ago, it lasted about a month if I remember right, it pushed the impeller back until it ate a hole right through the gear case cover.
That was an expensive fix all to try and save a couple bucks.
I don't buy anything like that that's aftermarket any more, not worth the hassle or the future expense!