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Hi There,

I took my 2006 Mondeo for a WOF today and was told it passed but needed a new water pump. Now I don't know much about car engines but as far as I was aware the water pump was quite well hidden away in modern engines. Would a leaking water pump on a 2006 Mondeo be easy to spot whilst doing a WOF (which is pretty unintrusive).

While the water pump might be actually hidden from view, the symptoms should be easy to spot. There will generally be evidence of coolant seeping at the front of the engine or else the pump will be noisy, so it is possible that your mechanic could tell if the water pump is faulty without dismantling anything.

What is the pump actually pumping? I haven't had the car near a garage in months so I would have expected any liquid it was pumping to have all leaked by now.

Is there any way I can test the pump myself?

The reason I ask all these questions is that every time I take the car for a WOF (5 times now) it passes but the garage notices something needing attention.

It is pumping water (coolant) around your engine. It's very important that it's not leaking as if it fails altogether you run the risk of overheating and destroying your engine.
There's no real way to check it yourself, but if you have any doubts about the integrity of your mechanic, I'd suggest you go to another garage for a second opinion.

Is it just normal water? Where would I fill this water up myself? If it was leaking would it appear on the ground under the car?

Hopefully you have more than just water in your cooling system but if you do not then this could be one of the reasons you now have a problem with the water pump. The cooling system should have antifreeze mixed with water in it. To top up you should add water, do not full past the max mark on the radiator expansion bottle, and get the leak repaired by a mechanic. When the water pump is replaced the antifreeze needs to be replaced at the same time. Antifreeze is normally a blue, green, pink or red colour and they should never be mixed with one another as this could cause other problems.

You should have a look at the vehicles owner’s manual which should advise you how to top up the cooling system and where the expansion bottle is located. If you are not sure get a mechanic to show you.

On the mondeo the water pump is external and is very easy to see. It is held in with 3 bolts and sealed with a O ring.

They usually leak from the o ring and is very obvious. They can also leak from the expansion plug on the pump.

The job itself is very easy and shouldn't cost much to do.

Just be careful topping up the coolant as it has long life coolant filled at factory and this shouldn't be mixed with any other type

Thank you very much.