whats the theory on doing the water pump at the same time as obviously its nothing to do with a cambelt change.wasnt it mentioned on here by someone that decent pumps are now harder toget and best leaving a working pump alone until required ?
whats your current thinking on this .
When the water pump is driven by the cam belt, it is categorically part of the job. If accessing the water pump is difficult, then replacing it while you've already dismantled the front the engine is sensible. Neither of those apply the V6 in Omegas. The advice was given when good quality pumps were so cheap that adding another 5 minutes and <£20 to the bill made a lot of sense.
Now that the pumps are a lot more expensive and have proved not to be a common failure, replacing them just
because is much harder to justify. For me, a basic inspection(does it leak, look really crusty, and are the bearings smooth and quiet) once the belts and covers are off would drive the decision.
A better thing to consider
while you're in there is the front crankshaft oil seal. It is a cheap part, and changing it requires removal of the timing belt and lower pulley. And V6s are notorious leakers of oil.