So i am in the middle of replacing my water pump and after removing the original and comparing it to the one i bought i noticed that the original has ball bearings and the aftermarket piece has a bushing bearing and the difference and force is tremendous (required to spin) so im going to return the waterpump i bought and buy an oem piece as i assume there are other corners cut as well that might not make this piece up to the duty. My question then comes to where can i buy a OEM piece for cheaper than the dealer. Let me know so i can get this done.

Also being where i am, my AIR is completley removed and seeing as i just smogged my car i think im going to leave it off. talk me out of it.
thanks for any help.

 

Some E-bay sellers sell the genuine GM pumps,they come with the thermostat and housing already attached.
Any new pump will have quite a resistance on the new bearings as opposed to the old one you're removing .
Regards,Mark.