water pump?

[subzali]

So I'm getting a lot of noise from up front - had the alternator rebuilt yesterday, but there is still a lot of noise. Do water pumps ever makes noise before they seize? I thought that usually the most you'll get is leaking coolant, but they usually just grenade.

Could it be the fan/clutch? Does that ever make noise?

Are the belts anything special or can NAPA get a good part number on a new belt? Thanks.

 

[leiniesred]

They do make noise! I have burned up no less than 3 water pumps in my lifetime. They all made noise BEFORE they started leaking.

Great big Chevy dump truck: Rattles and squeaks for about 2 days then leaked and seized.

'63 Austin healey. no noise, but the fan moved fore-aft about 1/4". (Then, with 2 chicks in the car, showin' off on a summer Friday night, I jammed the brakes for a turn, the engine moved just enough with the loose water pump for the fan blades to hit the radiator, bend the pump shaft, then it squeaks a LOT before it seizes in about 1 minute. (Then you cut the belt and drive home with the hood open at WAY more than 230 degrees F = chicks don't dig that.)

Jeep = chirps for a week, then leaks for a day and total seizure the next.

In the non-Austin Healey cases, I would estimate 10 hours of noisy service before failure.

My fan clutches never made noise. They either puked their silicone guts out (Volvo), or they simply cycled on/off way too often before locking and staying that way. (Ford Bronco) My 4runner's was really really loose with a tight spot and probably about to fail, but I took that stuff off.

NAPA should have no trouble with the belt at all.

 

[RockRunner]

Yes they make noise..............before they blow up. JK about the blowing up, but before they go out they make a whining noise, at least one of mine did.

 

[subzali]

Well it seems it was just the belt, so crisis is past...and Moab is still a green light!

Yet, is there really any easy way to check and see if the water pump is about ready to let loose?

 

[60wag]

Take the belt off and give it a good shake. If there is any looseness in the bearing, replace the pump. Also check the weep hole on the bottom of the bearing housing to see if its dripping.

It could be that the bearing is beginning to fail and the recently reinstalled belt is tighter than it was in the past causing the noise. You could try running with the belt looser to see if the noise comes back. Then dribble some water on the belt to get the pulleys wet. If the noise changes - its the belt, if the noise doesn't change - its the pump.

 

[subzali]

water changed the noise, and loosening and tightening the OLD belt changed the noise. Loosening and tightening the new belt doesn't make any noise.

 

[60wag]

Sounds like it was the belt. Now you have a spare belt to throw in back