Diagnosing And Fixing Problems With Your Car’s Water Pump
October 21st, 2009 by adminDiagnosing And Fixing Problems With Your Car’s Water Pump
Your car’s cooling system is critical for controlling the temperatures around your engine. That’s what prevents it from overheating. The radiator, water pump (WP), and hoses work together in order to keep coolant flowing. As long as the individual components are operating properly, the coolant absorbs the surrounding heat, which helps to keep the temperature down. When problems occur within your vehicle’s cooling system, your engine becomes vulnerable to rising temperatures. That can quickly lead to expensive damage.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at your car’s water pump. I’ll describe its job and explain how it can fail. I’ll also offer a few tips for installing an OEM replacement.
What Can Go Wrong?
This component has a single job: to help make sure that coolant is circulating between your car’s radiator and engine. It performs this task with an impeller. The impeller has blades that rotate and help push the fluid through. If the WP fails, the entire cooling system grinds to a halt.
A number of things can go wrong with the water pump. First, some automakers manufacture the impeller with plastic. While doing so reduces the level of drag, it also makes the impeller more susceptible to breaking or wearing down. If the blades are manufactured using metal, they’re far less likely to wear down, though they can still break.
Another problem is that the shaft seal which partly houses the impeller can form leaks. When this happens, coolant escapes. If the leak is not fixed, the level of coolant available to your radiator will drop. That exposes your engine to overheating.
The shaft seal can also wear down over time. This can happen as the result of rust within the housing, or contaminants within the coolant. Eventually, with enough wear and tear, leaks form.
Replacing The Component
First, you should only use OEM water pumps. Even though the component is simple in design, the integrity of its structure (i.e. housing, shaft seal, impeller, and bearing assembly) is critical. Problems often go unnoticed until the temperature around your engine spikes. By the time it overheats, it may have sustained damage.
To replace the worn WP, you’ll first need to drain the radiator and remove the fan belt. Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, there may be a few other parts in the way. You’ll need to remove them. Next, detach the pump from the engine and clean the surface. Then, put the gasket on the replacement WP and bolt it onto the engine. The last step is to replenish the cooling system with coolant.
If you’re using an OEM replacement water pump, it should last for 80,000 miles or longer. But, get into the habit of checking it periodically. If it fails, the first sign may be an overheating engine. And that’s exactly what you should avoid.
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