I know what a water pump does. But, why do they fail, how do they fail, what are some telltale signs they are failing, and since they are mechanica, and just a small blade [i presume], how can that fail? Sorry for all the questions, I am just curious.


-justin

I'm by no means a water pump expert, but..

They can fail in a couple of ways. First way is a growling or groaning noise from the engine bay. It'* caused from the shaft of the water pump simply wearing against the pump housing bushing. Then the vanes of the pump aren't spinning true. In my case, in my old 87, it actually wore a grove in the engine block because the vanes weren't spinning true!

The other common failure is leakage from the weep hole or from the gasket.

Ah, okay good__ at least for me, because mine is silent . Because I was afraid mine was going down the crapper. Anyone else'* opinion?


-justin

BTW, to tell if they're failing...

Get a mechanic'* mirror and check the underside to see if the weep hole is wet. Also inspect all around the water pump body to make sure the gasket isn't leaking.

As for the shaft actually wearing out...loosen your serpentine belt and physically try to wiggle the water pump pulley assembly. If it feels tight, then you're good to go.

awesome, guess mine is good to go! . Good for me, because anything else that breaks.. is going to stay broken for a while. IE power brakes .


-justin