Glenn

This is provided as learning for a symptom I thought was something other than what it turned out to be.

Heard a whir - kind of like a supercharger only quiet couldn't isolate the noise, so changed the serpentine belt and checked all the pulleys. The bottom one felt a little loose so I replaced it as well.

Sound was quieter, but didn't go away. I now know it was the water pump. Found this out as I was driving home 2 days ago and started to see more and more steam rise at stop lights. The smell of coolant was apparent. Temperature didn't go up at all. Sound progressively got worse as well.

Limped the 5 km home and sure enough, drip, drip, drip. I suspected what happened, is the impeller (sp?) broke and threw off the balance and this slowly destroyed the bearings and finally the seal.

Just ordered a new pump and gasket. Guess I know what I'll be doing over the holidays.

This board is invaluable for information. I just printed out a DIY for the pump swap.

Merry Christmas fellow Rennlisters.
Glenn

Doug Donsbach

Good luck with the repair. Let us know how it goes.

gota911

At least you you got her home before it got too bad (totally gone). Let us know how the replacement goes.

Tippy

The seal wears out, lets coolant into the bearing compartment and washes out the grease, then failure.

Barn996

Good job diagnosing the problem. How long to do the swap?

Glenn

Based on what others have quoted it should take about 4 hours. Should have the replacement pump next week and hope to get to it before the new year.

Tippy

Took me two hours but I had to use 2 large pry bars to push the engine plate out of the way. I loosened all the motor plate nuts to the ends and pushed the plate as far back as possible. There was a hard line that ran beneath the pump ( I believe only on Tips) that made it hard to do. If the line wasnt there, it would of been cake. There are also a couple of bolts on the pump that are a PITA , 1/16 turn at a time