The modern water pump is a housing made of aluminum and contains an impeller that circulates coolant throughout the engine. The water pump impeller rotates by means of the drive belt in some cases or timing belt in others applications. Without the water pump drive system working properly, you have no water circulation. A good belt system is a necessity.
How Long Does a Water Pump Last?
We see water pumps start to fail (rarely) as early 60,000 miles and in some cases last as long as 140,000 miles. There are a couple basic types of water pumps. Type one is timing belt driven and is not easily visible without engine disassembly. Type two is drive belt driven and generally readily visible. The timing belt driven types are generally replaced with the timing belt due to access. The drive belt-driven water pumps are replaced if they visibly show warning signs of starting to fail.
Warning Signs That Your Water Pump May Need to Be Replaced
- Leaks, Leaks, Leaks! Any coolant underneath your vehicle or that sweet smell described above is a good reason to get into our shop for cooling system analysis.
- A fluctuating temperature gauge. Your engine temperature gauge should start out at the cold mark when you start the car and reside in the middle 10 minutes into the drive. Low coolant is often identified by a fluctuating temperature gauge.
- Groaning or Grinding Sounds: Once the water seal has been compromised, coolant leaks into the bearing and washes out its grease. Without grease, the bearing will overheat and cause these sounds to come from the water pump. This noise will get louder as engine speed increases.
Why Tri-City Transmission?
- Quality Workmanship. This is always key when performing a Water Pump Replacement. At Tri-City Transmissions, we use Sr. Technicians only. Poor workmanship ruins cars - we recognize that immediately and see it daily. Poor gas mileage, annoying check engine lights, catastrophic engine failure - just to name a few.
- Quality Parts. We use only OEM, OES or equivalent. We use original parts, not generic. Everyone will tell you they are using good parts, but are they?
- Complete Repairs. Timing belt tensioners, timing belt idlers, and necessary seals are all easily accessible while working on a water pump. Avoid paying for repairs twice by taking advantage of this and repairing or replacing all necessary parts while we are already deep within your engine.
If you plan on owning a car and get years of service, then a water pump is a crucial component. You can’t trust this to just anybody. This is an important point not to be overlooked. If you view auto repair as a commodity then you assume all technicians and shops are the same. This is not true. Some technicians graduated top of the class, some graduated bottom of the class and some never went to class.
Regardless of education, some have your best intentions at heart and some don’t. At Tri-City Transmission we realize it’s in our best interest to have your best interest at heart. It’s a win win situation for everyone. Some are too shortsighted to see this. Experience the Tri-City Transmission difference.