Your engine will overheat and stay too hot without a functioning water pump, but we’ll talk more about that below. You can expect to get about 161,000 kilometres out of your vehicle’s water pump. Once you’ve surpassed this milestone, there’s a strong chance that the water pump will die sooner rather than later. Auto Service Kingston would be happy to inspect your water pump to make sure that it is still okay. If it isn’t, we can replace it. Here are five signs you’ve got a bad water pump.
1. Little to Zero Coolant Circulation
The water pump is the cooling system part that circulates the coolant through the engine. As it ages, it may be unable to do this job. Consequently, you will have little to no coolant circulating through your engine, and this can obviously cause your engine to overheat. We can inspect your engine while it is running to see if coolant is circulating through it.
2. Corrosion Around the Water Pump
Usually, before the water pump dies completely, it will spring a minor leak. When this happens, you may not realize that the water pump is leaking because you aren’t losing so much coolant that your engine is running too hot. The way you can tell whether the water pump has a leak is to inspect it. If it or the housing around it is corroded, this is coolant seeping out of the pump.
3. Coolant Puddles on Your Garage Floor
In other cases, you may end up with coolant spots or puddles on your garage floor. This is an indication that the water pump is leaking severely due to a crack, a problem with the radiator hoses, or another issue. You cannot drive your automobile if it is leaking enough coolant that you can see it on your garage floor. Doing so can damage the engine.
4. Growling or Whining Noises
Sometimes, when the water pump starts to die, it will make growling or grinding sounds. You may also hear whining noises, but these sounds come from the accessory belt to which the water pump is attached. Either way, you shouldn’t hear strange noises coming from your engine.
5. An Engine That Overheats All the Time
Finally, we realize that we are stating the obvious but a failing water pump will make your engine overheat. This is because the water pump is unable to push the coolant through the engine to reduce its temperature.
Call Auto Service Kingston in Kingston, ON, today if you are experiencing any of the problems listed above.