About to be on my 4th water pump

[Monepit1]

The first one lasted 90000 miles. The second 50000 miles. It came apart on a trip to key west in January. It has 3000 miles in it and is going out again. All were ac delco. The last one is still under warranty but the place that installed it is 5 hours away so not worth the trip. Pretty disappointing. I think I may just change it myself this time. The last one was $850.

 

[redvett94]

Do you have antifreeze in it? Do you change the Dexcool every 4-5 years? You must use Dexcool antifreeze to protect the aluminum engine and components including lubricating the water pump bearing seals.

 

[Monepit1]

Absolutely. Had it changed 2 years ago. Also changed it when they put the new pump on. Always Dexcool.

 

[redvett94]

Has the belt tensioner been changed? if so was it OEM or aftermarket. Too high belt tension will kill water pump bearings.

 

[long Tall Sally]

what makes you think its failing? noise ? car running hot ? leak?

 

[Monepit1]

Noise and leak. Also the pulpy is wobbling when it’s running

 

[long Tall Sally]

thats unusual . It does sound bad.
I have replaced maybe 3 in 6 years . not really a known problem. I would as suggested make sure the tension idler is not locked up and moving freely. i would suspect something is out of line with the belt .The water pump location provides for not that much friction on the bearing. make sure you have the correct belt. There are some that are shorter than others and 1/4 inch or so can put extra stress on the idler

 

[Monepit1]

Update. The problem was loose pulley bolts. I went to Chang the pump and reached down to see what size bolts hold the pulley on. As I did I noticed the bolt was loose. After checking all bolts were loose. Tightened them up and she is fine. Can’t believe for an $850 water pump replacement he didn’t even tighten the pulley bolts. No wonder the pulley was wobbling.

 

[Cesar17]

Nice and Cool

Take the grille off and remove the hard black plastic attach to the grille hard to explain it but you will see , this is going to allow air flow to the engine compartment. My 2005 XLR never reach 200° after I removed this piece, also I install a power steering cooler . Yesterday 95° + Florida .

 

[Fbeaver]

Another thing you can do is add Red Line Water Wetter. It’s around 10 dollars at the auto parts store and can help your cooling system run up to 20 degrees cooler.

 

[mickeytee]

I really would not consider removing the grill inserts. First if your radiator is clean externally and a/c condenser is not clogged up , you get plenty of air flow when moving. When stopped the fan will draw plenty of air across the cooling system. If these are not working properly your car may run hot. Also I have seen dozens of cars without the rubber airflow diffuser behind the lower grills. these are most important as they guide the air into the duct to cool the radiator. Without either side or if they are loose and flopping air bypasses the radiator . they can cut down airflow 20-25% . Removing the grille inserts just gets more air to flow into the engine compartment. With air come rain water that will go right into the air breather assy as the filters are exposed. in a good storm you could get enough to lock up the engine. also the air and water mix will run under the hood and saturate the no longer available heat pad on the hood. Gm design works well, just everything has to be working and clean. water wetter is a good product and used in a lot of performance cars.