What happens when your water pump pulley goes bad?
Catastrophic failure of your water pump will cause either a complete or partial loss of coolant flow and rapid overheating. If this happens to your vehicle, it may be accompanied by engine noise or a broken engine belt, but will definitely result in your engine temperature gauge rising quickly.
How do you test a car water pump?
With the engine off, open your hood and locate the water pump pulley. With gloves on, grab it and wiggle it back and forth. There should be no movement, if there is, this along with the noise is a good indication you may have a water pump problem.
What does a bad water pump on a car sound like?
One way to check for worn out or failed water pump bearing; is to check for water pump shaft movement. So, with a faulty bearing, you can often hear a squealing, howling; or sometimes a grinding noise coming from the front of the engine.
How can you tell if your car has a bad water pump?
If your car is not circulating enough coolant due to a leaky or malfunctioning water pump, your engine temperature is going to increase, triggering the warning light. 7. Observe if your low coolant light is glowing. This can be an indicator that your coolant reservoir is leaking or that you have a bad water pump.
What are the symptoms of a failing water pump?
However, there are a few common symptoms that hint towards having a failing water pump belt. 1. Cracks or frayed nylon cords in the belt Upon visual inspection, it’s pretty simple to notice that a potential problem exists with your water pump belt. A normal belt is clean and has no cracks or frays in the belt.
Can a bad water pump cause an engine to overheat?
Since a bad water pump cannot circulate coolant flow in the engine, this is going to cause your engine to overheat. After all, the engine’s moving components won’t be getting cooled down anymore by the coolant. You will notice this problem right away by the needle on your tachometer moving toward the red zone.
When to go to the mechanic for a bad water pump?
If you have a puddle of water or coolant below the front end of your car, you are probably looking at water pump failure, and so you need to go to a mechanic.