# Water Pump Failing "Noise." Or maybe Power Steering Pump...



## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

So since I took my charger off, it's been much easier to hear "noises" going on in the bay. The most noticeable was a high-pitched whine, which turned out to be the alternator (took a complete dump within days of ditching the charger) :banghead:

There is also a squeak/rattle, which has been there for quite a while now, including when I the blower was on there. At least a few thousand miles. 

When the car is first started, it is intermittent, starting and stopping every few seconds, and lasting for either just one "rattle" or a few, "rattlerattlerattle."

Once hot, it is more of a constant rattle, almost as if a bearing is rattling around. It does have a faint squeak, but the rattle is more prominent.

It doesn't go away with RPM, I'm able to hear it if I rev the engine in the garage. It's too hard to hear when driving.

And yes, it is coming from the serp. belt area. Tensioner is brand new. I have a short runner, so no intake bushings. Chain and guides are like new.


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## cpinde (Jul 5, 2010)

You could use a mechanics stethoscope to pinpoint the exact location of the noise. If it's the waterpump there's really no way to know if it's failing. The main water pump failing symptom is overheating, which means the pump has failed already. If you had tightened the belt too much then the water pump pulley could've put too much strain on the bearings and caused it to fail. 

We just had a water pump fail on my wifes 07 Ford Fusion, which only has 33k miles on it. A couple weeks ago when the temps were in the teens my wife was complaining that there was a whining noise coming from the engine, my reply was that the whining was coming from the drivers seat. I sprayed some belt dressing and all was better, or at least I thought it was. Tuesday night my wife opens the garage and starts the car to warm it up. She comes in and complains that the car is whining again. I was ask if it's the same or louder. As she's opening the door she says that it's louder and as my Son looks in the garage he says "And it's smoking too". I run out and pull the car out of the garage real quick. The garage is full of smoke as is the car since she had the heat on. I turn the car off and pop the hood. There's an overwhelming smell of burnt rubber and no fire. I start the car and notice that the water pump pulley isn't moving. The seized water pump caused to serp belt to become kindling. Luckily it failed in our garage and not when she was driving with our 6yr old and 9 month old!


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## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

Yeahhh that's what I'm trying to avoid. I have no problem spending the time/money replacing it before it fails (the water pump specifically, don't feel like buying a PS pump right now...)

I commute with it every day and it in a whole lot of traffic. Much of the traffic is in areas with no shoulder to pull over in. I don't have the time/money to have the car break down, I can however spend some time on a weekend changing a water pump. Between that, and ****tard cops that will likely destroy my disabled vehicle with their push bumper, as well as tow truck drivers with the same mentality who will also destroy the car, I simply can NOT afford to break down.


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## cpinde (Jul 5, 2010)

I see you live in CT. I was just up there last year and when I was coming down 15 I was thinking that I'd hate to break down there since there's no shoulder and there aren't that many exits. I'd order a metal impeller water pump and billet crackpipe and just change it.


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## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

cpinde said:


> I see you live in CT. I was just up there last year and when I was coming down 15 I was thinking that I'd hate to break down there since there's no shoulder and there aren't that many exits. I'd order a metal impeller water pump and billet crackpipe and just change it.


I've already got the billet crackpipe. I'd just like to see if others who have had this failure on these cars experienced the same type of noises beforehand. I commute on 95 in New Haven every day, thus get stuck on the infamous Q bridge.


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## apstguy (Apr 3, 2006)

Are you sure it isn't the tensioner bearing? Those plastic pulleys and bearings don't do well. Pretty easy to check, just stick a screwdriver on the tensioner and see if the noise matches the vibrations. Power steering tends to squeal. Waterpump tends to leak. Can you post a video of it? Might be easy for us to diagnose if we can hear it.


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## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

It definitely isn't the tensioner. I know, because the noise started when I still had the charger on there, which deletes the factory tensioner (the charger is rotated to act as the tensioner). The one on there now is brand new.

I will try to get a video, not sure how well my phone will do, it tends to pick up extraneous noises...


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## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

Video link:
http://flickr.com/gp/blacksailsinthesunset/07T77d

Not the best, took it with my phone. It is easier to hear the noise in the video before I open the hood. This was taken after the car sat in the garage for ~3 hours. So it wasn't completely "cold," but the temp gauge read completely cold. The noise is constant here, unlike how it is on the day's first startup, although not as loud/squeaky as it would be just after a good drive.


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## apstguy (Apr 3, 2006)

It sounds like the waterpump to me. But I've replaced mine twice so it isn't a big deal, it really isn't hard, just takes a couple hours.

You could always remove the serpentine belt and move the pulleys by hand to make sure. Usually the one to make noise won't be smooth.


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## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

Yeah I'm not too worried about replacing it, I've had this car apart enough times that it's all second nature now 

I did pop the belt off yesterday. There is a TINY bit of play in the waterpump pulley, moving it in/out. It doesn't seem super horrible, but it does seem to be a bit worse than the waterpump that is on an ABA block I have sitting around (that pump is in unknown condition, appears original with 114k on it). 

I messed with the PS pulley as well. It does not appear to have any play, but turning it left/right/left/right quickly and it makes a "tap" noise with each reversal. Not sure if that's indicative of anything...


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## cpinde (Jul 5, 2010)

That tap noise could be the bearings tapping against each other as they change direction. The mechanics stethoscope costs less then $20 and REALLY helps with noises like this. Literally it takes the guesswork out of something like this.


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## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

Yeah, I really should have bought one years ago...

Would that be "normal" for a PS pump? It's not as if the pulley changes direction when the car is running. I unfortunately don't have another sitting around for reference.


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## cpinde (Jul 5, 2010)

I've never spun a PS pump both ways so I'm not sure. I have a 2.8l 24v and a 3.2l on engine stands at my house, I'll check both tonight and see if they tap when changing direction. I know both pumps are good so if it does it then there's a good chance yours is good.


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## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

That would be extremely helpful :thumbup::thumbup:


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## cpinde (Jul 5, 2010)

So I finally got to the water pump and mine is smooth as silk. There is a barely noticeable noise, not so much a tap, when I change directions. It doesn't sound good for you.


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## apstguy (Apr 3, 2006)

I seem to remember my power steering pump making a slight squeak moving it from a start. A waterpump should NOT make any noise at all.


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## 29er (Feb 25, 2007)

Yeah my water pump is "silent" when moving by hand as well. It's the PS pump that does the "tap" noise when you change directions.


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## cpinde (Jul 5, 2010)

I meant the PS pump. :screwy: I checked the water pump while I was at it and it didn't make any noise at all. The PS pump might a barely audible tap.


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## airblaster33 (Feb 11, 2008)

Check your crank pulley sprocket and that its lined up with the tic, kind of like cam timing


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