Throughout the summer, I have had to add coolant every two weeks or so. At the end of July, I have a full load inthe bed (2nd of the day), when my serpentine belt shreads. It had been replaced less than one month ago by a in/out oil shop. I put the old one back on (as I hadn’t thrown it away) and take to the nearest shop to assess the cooling system (coolant gushed out of the reservoir). They say, it is fine. About a month later, again with a load in the bed (1st since moving) the belt shreds. This time I have a repair shop replace the belt and look for other indications of why it happened. They say it is fine.
So now it is Sept 1 and I took a longer drive on the highway. Temp is hot, but not overheating. Coolant is fine. The truck starts making a grinding noise…almost a growl and there is a slight vibration. It gets worse when RPMs are high, but is audible at all times the engine is running.
So my guess is the water pump has lost a blade or is tearing up but hasn’t failed completely? I need the truck this week, and have some aptitude, but thinking it may be easier to let someone else do it. Trouble is three different shops didn’t seem to think there was a problem when given the history/information. I’ve gone through 4 shops in town and don’t like any of them. Any recommendations for shops in Chapel Hill, NC? Any other ideas for the noise? Estimate on what it should cost if it is the water pump?
You Forgot To Introduce Your Truck !
Make, Model, Model-Year, Approximate Miles On It, Please.
CSA
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If you have over 100,000 miles on whatever it is you drive, it wouldn’t hurt to replace the water pump. On some cars with timing belts, this is usually done when the timing belt is changed - about 100,000 miles.