[DML] Re: Water pump squeaking. How long have I got?

["David Teitelbaum" <jtrealty@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is a real tough one to answer. It is like going to the doctor and
asking him "How long have I got Doc?". It can make a noise for a long
time before the bearing finally seizes up or it may just start
leaking. It may leak very slowly for a long time or it may just start
gushing out. The safe thing to do is to park the car until you can fix
it. You are gambling with the life of the engine and it can get
expensive if you
were to overheat it. Not to mention the towing bill. The bottom line,
there is no "typical" time to failure. This is also why, when you are
replacing ALL the seals and hoses you just replace the water pump.
After 20 + years you cannot expect it to last much longer and it is
not a simple remove-and-replace like on most other cars. The other
possability is one of the idler bearings for the A/C is failing. Run
the motor without the A/C belt and see if the noise goes away. If it
doesn't it "could" be the alternator, not the water pump. Plan for and
expect at least 1 bolt to break, either on the intake manifold or the
water distribution pipe. If it is your first time it is a long 1 day
project. Take notes and pictures for routing and placement of hoses,
wires, etc. Be especially careful with those pesky copper washers. If
you drop them you cannot get them with a magnet and you MUST be sure
they are all in there when reassembling or you will have leaks. If you
are not very flexible it is easier if you remove the engine cover.
While you are in there you should also replace the spark plugs,
ignition wires, cap, and rotor, idler bearings and belts. For a
complete job replace the injector seals, vacuum hoses, have the fuel
injectors tested and cleaned, air filter, adjust the valves, replace
the O2 sensor and reset the mixture. When done change the oil and oil
filter. As you can see this can turn into a large job best left for
the winter if possible.
David Teitelbaum
vin 10757



--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Jason Ferrara <jason@xxxx> wrote:
> I noticed a whirring noise (like a bearing is starting to fail)  
> coming from the engine. I removed the belts to check things, and  
> found that if I turn the water pump by hand it squeaks a bit. I'm  
> assuming thats a bad sign and that its time for a new water pump.
> 
> So, my question is, typically how long after a water pump starts  
>








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