Temp Gauge High---Water Pump???
 

Hey Buds,

Yesterday, i noticed the 03, 3.5 (has 114k) was running "a little" hot (the temp needle was past half-way point). When i got home, i checked under the hood and noticed 3 things.

1. The water level in the Reservoir Tank was really high. I let the car cool down AND STILL the Reservoir tank was way OVER the normal limit.
2. After it cooled down, and with the Rad.Cap off, i noticed the water was not circulating and even appeared to be overflowing. When i gave it some gas, the Rad pushed up some water (not gusher), just pushed it up so it over-flowed a little
3. The passenger fan was spinning weak and even stopped. I coaxed the fan with my finger and it moved slowly but then stopped. (Obviously, i need a fan). However, i'm concerned about the water not circulating.
4. "This morning" i checked the Reservoir Tank and noticed the water was back to Normal Level.

WEIRD???

NOTE: I pulled thermostat last yr (i live in Fla, always hot here, and never had a problem). I also, replaced the Radiator about 1.5 yr ago. I ALSO checked the Temp of Hoses with a temp gun; Top Hose is about 115f, and bottom is about 110f.

QUESTION:

• Could this be a Water pump issue?
• If not, what else would cause the water to Not Circulate?

Anyway, thanks for any constructive input you can offer.

~M

I dont think the water will circulate until the thermostat opens or the fans come on. Now I may be wrong. But believe me if the water pump was bad, you would be running all the way hott after just a few minutes of driving.

I hear ya brother...BUT i mentioned above that i "pulled the thermo" last year. (car has never been affected by this in anyway shape or form).

Thanks for the reminder about the waterpump.

NOW, i'm wondering if i should even SEE water circulating when i peer into the radiator neck from above?

~M

This is obviously the issue. You're in FL, A/C runs almost year-round. With the air on, both fans should spin at either high or low, depending on the temps and system pressures. Don't keep driving the car hot. By the time the dummy temp gauge bumps the needle up, damage is being done.

Another cheap thing to replace is the rad cap. Often overlooked, it can cause overheating problems. I swapped mine out when I did the rad.

Those temperatures indicate an engine that is not up to operating temperature. In an engine that is warmed up, the cooling fans regulate the coolant temperature between 180º and 203º F when the car is sitting there idling. On the highway, the coolant temp will go higher. Without a thermostat, the engine will take a long time to come up to operating temperature. If you don't have the a/c turned on, the cooling fans will not come on until the coolant temperature hits 203º F. A note about the cooling fans is that both fans operate at the same time, never one fan on and one fan off - never.

However, without a thermostat, you should see the coolant flowing through the top of the radiator any time the engine is running. It might be easier to see if the coolant level was not all the way up.

You may very well need a new water pump. The vanes on the pump that circulate the coolant have been known to corrode away to nothing, leaving the engine at the mercy of convection currents for cooling.

See if you can figure out which is the bad water pump.

Attachment 12101

There is no way to test for this. You have to remove the water pump and look.

Yes...thank you. I ordered new fans today. I've replaced them before----dam things lasted less than 2 yrs.

Yes...in previous times, I've seen the water swirling at the top of the radiator while peering down at the Radiator neck (with the cap off).

Dayum...that's a lot of work. About how many hours would you estimate to change the Water Pump?

Is there any Quick Way to take the cover off the Pump and LOOK at the "Fins" of the Water Pump??


Thanks Guys!

.m

There is no quick way of checking the W/P. You need to remove the motor mount, pull both access covers, remove the tensioner, slack the chain so you can get it off the W/P, unbolt the W/P and then finally look at it. It is not something for the basic DIYer.

BTW, i forgot to mention the car has 114k miles, so i'm not sure how long water pump should last?

I asked the same question here a while back and the answer was a long time. I have 120K miles and the WP is still good. Poor cooling system maintenance will drastically reduce the life of such components. Although a different car, my Accord went almost 200K on the factory WP; came out looking almost brand new.

Why did you pull the T-stat out anyway? Plenty of people live in warm climates and don't mess with it.

Hey buds,...found the problem on this, just wanted to follow up and say it was the fans. One was not working so i ordered them from Rockauto, swapped it out and it works fine. THANKS for all you help!

Put that thermostat back on.
Glad you found the problem.

glad you found the problem, i too just recently replaced the pass fan it did not seem to spin as fast as the main fan. I put in a new fan and they now both come on at the same speed.