How do you tell if your water pump is going bad but not leaking? i am getting a low wirring sound (almost a squeal) and lots of heat, or is it just my belt going bad???

 

I had the same exact problem you're describing. I had the same kind of noise coming from the pump, but it wasn't leaking at all. I replaced the pump and everything was fine.

 

Make sure your belts are tight, then:

Pull the belt off the accessories one by one to find the squeal.

 

okay, now would this cause the car to overheat in traffic??
btw this is a fourth gen '94 v6 ( dagblamed serpentine!!) i can replace the pump no problem, however there is pressure on the upper and lower radiator hoses, and heat on them as well as the cap, now could this be a sign that my pump is on it's way out, or that my fan is turning the wrong way (it's on a manual switch forcing engine bay air out through the air dam, am i right, or should it pull air in?) also the belt needs replacing and will most likely be replaced by weeks end i had it off the accessories already doing the "squeal check" great minds think alike huh naf? (greetings my fellow South Carolinian).
(i'm not driving it this week though (much to my own dismay, i love that little car even if it is a v6) to prevent damage from making it another casualty of my home states brutal summers, until i can get it fixed.)

 

If that noise you are hearing is coming from the water pump, then it is on it's way out. When mine went, it was making a kind of grinding/squealing noise. My buddy had this automotive stethoscope thing that we used to see exactly where the noise was coming from.

I believe your fan should be pulling air through the radiator from the front of the car.

 

thanks, i'll get on that this evening (being stuck at the university till aound 6:00 sucks I HATE MANDITORY PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH PARTICIPATION) oh yeah,, would the water pump dying cause me to overheat?

 

If it is your water pump that's going out, then it's the bearing that's making the noise. The pump isn't being as efficient as could be, but I'm not sure how much of an impact it has on your overheating problem.

Overheating can be cause by alot of things, really. Bad sensors, thermostat, clogged radiator, fan, etc. There is alot to go through.

 

I'd expect your fan blowing the wrong way could be your overheating problem. It should be blowing air towards the motor. Especially if it's overheating on the highway but does fine idling in the driveway.

With the belt off you can usually feel a bad bearing in the water pump. If the pulley wobbles the teensiest bit or makes a slight grinding sound, it needs to be replaced.

I drove a 94 V6 (3.4) camaro for a few years. Fair mileage and heavy enough to be comfortable on the highway. Not quite enough power for the manual trans though. You keep wanting to rev it up and there wasn't anything there after about 4000 rpms...would still beat my 85 with the stock LG4 though.

 

well, i replaced the temp sensor, the radiator is hot so i know the thermostat is at least opening, fan is on a manual switch, and im going to see bruce tommorow a Hawks, and have him run an obd scan on it and he wants to do a pressure check to make sure that my radiator isn't clogged. then a dying water pump still be capable of making pressure (though not efficiently) over a longer period of time. if it helps the car does take a while to heat up to operating temperature, (while that doesn't bother me the fact that it keeps going irratates the everliving crap outa me rotfl) we're talking 5-10 minutes to even hit 170-180 range.

the only problem im having with determining the water pump is just that it has no play in it ( though that doesn't tell me what the inside looks like or how it behaves at a speed faster than i can spin it by hand) Ohh,,,, would the pump be able to spin freely ( for about 3 seconds on momentum) if it was good, this is with engine up to,, well,, around operating temperature. and pressure on the radiator hoses and cap?

 

Replace your belt (keep the old one on-hand in case of road-side emergency) and swap the leads on your fan to get it to pull air into the radiator. Then see where you're at.

 

Will do. thanks

 

It should be blowing air towards the motor. Especially if it's overheating on the highway but does fine idling in the driveway.

it does fine on the highway it just overheats in traffic

 

That's plausible. As the car moves forward it will push air through the radiator as the fan fights to push it the other way. At some speed between 0 and infinity the force of the fan will exactly counteract the force of the air trying to push thru resulting in near zero air flow. Below that speed more air is being pushed by the fan, above that speed the vehicle forced air wins.

The fan is also pushing hot air from the engine thru the fan, especially at idle and low speeds.