A Water Pump Lasts 100,000 Miles, Right?
Generally, you can expect to get about 100,000 miles out of your original factory water pump. This being said, some pumps will fail as soon as 60,000 miles, while others last longer. Righteous Auto Care is going to list the signs that your water pump is going bad below. The sooner you replace the malfunctioning part the less chance you have of causing unnecessary damage to your engine.
Poor Coolant Circulation
The water pump is powered by your vehicle’s accessory belt, and it is responsible for moving the coolant through the engine. It circulates it just like your heart circulates your blood. If the water pump is starting to die, your engine may suffer from poor coolant circulation. If the water pump is completely dead, there will be no coolant circulation. We can test the coolant circulation in your engine here in our shop.
Spots on the Garage Floor
Many malfunctioning water pumps start to leak. You will see coolant spots on your garage floor underneath the front portion of your engine. Coolant comes in many different colors, including red, green, yellow, and blue. You can determine the color of your coolant by looking at the overflow reservoir in your engine. This is usually clear and you can see the coolant easily.
If you see spots of engine coolant on the garage floor, it’s important to have the leak fixed as soon as possible. When the engine loses coolant, it overheats. Driving with an overheating engine can seriously damage it. If the water pump is the cause of the leak, we can replace it.
Corrosion Around the Pump
Sometimes, the water pump doesn’t leak enough to drip coolant onto the garage floor. Rather, the coolant pools around the water pump and corrodes it. If you take a look at your water pump and you see corrosion all around it, you have an engine coolant leak. It’s a minor one, but, nonetheless, it is a leak that needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.
Constant Engine Overheating
As we mentioned above, leaking coolant can cause your engine to overheat as can poor coolant circulation. Therefore, one of the most common signs that your water pump has stopped functioning is an engine that overheats constantly. This can be frustrating because you are unable to drive your automobile when the engine is overheating.
Call Righteous Auto Care in Racine, WI, today if you have a car, truck, or utility vehicle that is experiencing any of the problems listed above. We can inspect your water pump and replacement if necessary.
