Water Pump going bad? (Fixed)

fletch09

Original poster
Member
Nov 20, 2011
1,982
09 TB, 4 x 4, I6, 85K miles.
(side note, i do not have the tools or equipment to do the some of the work, but do know a mechanic that teaches engine repair to high school students at a fairly local school, i buy the parts, they learn how to fix. (free labor) )
recently had T-Stat replaced, had coolant leak, antifreeze on floor, mainly on the drivers side. (kids didn't replace and tighten hose correctly.) got that corrected, went thru car wash with under body spray to clean off residual antifreeze from repair.
now have maybe a TBS of antifreeze on floor( center front of engine) and when i shut engine off, hear a high pitch squeal for 1-1/2 to 2 secs. as the engine winds down. have noticed squeal when it is humid or wet out, while engine is running, chalked that up to high humidity. maybe the water pump has been going for a while? replies and thoughts appreciated.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
You'd have to look to see if it's leaking. A mirror might help. Take off the serp belt and check the pump for bad bearings by rocking the fan back and forth. Spin it and check for noise. Check the idlers, alternator and PS pump for noise. Run it without the belt and see if the noise is gone.
 

littleblazer

Member
Jul 6, 2014
9,265
Also look to see if around the water pump pulley looks cleaner or like it has some scale build up. Some times the antifreeze will crystallize or leave clean spots in the general area. My water pump was bad when I bought the truck at 95k. If you grab the fan and wiggle it it shouldn't move at all also. If it does its on its way out.
 

Mounce

Member
Mar 29, 2014
13,667
Tuscaloosa, AL
Waterpump has been one of the harder things to diag a leak on for me on these. Got a few in at work and it'll take forever to finally find a conclusive trail to the water pump because it's hidden by the pulley and no good angles from the bottom to look at it. If you have sloppy movement like mentioned above its real bad and needs replaced ASAP. Sometimes the seal lets go and it'll still be tight wobble wise. Best to find a dried coolant trail and track it to where it's coming from.
 
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fletch09

Original poster
Member
Nov 20, 2011
1,982
update: was able to check, with a mirror, no leak around water pump, and no fan wobble. found antifreeze along top of radiator and a trail down the outside of the radiator below the cap. put on a new radiator cap and all is fine so far. bought the new cap, and let it cool down. could tell right away that was most likely the cause. the old cap o-ring was no longer an "o" and was not sealing properly.
the squeal at shut down turned out to be a disconnected vacuum line on the resonator. thanks for the replies.
 
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