subject: When You Should Replace Your Cooling System [print this page] A main component in your automobile is the cooling system. The water pump will last a while, but won't last forever. When mileage gets to the upper figures in the hundred thousand marker, it's time to replace it. The car's cooling depends on the coolant that the water pump sends through the system. When the pump stops working, so will your car. How to check the system.
This is simple. Place a large, white, absorbant piece of paper under your car at night. If it is wet, it's a sure sign the pump is leaking. If the liquid is green, it's most definitely the coolant.
What if my water pump is leaking?
With the engine turned off, open the hood of your vehicle. The water pump has a pulley which is a belt that is connected to a round part of the pump. Locate all the belts in the vehicle and you will find more than just the one pulley. Other parts of the vehicle use a pulley to operate like the alternator and maybe the air conditioner. Power steering and a smog pump will also have pulleys. A mechanic can show you the right one.
Now that you have located the correct round pulley you will want to see if it is loose. Grab it at opposite ends and see if you can move it back and forth. If it has play, you will hear the bearing which is not good. When your engine is running, a low pitch grinding will be what you hear.
The water pump is situated in back of the pulley and you can look for a coolant leak. The pump may be working, but need a gasket. This could be the best time to put in a new water pump unless you just replaced it and the gasket was not installed correctly or was defective. Other important parts. Your cooling system should be working perfectly during the summer. By performing a routine flush of the radiator it will make the system perform better and last longer. The coolant in the vehicle was not intended to stay in there forever. Flushing the radiator yearly is more cost effective than repairing damaged radiators.
