Is my water pump bad???

[88_Eddie]

PROBLEM:

My radiator is cold to the touch and has no pressure, even after driving around town for an hour. I was driving around the other day and the engine light came on and it idles really low now. (that may be something else)

The top radiator hose gets hot and the lower hose is cold after driving. About 6 weeks back I replaced the thermostat, hoping that would fix it, but no such luck. I put it in right and everything, and put in a new gasket.

My temp gauge is either busted or I've disconnected/cut a wire. It isnt overheating when I drive it around but we just got a bunch of snow and it's been cold as hell here. I think it may be boiling off some coolant though, (if that can happen) after driving yesterday, I popped the radiator cap off and the coolant was lower than the day before.

Is this something I can do in my garage?

By the way, it's an 88 BII - 2.9 - 4x4 - manual - eddie bauer .........if any of that matters.

thanks in advance

 

[Shawn_248]

Drive it for a good while and pop the hood and touch the valve covers. You'll know if it's too hot... trust me. Everyonce in a while I'll see a car that the cooling system's been neglected, mainly GMs, and the blades on the water pump would be corroded, almost to nothing, therefore they weren't effectively pumping the coolant through the engine. It isn't something you want to do until you're ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE it's what the problem is, and yes it's a job you could do in the garage

 

[modelageek]

If you think it is runninghot/overheating you should stop driving it because you will blow a head gasket. Look at the bottom of your oil fill cap and see if there is a milky slim on it

 

[adsm08]

Also, top it off and sit there running it with the hood up, watch for the leak.

 

[88_Eddie]

If you think it is runninghot/overheating you should stop driving it because you will blow a head gasket. Look at the bottom of your oil fill cap and see if there is a milky slim on it

I dont think it is overheating. I did check the oil after the engine light came on and it didnt look like there was any water in the crankcase, i'll check the oil cap when i get home, but if it wasnt on the dipstick, i doubt it would be on the oil cap.

Drive it for a good while and pop the hood and touch the valve covers. You'll know if it's too hot... trust me. Everyonce in a while I'll see a car that the cooling system's been neglected, mainly GMs, and the blades on the water pump would be corroded, almost to nothing, therefore they weren't effectively pumping the coolant through the engine. It isn't something you want to do until you're ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE it's what the problem is, and yes it's a job you could do in the garage

this truck has been very well maintained, i always did everything that had to be done and the correct intervals (change coolant, oil, fuel filter, gear oil, etc....) it did sit for about 8 months during my senior year of college. i'll try checking the valve covers tonight also, i think they'll be hot though because the upper radiator hose is always hot, just the radiator cap and lower hose are cold.

thanks for the input, keep'em coming

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Wait... just to be sure you changed the thermostat on the bottom of the engine right? seeing as the bottom hose is cold and the top is warm. the bottom should atleast get alittle warm if the thermostats working.

 

[Epixstar]

Grab the waterpump at check for movement in the bearings. You chould always check it to by removing the lines that go to your heatercore and see if any coolant shoots out, its kinda nasty and messy but you will know for sure. If you have to do the water pump be careful and go slow the bolts like to snap off in the block on the 2.9s. good luck

 

[adsm08]

1) upper rad hose gets hot because it has hot coolant flowing through it (assuming everything is working properly), that has nothing to do with the valve covers getting hot.

2) The t-stat on the 2.9 is NOT on the bottom of the engine. It sits in the front of the lower intake.

3) Ford only has 1 engine that has a lower-hose t-stat, and that is the 2.3L Fusion engine.

 

[mn_smokeater]

1) upper rad hose gets hot because it has hot coolant flowing through it (assuming everything is working properly), that has nothing to do with the valve covers getting hot.

2) The t-stat on the 2.9 is NOT on the bottom of the engine. It sits in the front of the lower intake.

3) Ford only has 1 engine that has a lower-hose t-stat, and that is the 2.3L Fusion engine.

the 2.8 V6 has one too

 

[88_Eddie]

yeah, like adsm08 said my thermostat is directly below the throttle body in the front of the lower intake. the lower radiator hose goes from the water pump to the radiator. the upper hose is hot, so I would think that the coolant is flowing through and the t-stat is working fine.

since the lower hose isn't hot and there is no pressure I though that the water pump could be on it's way out. it did sit for 8 months and maybe the thing just stopped up or rusted or something. i'm gonna undo the lower radiator hose (the end thats connected to the water pump) and see how much coolant comes out and maybe try the heater hose as well. the more i think about it, the more i think it is the water pump, i'm gonna keep poking around for now though.

 

[Shran]

I don't think it is the water pump. I think you have either a clogged radiator or a bad radiator cap.

 

[adsm08]

Yes, yes it is. Its a very naughty water pump. You should punish it immediately. Ground it for two weeks and take away it's allowance.

 

[88_Eddie]

I don't think it is the water pump. I think you have either a clogged radiator or a bad radiator cap.

so how might one go about unclogging one's radiator? cap's arent too expensive, but i dont wanna have to buy a new radiator if i dont have to. guess i could go to a JY, but i may run into the same problem a year from now.

i'm just gonna F with it for a while tonight if it aint rainin too much and see what i find. thanks for the input people

 

[adsm08]

To unplug a radiator you take it out and run water through it from a hose. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

 

[country0001]

The water pump is only like 30 bucks, if u've had it along time, its possible that its wore out. My impeller on mine had fell off the shaft. The bearing were good still. took a couple of hours to fix. Change it and report back. It can't hurt.

 

[88_Eddie]

The water pump is only like 30 bucks, if u've had it along time, its possible that its wore out. My impeller on mine had fell off the shaft. The bearing were good still. took a couple of hours to fix. Change it and report back. It can't hurt.

yeah i found one at autozone for $23 and $47. the $47 one has a lifetime warranty and the $23 only a year. I last had my water pump changed in august of 2000 i believe. so it could be bad, plus i just got it running at the end of last year and before that, it had been sitting for 8 or 9 months.

before i do that, today i went and undid the lower hose where it connects to the water pump and fluid did spew out when i did that. plus, i dont have any water in my oil. so i'm thinking it isnt my water pump right now.

the radiator cap feels like it's not sealing completely. i can wiggle it around quite a bit when it is screwed onto the radiator. a new cap is $5, so i'm gonna try that first and then take out the radiator and test it with the garden hose if that dont fix it, then if i dont find a clog in the radiator i'll replace the water pump.

 

[heptofite]

a bad water pump won't put water in your oil, I'm not sure where you got that misguided idea.

 

[88_Eddie]

a bad water pump won't put water in your oil, I'm not sure where you got that misguided idea.

my oil was almost complete milk the last time my water pump went out

 

[country0001]

a bad water pump won't put water in your oil, I'm not sure where you got that misguided idea.

I think the point of that was if he overheated it, it could of cracked a head, hence the loss of water

 

[88_Eddie]

I think the point of that was if he overheated it, it could of cracked a head, hence the loss of water

well now that i think about it, i did crack a head gasket sometime during high school, so i could be misremembering that my water pump went out. i'd have to dig through my receipts. but i def remember popping the oil cap and having a bunch of water in it.


anyways, i tried a new radiator cap, didnt help. i got the radiator out and i'm gonna see if it's clogged.


whilst i have everyone's attention, my engine temp gauge isn't working either. its always below the 'C' - indicating to me that it isnt working at all. that entire left side of the cluster has been been replaced a few years back because the tach was broken. anyone else had this happen?