Bad water pump??

[B2Mann]

I was curious if its possible to have a bad water pump if its not leaking from the weep holes or the gasket?

 

[Big Jim M]

Yep!

I was curious if its possible to have a bad water pump if its not leaking from the weep holes or the gasket?

It is possible but very, very rare. One would have to have corrosive water in the coolant system that would eat up the vanes in the pump and slow or stop the pump from pumping. I have heard of this from time to time but have never seen it.

Usually if this seems to be a problem it is a bad thermostat or stopped up radiator that is really the problem.

Why would you ask such a question? Are you having a problem?
Big Jim

 

[B2Mann]

Well, my B2 will go through fases of running at the right temp, and getting a bit hot. When I bought the truck it got hot due to a bad radiator. Fixed that and it still got hot, but not as hot. There was a time when the coolant was constantly 183deg. wich the 2.9 loved. Now its back to the hot fase. When I pull the radiator cap off to watch the coolant I dont see it move, but when I increase the throttle it sucks down. I did find some silicone in the radiator last month when I took it off to flush. Pump isnt making any odd noises but im just so used to seeing the coolant flow when the vehicle is on and the radiator cap off. Sometimes I want to hurt my truck b/c of this issue. heh. But i couldnt do that.

 

[Big Jim M]

Howdy B2

Ok your post sounds like a guy that WORRIES about the temperature of his ride.. 183 is too low for a modern engine. You should have a 195* thermostat in there.
Because the outside temp varies and the amount of fuel burning varies from minute to minute the temp of the engine will varie as much as 20* on a good thermometer... This is NORMAL.

Unless your coolant is puking out on the street your engine is running normally.

Most modern temp gauges aren't marked for the exact temperature.. Most have a long line in the middle with the word NORMAL written on it. The reason is folks like YOU! Folks that worry about the temperature.. needlessly.

Everything in your engine will work fine at 400*... everything that is except the coolant.. so the temperature of the engine is set by the factory to KEEP the coolant inside.. Don't give it another thought untill it pukes it's coolant out.

Big JIm

 

[B2Mann]

Well I do worry about the temp in my truck. Id hate for it it get to high and possibly crack a head. B2's are known for it, which im sure you know. That I dont want. My B2 has a digital thermostat in it, so im sure the temp its telling me is correct. Its got a 180 thermostat in it. It runs better with a lower one in it, and still gets 22mpg. 2 electric fans. One on one side of the radiator and one on the other side. It has puked coolant a few times before but hasnt recently. When the temp gets high on it, it loses some power, and its definatly noticable. Sure 2.9's are the ballsiest motor but I notice when its running a bit hot. Not an argument.

 

[cocoasranger]

My son's 90 Maxima had all those sysmtoms and he tried everything to fix it. The water pump had a small amount of shaft play, so we finally replaced it. When I pulled it off it had NO FINS; completely eroded off. The new pump completely eliminated overheating, puking thru the recovery line, lack off heater function, being hard to purge air from cooling system, etc, etc.

A quick test for this is to warm up the engine and then rev it up while pinching off the radiator hose from the water pump.. If the fins are good you will feel a powerful surge.