Water Pump Bearing 'Noise'??

My '78 Mercury Zepher's water pump is making a 'whinning' noise,however,when I grab a handfull of fan 'an move it back 'an forth,I get little if any movement,so,that tells me that the 'pump's bearing isin't shot. I have checked out the power steering & air/smog pumps while the engine is running(although that PS pulley is a bit woobly........most of these cars that I've seen DO have this problem/quirk......)and I can pinpoint the noise...... and it IS the W-Pump. Bottom line:---I have a new replacement. And yes,I did top off the radiator while I was checking,and the 'noise' hasen't gone away. No real worries though........I don't plan on driving the car everyday 8) . OO6./The-X-Or-Six!

my pump moved too...but bearings were shoooooot

if your in there...replace it!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm. So,your saying I should get 'pumped up' 'bout my pump ? Yeah,I'll get to it when I steam-clean that puppy(that bottom rad hose is look'n a little ragged,now that ya mention it :x .....)one day before the fall. Hmmmmmmmm. Ok,I'll start prepping that replacement pump tommorow 8) . OO6/The-X-Or-Six!

Biggest mistake I've seen that causes premature water pump bearing failure...overtightening the belts. There should be a little bit of slack (I think the manual calls for 1/4" of play IIRC).

Slade

The other Biggest mistake I've seen that causes premature engine faliure is not replacing the pump before it goes south on you, if your lucky you only blow the head gasket, if it's a little worse you crack your head, worst case you puke the engine while waiting to install that $15.00 water pump!

Hmmmmmm. I'll take a look at those belts in the morning. Thank's,Cobra-Six 8) ! It does have the most annoying 'noise',though. Thank's again. OO6./The-X-Or-Six!

You can't really feel the play in the bearings unless you take all lateral loads off the pump, so unless you took off all the belts, just grabbing the fan blade really isn't a very true indicator. Even then, only a small amount of play is needed to make noise. If there truly is no play at all, you can buy a water pump lubricant that's added to the radiator fluid to see if that will quiet it down but water pumps on these sixes are so easy and cheap to replace that I don't think it's worth messing around.

while discussing possible water pump failure, I just wanted to share a picture:



nice, eh? click for the big picture

luckily, thats not the pump from my 250, but I found some bad scuff marks outside on the N°1 cylinder, caused by the water pump impeller. My current pump still looks A-OK though.
increased axial end play could be a common problem on shot water pumps, anyhow...

That's impressive simon.

I found out the hard way about over tensioning a water pump belt. After 6 months, the bearing was starting to squeal. Luckily every part I get from Autozone I make sure has the lifetime warranty. In the last 2 years, I've replaced 3 alternators and 3 waterpumps for the price on 1 each...hehe.

Slade

Boy'z....I've checked out those belts..and sure enough,they were a little tight,to say the least ,so,I've loosened them up a bit. Still,I've put an afternoon aside this week to fix the pump(and BOTH the upper & bottom hoses...). And thanx for that pump photo,Simon----------makes ya want to fix it NOW :roll: OO6./The-X-Or-Six!