These 4 signs of a bad water pump will help you narrow down what the problem is with your car or truck. While you’re trying to figure out the real culprit, your water pump is getting worse. It is best to get it replaced immediately, so that you don’t have to suffer through replacing more parts after the water pump goes out. These specific signs will help you know whether it is the water pump or something else.
Signs of a Bad Water Pump
For a little part, it has quite an important job to do. This is the part that gets that coolant moving around to keep the radiator in good shape and the engine cooled. If your water pump is going out, you need to replace it immediately. These signs below should give you a good idea if you should replace it now or start looking at a different part as the cause.
The Puddle
The #1 indicator of a water pump failing is the puddle of coolant under the front of the car. The color will be either orange or green – matching the color of the coolant you use.
Engine Keeps Overheating
When the water pump fails, the engine will overheat. Some cars will give you a dummy light to let you know coolant is low. Don’t drive the car if it is overheating.
Gunky Build-up
Sometimes the failure takes time. During that time period of the pump slowly dying, it’ll leak out a little bit of coolant. This dries on the water pump making it look rather gunky and messy from the dried coolant.
Steam from Under the Hood
If you see what appears to be steam coming out from under the hood, pull over. Do not open the hood. Call your roadside service. This means the engine has overheated. It might or might not be from the water pump.
A1 Performance Auto Repair
If you’re within 3 miles of our shop in Sunnyvale, we can tow your car in for free. (Farther will have a charge.) We’ll be happy to accurately diagnose the problem and fix it for you promptly. Give us a call.
