Keeping Your Cool (Water Pump Replacement)
August 6, 2023
No matter what the temperature is outside, it's important for your vehicle's engine to remain cool, calm, and collected. Well, cool, anyway. If your vehicle has a gasoline engine, it's powered by a bunch of explosions involving spark plugs, pistons, gasoline, and air. And the by-product of all those things working together? HEAT.
There's a whole cooling system to keep everything at a tolerable temperature for your engine's parts, and a key part of that is the water pump. Technically, it's pumping more than water. It should actually be called the "coolant" pump since the liquid that circulates through the system is a mixture of water and coolant.
Basically, the water pump keeps this coolant moving through your engine, where it picks up the engine heat, and then is pumped into the radiator where it gets rid of that heat. When a water pump fails, the engine heat can build up. When you get a warning light on the dash (either a gauge or a light) that shows the temperature is too high, it could mean a bad water pump.
They can fail for many reasons. They have bearings in them that wear out, as does the seal between the pump and the engine. They're often driven by a belt or chain that can go bad. Corrosion can spell the end of a water pump, too.
If a technician determines your water pump has failed, it's time to replace it. In addition, other components of the cooling system will be inspected. The best way to avoid a water pump failure is regular maintenance of your cooling system which includes regular draining and flushing of the coolant.
Just like it's important for you to keep your cool, the same goes for your vehicle's engine.
TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires
1735 N Main St
Royal Oak, Michigan 48067
248-541-8300
http://www.tlcautocareroyaloak.com
Need Service?
More articles from TLC Auto Care

Muffler: Victim of Winter (Muffler Repair)
May 18, 2025
So you almost got through the winter until, one day, your muffler started sounding like a dragster, loud and obnoxious. It's not surprising. All that road salt and brine can cause rust to punch holes in a muffler, and that should raise a big, red warning flag about the safety of your vehicle. O... More

A Bright Spark (Ignition Coil Replacement)
May 11, 2025
Ever wonder how your vehicles engine is able to take the 12-volts from its battery and ramp that up to as high as the tens of thousands of volts it takes to fire its spark plugs? The secret is something called an ignition coil. Most newer vehicles have an ignition coil at each cylinder, but olde... More

The Engine Gets a Boost (Turbocharged Engine Maintenance)
May 4, 2025
If someone told you that your vehicle could have the same power but with a smaller engine, wouldn't that sound like great idea? Just think, a smaller engine would save you money at the gas station and you'd still get the same horsepower. The technology to do just that has been around for a long t... More