Broke down... I'm guessing bad water pump

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BoeserBlick

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So this past Thursday was not only St. Patty's Day... but it was also my birthday :). My fiance took me out for dinner & to see a Broadway show. We both had a great time... until we were about to go home. I happened to drive in that day, so I just left the Jeep in the parking lot that I always park at when I drive in.
Anyways, on the way back home I hear some wierd engine noise... like a loose rattling sound. We had just gotten out of the garage so I just pulled aside. I looked around, checked the tension on the belts, even checked the oile to see that I had enough. Everythign looked fine so I get back in drive downtown (she lives out in Staten Isalnd). By the time I get to SoHo, the sounds is markedly worse. I check under the hood again & its all good - again! I even check the instrument panel & its cool. IDle is fine, temp is right down the middle, nothing wrong at all.
However, we decide that she should just take a cab back home just to be on the safe side. I told her that I'd drive the Jeep back to Queens (where I live) & schedule an appointment for this week.
I get into Queens & am about 5 miles from my folks place (housesitting for them while they're on vacation), and then my battery light comes on. I instantly know that theres somehting wrong. I exit off to take local roads just to be on the safe side & avoid having problems on the highway. As soon as I exit, I approach a stop sign & see steam coming from under the hood. Instantly I realize that it's gotta be the water pump. I immediately think that the pump must be busted & coolant is spewing from somewhere. I pull over & pop the hood... Sure enough, there's coolant all over the place - which explains why my battery light came on... prolly got to the alternator & seized while it was soaked.
At this point, its about 1am & I'm tired. I pull the car over & park it there for the night & called my buddy who lives near by to pick me up. Since I had work on Friday, I couldn't get to arrange for roadside to tow it till yesterday. She's sitting at a dealership right now & will probably be looked at tomorrow. While its there, I realized that I had my 36K mile servicing due. I'm having them do it as well. I am due for a ****** bleed, & transfer case service, so I'll prolly have to pay a couple of hundered for that. But I'm assuming that the damage from the fuct up pump will be covered by warranty.
At this point, I'm, fairly certain its just the pump. I certainly hope it is & nothing worse than that. I have a feeling they may want to swap out the alternator too (although I was able to turn the engine when I had to get her on the flatbed).
Anyways, its been aggrivating. Thanks for letting me vent.
 

Flaren

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Sorry to hear about your KJ. If it makes you feel any better, my current car (it's not dead yet!...woohoo!...lol) has had so many parts blow up/crap out in the past 2 years, it's not even funny. The past two years have seen:

1 radiator
2 alternators
5 sets of brakes (ouch!....mostly shoddy garage's fault)
1 battery
1 water pump
1 thermostat
3 tires
2 serpentine belts
1 set of new ****** lines

We'll just forget about the fact that my radio is dead, my AC hasn't worked in like 3 years, and I occasionally leak various fluids. If it's not absolutely essential, it doesn't get fixed...lol.


I think that's it.....lol. Gotta love having an 89 Buick Park Ave that you can't afford NOT to fix while you're a poor college kid. (Thank God for the "Bank of Mom & Dad"...lol) Hope your KJ gets back ok! =)
 

2003KJ

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What kind of sound was it making before it let go? Usually, water pumps when they go bad like that start to make a squeeling sound, exactly as if it were a belt squeeling.

Those water pumps can go crazy when they let go like that. my previous car (a ford) had one let go on me while I was in the middle of lunch rush hour traffic on a Friday, and while I was in a busy intersection. Blew parts all over the intersection. The ironic part, there was a recall to have the faulty water pump replaced. I was on my way to drop it off at the dealer to have that recall taken care of when the pump let go......talk about luck!
 

-=JoN=-

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that sux man....
what type of sounds was it making?
im about 5k from my 36k service.....so..it's about where u are...
hear back from the dealer?
 
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