Water Pumps For N00bs

[LibertyTC]

I think you will find in the cold, that a trickle charger is the solution!
The cold is removing 40% + of your batteries cranking power.
Trickle charger should restore much, increase the specific gravity reading, or electrolyte state of charge.
My bet is that after leaving the trickle charger on overnight, that it fires up like you have not seen in a while! :gr_grin:
Oh & glad you got heat while in the seat again!

 

[profdlp]

Let me repeat: Heat in the seat can't be beat. Neat, sweet, a real treat!

Complete.

(e e cummings can bite me.)

 

[profdlp]

Had the battery tested today and it was down to 300 CCA. This was after two days on the trickle charger minus two hours for a trip to the gym. I never noticed this until it was taken out, but the label on the front says it's a Mopar 72 battery and I suspect it was the original. If so, the little guy (600 CCA rated) lasted nearly 8-1/2 years. Put an Interstate 700 CCA in there and she starts up like the good old days. (As in: last week.)

I've been checking the coolant daily and the level in the reservoir has stabilized. The upper hose is now firm and my attempt to bleed it again today at the hex screw got nothing but liquid. This was done cold with the Jeep just started up.

I'm calling this little project done. Thank You everybody! :favorites13:

 

[LibertyTC]

"Excellent"
All is good! Under da Hood ! arty52:

 

[CactusJacked]

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[vaksanov]

Good info! Right after I change my whole power steering system, except for the return hose, I open her back up to check on all of the fluids and there is white stuff on the oil filter, power steering pump, rack, on the belt, pretty much everywhere on the right side. And white stuff around water pump itself. Coolant is a little down in the reservoir as well. So it seems like she hit the wall and everything just quits working on her. She has 140K on her now.

I have changed radiator 3 times because it was an aftermarket and never bled the air out :S when I give her gas I can still hear the bubbling, for some reason i thought that once the pressure builds up to certain point the air will escape through the cap. So could the air have caused pump failure?

And do you HAVE to drain all of the fluid or can you try replacing it real quick so I don't have to buy 2 jugs of coolant? Could I do the pump switch quick enough without losing too much coolant?

 

[profdlp]

...I have changed radiator 3 times because it was an aftermarket and never bled the air out :S when I give her gas I can still hear the bubbling, for some reason i thought that once the pressure builds up to certain point the air will escape through the cap. So could the air have caused pump failure?

Did you use the hex bleeder up by the top hose?

And do you HAVE to drain all of the fluid or can you try replacing it real quick so I don't have to buy 2 jugs of coolant? Could I do the pump switch quick enough without losing too much coolant?

You're going to lose a lot no matter what, why not just go for all of it?

By the way, you do have HOAT in there, right?

 

[vaksanov]

Did you use the hex bleeder up by the top hose?


You're going to lose a lot no matter what, why not just go for all of it?

By the way, you do have HOAT in there, right?

No i never bled it, so the air might have screwed it up then? And yes I used hoat (Zerex brand) all those times, it's pricey that's why I was wondering if I could do a quick swap but I guess you are right. I got a coupon from Advanced Auto for buying ps pump so the water pump and 2 jugs of coolant should be about $50, another freaking expense after I just spent so much money on PS. Hoping she runs fine for a while after this.

 

[profdlp]

I would have enough coolant on hand to do the whole works. Chances are that you won't need all of it if you're not draining everything, but it won't hurt to have some extra on hand. If you haven't done the thermostat I would do that, though that's guaranteed to cost you some more coolant.

I actually have two gallons (100% strength) left in the garage because I intend to do it again, probably by the end of the summer. Since I'm doing it myself without a pressure flush system I'm giving it another go around to make sure I've flushed out as much as I can of the non-HOAT stuff that was in there before.

I used the suggestion made above to fill it through the top radiator hose. Be careful when taking it loose - I can see why so many people have the radiator bust on them. Then I'd bleed it every day until I had no more bubbles.

Honestly, from your description of the thing gurgling on and on like that I think you are a prime candidate for the dealer flush. I will do that myself at some point, but with my water pump going bad I compared a $50 part plus $40 of coolant to the $400 the garage quoted me and decided to go for it. Since I think the whole problem was caused by having the wrong coolant in there I don't mind redoing it to give it a good chance of getting cleared out. When I bought it two years ago it had clumps of crap in it and I know the previous owner must have used the wrong stuff back then, too. You might have blockages and clumps of stuff in there that are trapping air and making it hard to bleed the thing properly.

 

[twowings]

When you drain the coolant, strain it through something (pantyhose work swell if you can get them off of your wife) to keep out the chunks, and then re-use it....no need to waste good coolant...