signs of water pump failure

Hi,

I have a 2005 Pilot EX-L. When I bought it in Dec05, I noticed the
engine coolant reservoir was essentially empty. I called the dealer and
they said to just put any type of coolant in there. Thus I poured in
Prestone (green), which mixed with blue Honda coolant. No problems from
that...Pilot has 20000 miles on it.

Last month, the area near the timing belt makes a noise that's kind of
like when a smooth running fan suddenly has a clog or something for 1/4
the turn, and has to force itself to turn. so the sound is lke there's
something holding back the timing belt such that its not a silent spin
anymore. you could say there is a small squealing noise, but not
constant or loudly annoying.

i'm wondering, what are the signs that a water pump is bad or going to
fail?
and if it was ok to mix Prestone green 50/50 with the blue Honda
coolant?

please let me know
thanks

 

The sound you described could indicate a bad bearing in the water pump.
Watch the area under the pulley carefully for leaks. You could also
take the belt off and try turning the pump by hand to see if it is in
fact difficult to turn. If it is, you want to replace the pump ASAP; if
you wait until it finally dies, you'll end up stranded.

That's debatable; I've never had a problem using various other coolants
(Prestone, Motomaster, etc.), although there are some who swear the
Honda-branded premix is the only way to go. There's certainly no harm
is sticking with the Honda stuff.

 

-------------------------------------

There's been lots of discussion on this. Try searching the NG. As long
as you didn't add any tap water, and there's no silicates in (Prestone
green), probably OK. You already know that pump failure will take out
the Timing Belt on vehicles that have them. Any leaking at the bottom of
the cover? Is the level maintaining at MAX, or does it drop? Did you run
the HEAT since then to be sure any air was purged from the core? I
wonder if your dealer is a DOPE?

'Curly'

 

thanks for the quick responses. there's no leaking anywhere, and i've
run the heat for about 30 min (my driving time). but i'll keep an eye
on potential leaks.
what is NG?
and the Prestone did contain silicates...so should i flush and buy
something silicate-free?

 

================================

We are sharing info on an NG . . NewsGroup.

Some say silicates destroy water pump seals, which takes out the bearing
in the pump, which destroys the whole mess (head / engine). Do a search
here, and on google.

'Curly'

 

I don't like to increase anxiety, but I do want you to take seriously the
warnings about water pump failure - the type where the pump shaft seizes or
even breaks off. It would be catastrophic for the engine.

Since this is clearly under warranty, I recommend you make sure you have
actually had the dealer service shop lay their hands on it to check out this
noise, service order and everything. Without that they would likely deny any
responsibility if anything goes wrong (wrong maybe = "kaboom").

Mike