Is it a water pump failure?

Not sure what's failing here. I got a pulley that starting to make a grinding noise and I'm also getting a whine. It sounds like the old school power steering pumps when the reservoir gets low, ya know how it makes that empty howling noise? I know this isn't it cause it's full and the p/s pump is separate from the reservoir. When I listen for it, I can seem to narrow the sound to the top, center of the engine. Doesn't come from down low (alternator or a/c). Is the water pump a common failure? It has 120K miles so it might just be time. Anyone else experience this?

This could be the water pump, but it's burried under the black plastic timing belt covers (about the center of the block) & is driven off the T-belt. I'd start by popping off the serpentine belt & spinning all the pulleys that will spin by hand. This may be a bad idler/tensioner pulley bearing, bad alternator, A/c comp, etc...
G/luck
Joel

sounds like cooling fan pulley Ive got one to replace for the same thing tomorrow

This could be the water pump, but it's burried under the black plastic timing belt covers (about the center of the block) & is driven off the T-belt. I'd start by popping off the serpentine belt & spinning all the pulleys that will spin by hand. This may be a bad idler/tensioner pulley bearing, bad alternator, A/c comp, etc...
G/luck
Joel


Yea, I'm gonna remove the belt and see what I find. The water pump on this is actually up top and driven by the serp belt. This is the V6 engine, 3.2 I think. At least I thought it was, the radiator hose attaches to this and has a pulley attached to it. I can tell that the pulley is definitately noisey.

sounds like cooling fan pulley Ive got one to replace for the same thing tomorrow

This was my second guess.

the thing you are calling the water pump look close there are no hoses on it
I belive you are looking at the cooling fan bracket for all of Isuzus 3.2l engines waters pumps are located behind the timing cover remove the belt start it up if the noise is gone its not the waterpump

.... The water pump on this is actually up top and driven by the serp belt. This is the V6 engine, 3.2 I think. At least I thought it was, the radiator hose attaches to this and has a pulley attached to it. I can tell that the pulley is definitately noisey.

George, when I first got my 2002, I thought the same thing. That pulley up top is just an idler pulley, nothing else. IIRC- the bearing is replaceable on it. Water pumps on all 'zu 3.2's are T-belt driven.

G/luck
Joel

Yep, y'all are right. I looked again and it's just an idler pulley. I took the belt off and the noise is gone. That bearing is the grinding that i'm hearing. But I'm still not sure on the whine. Maybe it's causing that too at a high rpm. I'll be calling tomorrow to find the cost of that and will go from there. thanks again.

Good to hear you found it George! Atleast it's quick & easy to get at. There are other posts floating around where others have had to change out that idler.
G/luck
Joel