Water pump?

I went to have my coolant flushed and thermostat changed and they told me it was likely the water pump that needed replaced. They said the coolant looked fine which I think is BS because there are rust like substance on the inside sides of the coolant tank. Ever since I got the car(over 3 years go) it ran at 200 at all times(idle,driving,ect) and just this spring while idling it creeps a couple lines past 200. Driving down the road it runs fine(200).

I decided not to have coolant or anything changed because I wanted to get a second opinion on it because they told me it was a 4 hour job to change the pump which was gonna run me $250 for labor. I just want to try and make sure this was likely the problem because thats alot of money to put into a water pump and that not fix the problem.

The car is a 2000 Grand Am SE 2.4L with 142,000 miles on it and has never had the coolant or thermostat changed.

Opinions? Bite the bullet and have it pump changed? One last thing if I'm having the water pump changed should I just let them replace the timing chain and stuff while I'm at it?

Sorry for the long post.

It is a pita to change the water pump.
Price is about right too.

If you have the pump changed, I would have them replace anything in there that looks like it may need replaced/repaired.
They can measure the chain to see how much play it has.

You also can get a 185deg thermostat which will keep the temps under 200 deg, usless you hav other problems.
And get the cooling system flushed and use new coolant.

Coolant doesnt last forever, over time its heat transfer properties degrades thus causing temps to run higher.

Hope that helps.

From what I gathered when changing the pump you have the drain the coolant first. Is that correct? Would it be a waste to go ahead have the coolant changed and put a 185 degree thermostat in and see if that does the trick first?

The guy also said it would take around 4 hours to change the thermostat alone. Is that true or do I need to take my car elsewhere? Most I ever had done at this place is tires changed.

Pretty much what would you all do first? Even if the pump has got weaker could putting a 185 degree thermostat in and flush still keep it at or under 200 until the pump finally fails? I really hate to have the pump changed right now if its not needed.

If they are replacing the WP might as well replace the therno and coolant. Both of which should be replced every couple years.

If the water pumps isnt bad I wouldnt change it.
Changing the thermo and coolant might help but if the WP is bad those wont make a difference.

Once they are working on the WP the coolant tube & thermostat are right there so it would be easy to change.

Also the WP job is listed as 4 hrs,
if they have a lift then the thermo can be changed in 15-20mins, so its not a 4hr job. :grinno:

Well whats the likeliness of it being the WP? Could changing the coolant fix the problem alone? Like I said there are rust looking deposits in the coolant tank and I figured that alone was a sign it needed changed. He did say he tested the ANTI-FREEZE and it was fine. But is it the same as Dex Cool?

I am not having the WP changed unless its recommended as most likely the problem. If the WP is bad wouldn't it run alot hotter then it does?

The car is a 2000 Grand Am SE 2.4L with 142,000 miles on it and has never had the coolant or thermostat changed

Its not likly to last too long if thiers rust in the coolant.
Also It prob has Dexcool and it which looks brownish after it gets old. It the WP is bad then the coolant woulnd flow very well, and would get much hotter then 200.

You could just do the flush and thernostat replacement(w/185deg) and see how it does.
Thier's only like 2-3 bolts/nuts holding on the tube the goes to the thermo and holds it in. This would be a cheaper route.

Btw- your car being almost 8 years old, if thats the original coolant it cant be very good at this point.

Thx for your opinion. I am gonna take it to another shop that put my breaks on and see what they suggest. I once took the car there to get a quote on having the timing chain done and he told me he wouldn't bother right now because once the chains get loose on the Quad 4's you would know it.

I don't know how much truth is to that but he could have suckered me in anyway if you know what I mean. They sound honest.

You will definately know it when the timing chain gets loose. If the oil has been regularly changed (and I mean every 3k miles) the chain should last a very long time. I ran synthetic in my 95, ended up changing the head at 237k miles and the timing chain guides showed minimal wear and the chain was in great shape, no excess slack or anything like that. I did replace it since I had it apart, but could probably have gotten away without changing it. When the chains start to stretch and the guides start to wear you will hear a rattling sound when you first start the car after it sits overnight, goes away after a second or two and does not come back until it sits overnight again. At that point I would start seriously getting a quote on having it replaced.

Took it to another garage today. They said it was likely the thermostat and needed flushed. He felt the top radiator hose and the bottom and he said the bottom was barely warm and the top was little hotter. Said both should be the same temp.

So in other words he said the thermostat might not be opening all the way. After the cooling fans kicked on the right fan(facing front of car) was blowing hot air the the left side was blowing cool air. Is this normal? All this was with the A/C off if that matters.

Sounds like you might have a partial blockage in your radiator. Mine was gummed up nice and tight due to someone mixing dexcool with green coolant, which will make a nice tar-like substance and one hell of a mess. Have the radiator itself flushed separate from the car 'cause if thats the case you don't want to get that crap into the rest of the cooling system. It will clog the heater core, and thats a chore to replace.

good info guys!

Thankx doodad but please look at the dates before you bring up old threads. :nono:
We dont bring up threads older then 3 months. :thumbsup:

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