water pump broke - engine got hot- what to watch for?

[91Dave]

On my '91 Park Avenue, the plate that connects the pully for the water pump broke off & I lost power steering, alternator, and, of course coolant circulation. I was close to home and the temp needle went well into the red, but didn't peg before I got the motor shut off and hood raised. I didn't smell coolant or anythng else indicating leaks.

After I put a new pump on, I have not yet noticed any coolant in my oil. How concerned should I be about wrecked head gaskets? Is there anything else I should watch for indicating internal damage?

Also, I had to replace the serpentine belt. The new one is tighter. Do I have to worry about the pump again with more belt pressure on the bearing? I did NOT replace the tensioner pully with the belt. Would this have been a good idea?

Any/all experiences or recommendations welcome. Thanks!

[HotZ28]

If it did not get hot enough to boil the coolant out of the radiator into the overflow tank, I would say you are OK and have nothing to worry about. A new belt will be tighter than the used one. They stretch somewhat over time. As long as the new belt is the same length, designed for the application, you are good to go. Also, the 3.8 has cast iron heads and are not as likely to crack or warp as aluminum heads.

[91Dave]

Originally Posted by HotZ28

If it did not get hot enough to boil the coolant out of the radiator into the overflow tank, I would say you are OK and have nothing to worry about. A new belt will be tighter than the used one. They stretch somewhat over time. As long as the new belt is the same length, designed for the application, you are good to go. Also, the 3.8 has cast iron heads and are not as likely to crack or warp as aluminum heads.

Thanks for your insight. So far, so good on the engine.

I'm new to the group (great info here!) I have the '91 Park Avenue (just over 70k miles), a '93 LeSabre (almost 100k), and my first Buick, an '89 LeSabre Limited (130k.)

I hope today to finish putting a new CD player in the Park Avenue. I have the factory Bose package... can't wait to hear how it sounds.

I live in Minneapolis, by the way.

Thanks again. Later!