Noisy water pump?

[christhemann]

Got a bit of a noise starting to appear, mostly when the engine is cold.
Sounds to me like its probably the water pump, but not sure exactly how to tell.

I tried the trick of running the engine with no fan belt on very briefly and its a lot quieter,
also the pump doesn't feel very smooth to turn by hand.

-How easy is it to replace the water pump then people who've done it?
-What bits would I need otherwise, I'll probably get the pump from GSF?
-Is it worth changing thermostat as well?

Cheers,
Chris

[jxp]

Changing the water pump isnt too tricky a job. Make sure you have a long bar to get the leverage on the bolts to remove the pump, think there a T locking bolt as well to remove.Def replace the therrmostat and get a new Oseal as well.

The only trouble I have was with the Europarts and GSF pumps the thermostat cover/housing would not make a good seal on the pump so I paid the extra - cost £43 plus my old one - from the dealers which was perfect. Mind that does not mean that the Europarts/GSF one will cause you problems, prob just my bloomin luck........The are two bolts that clamp the the housing to the pump and they should make a perfect seal. Getting the fly wheel off the pump was a bit of struggle as bolts well stuck. May aswell replace the fan belt as well at the same time.

I sure others on here will also post their experiences...

JXP

[Nate]

use a long screwdriver as a primitive stethoscope to help you identify where the noise is coming from - stick the handle on your ear and the tip on the item you think the noise is coming from. just be careful of spinning belts and pulleys