Driving today and my belt started squealing really bad and as I was pulling over my battery light came on. Popped the hood and the belt was shredded and the water pump pulley was bent/off.

Looks like two of the bolts broke and the other two are now bent.

So I will be pulling apart tomorrow. Can I just replace the pulley and belt and be on my way? I replaced the water pump about 500 miles ago, so this was probably my fault not torquing the bolts down enough, or too much.

Thanks for all your help.

oh and did I mention, THIS F***ING SUCKS!!!!!

 

I hope so but it might not be that easy. Check the play in the WP shaft to see if you can determine if there is any WP damage. The ultimate test will be when you get a new pulley and belt on there and run it.

Edit: You can also pop off the weep hole cover and see if the bearing seal is leaking. You'll have easy access to it when the pulley is out of the way. Don't worry about putting that cover back on, it ony delays a leak from showing up until it comes out the hole in the cover.

 

OK, how does that pop out? Just pry it out with a little force?

If there is play I need a new water pump don't I?

 

Just pry it out. If it is dry behind there and no play you may have gotten lucky.

If there is play it most likely won't last another 500 miles.

I hope you don't have to replace that new pump.

 

This is what I found when I pulled the pulley off when I was changing the power steering pump Saturday.

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It only had about 1/4 inch of threads left, I don't know how it wasn't into the pulley. The top 2 were tight, the bottom one... not so much. That is the closest to disaster I want to ever be.

 

Wow Donn, that is lucky! I need to check all of these pulleys now, don't want this to happen to another one.

So last night I was trying to get the pulley off and I am stuck. Since the water pump pulley is broken off I have no way to hold the "nut" that the fan is screwed into. So what now? I am thinking I need to try to pull the water pump and fan out together so that I can work on it on my bench.

Anyone else have another idea?

I am thinking that I might be able to cut the pulley off while it is still in the truck, then I can get a pipe wrench on the plate that the pulley is bolted to, then I can get the fan off. But that sounds like I might mess up more stuff. Thoughts?

 

I just did my water pump back in January, I had to use a pipe wrench to hold the pulley and a 18 inch crescent wrench to break the nut loose. It took a 24 inch offset pipe wrench to get big enough to hold the pulley. You might try a strap wrench to hold it, I was wishing I had one. Or the rent tools to loosen and hold it too. Though most of them use 2 of the bolt heads to hold it. And you are missing 2 and bent the others.

Edit: I am not sure I used the pipe wrench after all, I remember trying it and also my chain wrench. Now that I think about it, I think I used the chain wrench to hold it and let it rest against the idler pulley to hold it in place. Then I used the 18 inch crescent wrench and hit the end of it with a baby sledge to break it loose.

I was thinking that you might be able to pull the bolts that hold the neck that the lower hose is attached to and take it off, then you might be able to put a screw driver or something in there and into the impeller. To bind it and hold it while you break the nut loose. I will have to look at my old pump and see if that is possible and get back to you.

Edit: I looked at my old pump and took some pictures. I think it should work to put a long screw driver in there. You will have to put it in and towards the back to get around the hub and into the impeller through the center hole to lock up the fins.

<a href="http://s1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee372/nsaan/FTE%20Stuff/?action=view&amp;current=IMG00923-20120221-0811.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee372/nsaan/FTE%20Stuff/IMG00923-20120221-0811.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee372/nsaan/FTE%20Stuff/?action=view&amp;current=IMG00925-20120221-0812.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee372/nsaan/FTE%20Stuff/IMG00925-20120221-0812.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

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Ok thanks.

The pulley is completely broken off now, last night when I tried to take the fan off the two other bolts broke right off real easy, they were on there way out. So the pulley just spins on the shaft/"bolt" from the fan.

 

Hmm OK Donn, thank you. This method will def mean I need to replace my water pump though right? If I bend that impeller at all it will wear out the bearing super fast, right?

 

try'n to picture the carnage..(sorry bro), but what about using the air chisel on the fan nut?

 

I would, but there is no way to hold the part that the fan nut screws into, so I need to get something back there first.

If there was a way I could cut the pulley off then I would be able to hold the plate that the pulley bolts to. I might try to get a sawzall in there tonight. I just hope I don't end up feeling like my avitar.

 

Ya, it probably would bend the impeller if your not careful. Did it break the bolts off flush or are there pieces sticking out at all? if you could get them out and run bolts back in it you could get if off normally. I am not sure if you could pull the pump and shroud and fan all as one piece. Maybe you could pull the radiator first. I have not looked to see if that is even possible. If you could do that you would have more room to get the pump and fan off. then you could work on it on the bench... I had figured that you were past the point of saving the pump. If you pulled it off you could warranty it or bend the impeller back and call it good and reinstall.
maybe a small angle die grinder and a small cut off wheel could get in there and cut it off. You might have more control then with a sawzall.

 

Good thinking! I do have a small die grinder I could use, I didnt think of that before.

I dont know if the bolts are broken off flush or not, I can't see that plate yet b/c the pulley is in the way.

I need to find the receipt for the water pump, but if I can cut the pulley off in the truck I will try to run the water pump again before I get a new one. If I have to remove it I will get a new one, warrentee or not.

 

There is room to remove the water pump, fan, and shroud all at one time. Eat your wheaties first cause it a handfull. I pulled mine like that last week. Then using a big pipe wrench you can hold the fins on the pump and a 1 7/8 i believe to turn the big not on the fan. I Didn't harm the fins on the pump (not that i gave a hoot since it was trash anyways). From there you should be able to just pull the metal ring off that the 4 bolts go through and possibly get the broke bolts out with some vice grips.

Good luck!

 

I had to cut a bearing apart that seized on the shaft inside an air handler in the ceiling of one of my stores. I ended up using rotozip collets and super thin cutting wheels (like 1/16th of an inch thick) to cut off the bearing race. I destroyed about 4 or 5 wheels but it worked and saved me from pulling and replacing the air handler. I was told by an AC guy they could not be replaced in the unit. The roto zip wheels are only like 2 inches in diameter so they wear really fast but as long as you don't bind them they cut really good.

I was not sure if it was possible to pull it all out at once. I know I was not liking it just pulling the fan and shroud at the same time, I was thinking that was heavy.