Replacement Water Pump
At the heart of any water-cooled engine is the water pump. The water pump can be driven from the water pump belt or sometimes from the timing belt. The water pump usually fails due to the water pump shaft seal leaking. Typically you will notice a few drops of antifreeze on the ground as you park your car overnight. If you see this, dont panic! Simply locate the waterpump, and take your finger, slide it behind the water pump pulley and see if the water pump is wet. If it is, you will need to replace the water pump immediately.
Most water pumps are located at the front of the engine. On front wheel drive vehicle the water pump is still located at the front of the engine, but since the engine sits transverse, the water pump will be close to the right or left inner fender wall. Most do it yourselfers can change their own water pump. However take caution if your water pump is driven by the timing belt. If you get the timing belt out of time, you will bend valves and cost yourself thousands of dollars.
Some cars have both a manually driven water pump and an electric auxiliary water pump. This is necessary in turbocharged cars to cool the turbo after the car is turned off. For performance applications you will need to get a under drive water pump pulley, as if the water pump spins too fast cooling efficiency will be lost. For replacements there are both new and rebuilt water pumps. Rebuilt water pumps are generally cheaper because the old housing is reused and only bearings and seals are replaced.
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