Hungry bear grumbling in my engine bay

J

John

Active Member
Last night I noticed a grumble like a hungry bear coming from the engine on tick over. It went away when I revved the engine.
Today I found a bit of play in the water pump, I could slightly rock the fan. Taking off the fan belt the noise disappeared when the engine was ticking over.
AHA! I thought, new water pump required, but it has no signs of leaking coolant and I cannot make it grumble by hand turning. I then span the alternator by hand, no play but a definite faint grumble.
So what I have is everything working fine, a slight bit of play in the water pump, and a faint grumble from the alternator.
Reassemble fan/belt/shroud, and wait to see which fails first? Turn up the radio?
Or has anyone had a similar noise/problem.


John.
 
It's probably easier and cheaper to replace the bearings in the alternator than remove a water pump.

Perhaps you could rig up a shorter fan belt between the alternator only and then the water pump only as a way of eliminating them?
 
If spinning the alternator by hand replicates the problem, then that's where the problem is. If spinning the waterpump by hand doesn't replicate the problem, that confirms the original diagnosis.
 
Harvey, It's the slight play in the water pump that's got me paranoid, many years ago I had a new water pump boss let go on a tuned Viva engine and the fan went straight through the rad. Looks like hand in pocket time, again. Sigh.
Paul, I did think of sorting through the odds and sods dept for a short belt.
I'll just crank up the volume for a short while. I have a funeral on Friday of a member of my local classic car club.


John.
 
John said:
Harvey, It's the slight play in the water pump that's got me paranoid, many years ago I had a new water pump boss let go on a tuned Viva engine and the fan went straight through the rad.
Click to expand...

I bet if you checked every V8 you walked past, most would have a slight bit of play in the waterpump. I've never had a fan and pulley come off one though, no matter how bad they were. Chucking a bun under the bonnet might shut the bear up for a while.....
 
Harvey, that's the bit I was wanting to hear, normal for a small amount of play in the water pump on a V8.
As this bear is midlands born, but raised on the Wyre peninsular, a stick of Blackpool rock might suffice. Failing that, maybe hit with a bloody rock....... :LOL:

John.
 
Hi John,

The water pump on my Rover makes a whirring noise every now and then which is only evident at idle. It would do it reasonably often when new, less so now. Six years of service and almost 70,000 Miles (110,000km) of circulating coolant and so far (typing very very quietly) no leaks.

How many miles of service has your pump seen so far?

Ron.
 
Ron, the car's not reached 58k miles yet, it's a 01/01/72 reg but it was rebuilt totally in 1992/93 at 38k miles, soooo the pump has either done 58kish or 20kish, so there's life in it yet then (I hope).
New alternator bearings on order.

John.
 
I replaced the bearings in my alternator just a short time ago and it's not difficult, if you have access to a basic shop press. Just be very careful to record the exact order in which all the little doodads come out. My photographic record missed a couple of steps so reassembly caused me more pain than it should have.
 
testrider said:
It's probably easier and cheaper to replace the bearings in the alternator than remove a water pump.
Click to expand...

Dunno about that. Replacing the water pump is a piece of piss. Although I allude above to its ease, replacing the alternator bearings requires the disassembly of the alternator, the correct reasssembly, and somewhere in between those the use of a press to push out the old bearings and push in the new. Having done both jobs on Brown Rover I know which one I'd prefer to do again, if faced with the (slightly) evil choice.
 
The PAS bracket overlaps the front of the waterpump and shares a couple of bolts. It means the PAS pump, belt and bracket have to be detached and moved out of the way before you can get the w/pump off. :x
 
That sounds more like it. I interpreted your comment as meaning it was more complicated without PAS. Didn't make sense, but I don't have a PAS car to look at.
 
Holy thread resurrection Batman.
The angry bear came back, so despite my alternator bearings being knackered and now changed it's new water pump time. The fan is wobbling like a fat lad between a patisserie and a pie shop. so today this is the state of my engine bay, Rad out.
radout120913003_zps9c74b810.jpg


Why the rad out for a water pump? I hear the boys in the cheap seats cry.
So I can smote the bolt heads with a lump of steel and a smoting stick.

radout120913002_zps6247a6f8.jpg


If the pump bolts shear it is a rad out job any way, so it might as well come out now as insurance, and it's easier to get Plus Gas in. The lump of steel I'm using as a drift is probably over 80yrs old, one of a pair of specialist tools that I doubt I'll ever use for their intended purpose ever again, but By Eck it's good steel!
 
It's always easier with the rad out of the way, and as they're such an easy rad to remove why wouldn't you?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top