Water Pump bearings went bad?

Question

I had high-pitch noise coming from my engine; it was coming from the belt area. I change the belts but the noise is still happening. After doing some research, I noticed that the noise is coming from the Water pump bearings. I installed this water pump Last year and the warranty is expired on it. A friend told me that if a bearing goes bad on a Water pump, then I should flush the cooling system because it leaves "metal shavings" into the engine.

Is this true? I already flushed my cooling system at the mechanic (he has a special machine) about 2 weeks ago. Is it necessary to do another flush because of bad Water Pump bearings?

Answer 1

I think the more pertinent question is why your water pump bearings went bad after only two years. It is very likely that the belts were put on waaaaaay too tight- this can cause premature bearing wear.

You can get metal shavings in your cooling system from a bad water pump bearing, and any good mechanic will flush the system when they replace the water pump. When you replace your belts, a good rule of thumb is the "thumb rule". Push down on the belt with your thumb using moderate pressure. It should give no more than the width of your thumb. Good luck.  

Answer 2

well they do go bad but not very offen.. and really no need to flush if your going to replace it .. nothing to worry over

Answer 3

in the first place find out why the pump went out so fast, it might be the belt is too tight or you got hold of a cheap pump.