Saturday, April 5, 2014

Vent

We blog to vent sometimes, right?

You may remember two different topics I've posted about.
One, my truck overheating.
Two, my Family Room flooding.

So today, I'm tearing out more stuff in prep for remodeling.
Paneling, walls, stuff.
I get a call from the auto shop.
My truck is done.
Let me preface by saying, my truck started to overheat once more a couple weeks after I "fixed" it.
Same pattern, might head towards H (hot) and then come back down to normal and stay there for the rest of the drive home (20 minutes).
Then last week it hit hot and stayed there and blew the head gaskets.

I did not have time to do the repair myself.
When I put this motor in last winter, I put in a new water pump.
This last summer, the pump wore out a bearing.
I returned it and got a new one.
Less than eight months ago.
Today when the shop (Eagle Automotive) called (they worked on Saturday to finish it for me without charging any more than if it had been done on Friday which they had told me they hoped it would be done, when they could have waited til Monday) they told me that they changed the water pump also, because the fins were rotted away, and that's why I blew the head gasket.

I've been driving the Taurus (same 3.0 motor) to work and back daily while the truck is in the shop.
A couple years ago, it blew the head gaskets because, as my brother Tom discovered, the water pump fins had rotted away. This led to catastrophic overheating on a 100+ summer day.

Well, as I've been driving the Taurus these cold winter days, I notice that when I idle, the temperature stays the same on the heat gauge, but the air coming out of the vent turns cold.
I've suspected, but could not believe, that the water pump was going bad again, not circulating enough coolant through the heater to provide warmth, unless the engine was revving faster.

I'll be changing that water pump soon, right after I finish this Family Room, which after tearing the drywall off a wall I intended to remove, we decided to keep the wall there after all.

There's a benefit. I can leave the ceiling intact (less work), and not remove the stud wall (less work),
and I only have to rehang the door and some drywall.
And I can use the flooring I bought for another project that wouldn't quite cover the floor as planned.

Man that water pump thing bugs me.

Thanks for listening.

22 comments:

  1. Maybe if you used distilled water in the car, the minerals in tap water would not rot the fins. Of course, if the fins are made of material from China, no telling how good the fins are. I hope that water pump is under warranty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to supervise maintenance in a facility that had chillers cooling plastic molding equipment.
      The mold were aluminum, there was iron pipe and copper tubing.
      Always a balancing act chemically. Distilled water is aggressive at eating some metals. Whatever protected the copper was bad for the aluminum, etc. I got the pump and it's precedent from a friend of my brother who owns an auto parts store. I want to find out through him if I have recourse through the mfr.

      Delete
    2. Oh, well people fuss at me because I put tap water in my overflow for the radiator, saying that when the water evaporates, the chemicals will ruin my radiator. I hope you do have recourse!

      Delete
  2. Ugh, I feel your automotive pain. Minivan is in the shop due to a blown transmission, and we're waiting on the repair estimate to decide if we can even afford it. Only car is my worn out Bonneville which burns oil almost as fast as it burns gas, and is used by three people. Actually had to turn down a job this week because the distance involved requires my own vehicle.

    You're likely aware of this already, but overheating is bad news on newer cars because many parts of the engine use aluminum and once it warps, it never runs right again. Not like the older cast-iron engines where you could let them cool off, add water, and you were good to go.

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    Replies
    1. Iron block and heads,thank God.
      Sorry about the job.
      I remember you posting about your situation.
      Will renew my prayers for you.

      Delete
  3. I'm not an expert, but I've changed many a water pump during my life. The usual culprit for replacement is a bad seal, which leads to bearing failure.

    The only time I've ever seen a water pump with terrible corrosion was after a friend placed ditch water in their radiator, after they blew a hose and never removed the brackish water after the repair.

    Check to make sure your antifreeze is the correct type for your engine, after you change the water pump and flush your system, even if it requires going to a dealer to make sure of compatibility.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Been using green, pink not required but may be needed. I'll check.

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  4. I feel your pain. Just don't you go and over heat when doing the drywall. Maybe try some drywall mud on those fin things.

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  5. The water pump of my daughter's focus just went south yesterday. Was I surprised at how much has to be removed in order to just get at it. I remember the days when a water pump was one of the easiest parts to access (chevy 327 for instance). Given the hours of work and re-timing and reassembly required, I sure hope its replacement lasts much more than a year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same with the Taurus.
      Man, the older cars, you remove the radiator and crawl right in there with the pump!

      Delete
  6. Fords are notorious for that... sigh... Glad your'e NOT having to do major remodel...

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  7. Sorry for your pain, but think of the economic activity your truck issues have generated: repair guys, repair shop, parts store, trucking companies, the plants that make trucks and trailers and all of the components :)!, parts manufacturers, steel manufacturers, plastic molders, miners, oil companies (yes plastic is made from evil oil), even bearing salesmen ::) make a few pennies when a part fails.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You sound like Zorg explaining chaos to the priest in the Fifth Element!

      Delete
  8. Venting is good for the soul Ed, trust me I know!

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  9. Your problem with water pumps rotting away had me perplexed, since it's so uncommon to me...until I remembered something an old parts man told me years ago:

    The green antifreeze needs changing at least once each year, due to the chemicals changing and the corrosive effect the change has on the cooling system.

    I don't know if this is the problem, but it sure couldn't hurt to change your antifreeze at least once a year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's common on older Taurii, I would imagine any car/truck with that 3.0 motor.
      That's probably a good recommendation, but I haven't hit a year yet!

      Delete
  10. I like your term "VENT" when dealing with the kind of home building stuff you are :-)
    Good luck...I have NO idea what you're talking about but I'm behind your success with this 200%!!!

    ReplyDelete