6

Many of you followed the saga of the noise coming from my timing belt area after I changed the belt and the water pump.

The noise eventually went away on it's own, and I think we determined with a pretty high level of certainty that the source of the noise ( metallic clicking at a uniform 16 Hertz ) was the water pump.

The water pump is a GMB, which I understood to be a pretty reliable company.

So why would a brand new water pump make noise like this which after a few hours of operation goes away on it's own?

Community
  • 1
Robert S. Barnes
  • 15,780
  • 72
  • 157
  • 249

1 Answers1

2

Water pump noise is not common but does happen. Steady tone noise is more common such as groans or squeals. Rhythmic noise is less common. There are three rotating parts in a typical engine water pump. Two standard type ball bearings and a spring loaded seal. The seal has flat faces that slide over each other. The seal material is often ceramic. The seal needs to slide smoothly, if there is extra friction a stick-then-slip rhythm can occur, resulting in noise. The spring in the seal can be the driver for the rhythmic nature of the noise.

New seals need some run time to burnish and hone the surfaces. Before this they can be noisy and exhibit some seepage.

This is what I learned from a pump seal manufacturing representative some time ago.

Fred Wilson
  • 11,667
  • 3
  • 30
  • 49