(Apologies - I inadvertently posted this in the TSB section): OK, so I've perused the 100+ postings about bad coolant pumps and still have a question. I'm at about 130k and my pump sound has recently changed (temperatures haven't changed much - I'm in N. CA). No bearing sounds or grinding like in the much-appreciated .wav files. Simply went up an octave or so. I have plenty of fluid. Anyone else? I assume it will fail soon, but I'm curious if anyone has experienced this (I'm way beyond warranty). Thanks, Jonathan
I haven't seen any posts where the pump actually failed. Mine makes the noise but I haven't had it replaced yet (I am still in warranty until Feb 2012 - its covered under the powertrain 5 yr - 60k). I monitor the coolant temp using a Scangauge. I would expect that if it actually fails to pump, you will get the Master Warning Light and it will set a code.
Since this pump only runs for a few seconds upon startup and shutdown, and your car is out of warranty, no point in worrying about the noise - unless you have a check engine light come on to show that a DTC was logged. Even if the pump totally failed, this would not impact driveability. The only issue is that your car will emit slightly more HC during engine warmup.
