95 SL2 whiney sounds - water pump?
#1
06-16-2005, 12:47 PM
I have a ’95 Saturn SL2 DOHC that was given to me from my parents last year (~120K mi). They took pretty good care of the vehicle despite exposing it to the harsh, salty winter conditions of the Northeast. Repair and upkeep have been pretty reasonable: the major repair came when I was moving across country (towing a trailer, which I wouldn’t ever recommend doing this) and the fifth gear crapped out at 3:30 am in the middle of rural Virginia. After getting to our destination at 45 mph about 8 hours behind schedule, $600 and a trip to a transmission specialist remedied the situation.
Just recently, I noticed the car was making a whiney/scratchy metal-on-metal sound coming from the serpentine belt. The sound was more noticeable when the engine had been running for a while and was at an idle, but it didn’t really make any sounds when I was on the highway. A buddy of mine looked at the engine and thought the sound was coming from the idler pulley (he thought that the bearings were starting to burn out, as that’s what had happened with his truck at about 130K mi). But, he also suggested that the belt and tensioner be replaced; the belt was replaced previously about 5 years ago.
So, I ran to Advanced Auto and got the parts I needed (about $100). I was a little hesitant about doing the work myself (as I don’t have a lot of free time as a grad student, and I’m not too mechanically savvy). So I brought the car and parts over to a garage near my apartment. Before I could tell the mechanic what I thought was wrong he said the belt was “on its way out” and the rusty squeak sounded like it was coming from or around the idler pulley. I told him what my friend had told me about the tensioner, and he responded, “Man, I’ll check it for you, but I don’t think that’s your problem.”
After about 2 hours of service (which only cost me $50), he fired up the engine and again the squeak was still present. So, he stopped the car, disconnect the belt and turned the ignition – no squeak. He double checked the alignment of the pulleys, refit the belt and hit the key – same squeaky/whiney sound. “Man, that’s definitely got to be your water pump,” he said.
He then showed me what he had done to the car by giving me the idler pulley and tensioner that he removed from the car. The mechanic pointed out that there was a labored rotation about both of the pulleys – “Man, all that heat and time degrades the lubricant around the bearings. It’s best you replace ‘em ‘cause once something goes in a single belt engine everything else goes too.”
To make a brief transition, he said that if I went to the auto store, bought the part and brought it back with the car the next morning (around 8 am) he’d have the car back by 10:30. Service would only run about $85, and I got the part for $30. And the result? I’m waiting to find out (it’s about 10 am right now, and my friend is giving me a ride back at about noon.
Just recently, I noticed the car was making a whiney/scratchy metal-on-metal sound coming from the serpentine belt. The sound was more noticeable when the engine had been running for a while and was at an idle, but it didn’t really make any sounds when I was on the highway. A buddy of mine looked at the engine and thought the sound was coming from the idler pulley (he thought that the bearings were starting to burn out, as that’s what had happened with his truck at about 130K mi). But, he also suggested that the belt and tensioner be replaced; the belt was replaced previously about 5 years ago.
So, I ran to Advanced Auto and got the parts I needed (about $100). I was a little hesitant about doing the work myself (as I don’t have a lot of free time as a grad student, and I’m not too mechanically savvy). So I brought the car and parts over to a garage near my apartment. Before I could tell the mechanic what I thought was wrong he said the belt was “on its way out” and the rusty squeak sounded like it was coming from or around the idler pulley. I told him what my friend had told me about the tensioner, and he responded, “Man, I’ll check it for you, but I don’t think that’s your problem.”
After about 2 hours of service (which only cost me $50), he fired up the engine and again the squeak was still present. So, he stopped the car, disconnect the belt and turned the ignition – no squeak. He double checked the alignment of the pulleys, refit the belt and hit the key – same squeaky/whiney sound. “Man, that’s definitely got to be your water pump,” he said.
He then showed me what he had done to the car by giving me the idler pulley and tensioner that he removed from the car. The mechanic pointed out that there was a labored rotation about both of the pulleys – “Man, all that heat and time degrades the lubricant around the bearings. It’s best you replace ‘em ‘cause once something goes in a single belt engine everything else goes too.”
To make a brief transition, he said that if I went to the auto store, bought the part and brought it back with the car the next morning (around 8 am) he’d have the car back by 10:30. Service would only run about $85, and I got the part for $30. And the result? I’m waiting to find out (it’s about 10 am right now, and my friend is giving me a ride back at about noon.
#2
06-16-2005, 02:40 PM
What a difference a new water pump makes. So, I dropped $300 on a car I plan on running into the ground. What can you do?
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