I noticed something peculiar tonight when I got back and it just passed 110,200 miles (It was 109,990 this morning). In addition to the dried wetness around the weep hole on the water pump that has been there for a long time with no problems, I now notice a little bit of fresh wetness that wasn't there last night. I managed to touch it without getting burned and it didn't smell like anything. Not antifreeze. Plus there was so little there that it was mostly disappeared after I touched it. It isn't overheating (antifreeze changed during the summer and the temps stay around 190-200) or losing antifreeze to the point where I can tell and I check it often (several times a week). I actually removed the belt and checked for play and aside from the fan clutch play that was there for years (I was told was normal), there was no play at all in the water pump. For some reason, this belt is only a few months old and makes alot of noise when I start it up on a cold or wet morning. It wasn't the case when I replaced it. Tensioner and idler pulleys are new. Antifreeze has been changed between every 15-30k since 58k with green (except for one incident when a shop FORCED Dexcool after I specified green. 8 months later, the radiator had brown mud in it and I had it completely flushed with green put in. That was a year ago. Last change was July 2011).

So what now? The gremlins begin already for the next 10,000 miles? Between 90k and 100k I had to have almost the entire brake system replaced (M/C, all calipers, pads, rotors, hoses, some metal lines, fluid several times, etc), both wheel bearings and the fuel pump. Between 100k and now I had to have the starter, battery (3 month old one), pinion seal twice, 2 front axle seals (one is leaking again), 2 ball joints that were only 3 years old, wheel bearings AGAIN, steering box/pitman arm, and some other minor stuff. I hate to think of what is next, knock on wood. Do I have a bad water pump? Could that be something else if not antifreeze that didn't blow away since it was behind the fan pulley?

 

its hard to say...keep an eye on it for any changes...could be condensation...who knows.
usually antifreeze has a very distinct smell and feel to it.


unfortunately your parts list is similar to mine.
only place that is diff is i have original starter..but have changed water pump....
as far as wheel bearings better get good at it.
i have put over 130k on mine since buying it and i am on my third set of wheel bearing/hubs up front.
as far as steering parts go moog...up front expense is worth it.
i bought my wheel hubs from an ebay store

Front Passenger CV Joint Drive Axle Shaft 113 items in Axle of Dearborn store on eBay!

they have a great price and 1 year warranty...i had one fail and they stood behind it no questions asked...didnt have to pay shipping or anything. i only had to provide proof of payment thru paypal.

 

Just out of curiosity, if it was condensation, how could it stay with those temperatures?

I just checked it again after it sitting for almost 22 hours and there is no new accumulation. I am going to go grab some food in a minute and see if it happens again.

The new bearings are Carquests. The old ones were some cheap Chinese brand. One box said Dynapack and one box was white with no brand.

I don't do my own work that can cause damage or an accident if done incorrectly for safety and liability reasons since I am not a car person. I do my own research and gather information so I don't have any more shops trying to screw me on unneccessary or way overpriced repairs. One shop tried to charge me $1200 for wheel bearings and then lowered it to $1000 since I was nice to them when I had it there weeks before for a tranny flush, oil change and brake check. A couple shops around here know me because this truck gives them business on repeat repairs that were done incorrectly years ago.

 

1000 for hubs!!! ouch...
hubs are 300-400 that site sells them for 100 for a pair....so even if they fail i am fine.
but man...

 

I'm just going throw my opinion in here and say you got ripped off paying $1000 for the front hubs.

Learn to turn a wrench and you'll save yourself $$$ over the years.

 

And to make things worse is that the shop that actually did them last year after that estimate did it for just over $300 and they overtightened the axle nut so the bearings went. Earlier this year, a 4x4 shop was replacing an axle seal (driver side) and the axle nut was so tight they had problems removing it. When they retorqued it to the correct factory specs, the ABS light went on for an open sensor on that driver side hub. I took it back to the shop from last year and they agreed to replace that hub under warranty even though it was a month over. I got the truck back and the light was still on and they said they couldn't clear it. I tried to clear it at the parts store and couldn't. I then checked the back of the hub and found that they replaced the PASSENGER HUB by mistake even though I said to replace the driver side. The work order even said driver side. I called them and they got mean and said the passenger hub had alot of play in it (lie. I checked it myself and there was none.). They even agreed to put the passenger hub they removed on the driver side. Now if they say that it had alot of play, why would they do that? I was going to call the DMV and file a complaint, but I didn't want to waste time. I had someone else do the other hub since I lost trust in that other shop. This was just another incident with that shop. Last one was when they put tires on the truck and I lost my brakes 4 days later due to a bad caliper. Not saying they did anything, but if the pads were already low, they should have noticed it. The shop who did that bearing and messed up is now out of business thanks to hurricane Irene. Floodwater gutted the whole shop. Can't say I would go to them again if and when they reopen.

 

well one way you could check if its anti freeze is putting dye in it and then using black light to see if it glows.
but i think normally if its leaking its consistent...just my two cents.

 

I will look into that, but I was thinking of using that for either my oil or front axle to find those leaks. I just had my front axle resealed and it looks like it is leaking again from the cable attachment. Now I suspect it is coming from above but not the oil. I was thinking power steering since it is the same color and I have had to add a little bit of fluid over time, but the differential is always nearly full. In fact I just added some fluid and after 4 pumps (I have a pump on the bottle), it was coming out little by little, but I continued and after 12 there was a mess. I will keep an eye on the pump anyway and I already have 2 gallons of antifreeze in the trunk in case I need to put more in if that seal starts to leak more. Maybe I should get more and overfill the reservoir bottle so there is more of a reserve in case that seal goes?

Edit: As I look around for water pumps in stores, they have a standard and severe duty pump. RockAuto only has standard. I was thinking of going with an auto part store pump since shipping pretty much eliminates most of the discount. What is the difference between the two? I was thinking of Napa over Advance since Advance only has their Driveworks brand, which is not known for quality. What about electric water pumps? Anyone ever use those?

 

I didn't pay the $1000 for the hubs. I went elsewhere and paid the $300 and had to do them again a year later because the overtightened axle nut wore them out and threw the ABS light. Both places were not good anyway. The expensive place was just plain overpriced and was not high quality (chain place, lots of complaints online) and the cheap place that is no longer in business (but had an A+ BBB rating) thanks to the hurricane was at the other end of the spectrum with being real cheap, but I got what I paid for. Now I go to places that are just a bit more expensive (but not much more expensive), but the quality is much much better. Plus these are small businesses and they know me. They also treat me like a human being and don't overcharge, which is why I keep going back when my truck needs something done that I can't or won't do myself. I do minor stuff like oil changes and other easy stuff, but anything like brakes or front end (where any messups can cause an accident) or anything where I don't have time because of school or other stuff, then I take it in and do homework on my laptop when I wait for it (I waited the whole day before while brake lines and the fuel pump were replaced while getting homework done on the laptop). No time is wasted when it comes to college because that takes priority over the truck (but my maintenance plan is foolproof because I get stuff done over breaks ahead of when it is actually due so the truck is still very well maintained and maintenance does not fall behind at all). Plus I don't have a garage at my apartment and because of winter, I can't really do anything on the truck unless it is a long weekend and I drive 2.25 hours home, which is rare nowadays since when I go home I drag alot of cargo like computers and tools. When I need a mechanic to do work on the truck, I still save money since I get several estimates from my preferred shops and try to get the parts from RockAuto beforehand. They usually have no issue with parts I bring unless I go to a shop that charges more per hour if I bring parts. Then I have them buy the part because then it actually turns out to be cheaper than if I went to a shop with a higher labor rate and brought the part.

 

Appointment is made for the water pump. I noticed some more antifreeze seeping out of the weep hole. With my class schedule and Wednesday the start of Thanksgiving break, that is going to be my only free time for months, so I don't want to have to wait for a puddle under the truck or the engine overheating and blowing up since I don't need a major repair right now. Are most water pumps the same quality? Should I be concerned about the quality of the pump they would use? They don't make pumps that have cheaply made plastic internals, do they?