Water Pump Pulley Play?

[ed1948]

-86 SS, stock 305, 90K miles
At idle the front WP bearing makes a rattly noise but stops at higher RPMs. The pulley nuts are tight. There is visible play in the pulley assy but no WP leaks. Does this need immediate attention or is it good for another coupla' hunnert miles?

 

[oldsofb]

Danger Will Robinson! Don't like the sound of that. That could last 2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, or 2 minutes. Guaranteed it will be the farthest away from your house. I would fix that ASAP.

Hutch

 

[lilbowtie]

It's saying fix me !!

 

[ed1948]

Thanks. I am a member of CAA (AAA in the US) and get up to 4 free 100 mile tows a year.

 

[ed1948]

Preparing to get dirty.

 

[Jeff L]

Danger Will Robinson! Don't like the sound of that. That could last 2 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, or 2 minutes. Guaranteed it will be the farthest away from your house. I would fix that ASAP.

Hutch

Agree 100% (Liked the Lost in Space quote! )

 

[pontiacgp]

-86 SS, stock 305, 90K miles
At idle the front WP bearing makes a rattly noise but stops at higher RPMs. The pulley nuts are tight. There is visible play in the pulley assy but no WP leaks. Does this need immediate attention or is it good for another coupla' hunnert miles?

a water pump is cheaper than a tow, plus you can drain the coolant into a pan to reuse it instead of leaving it on the highway.

 

[ed1948]

My Son got me an AC Delco pump at shop prices. Simple, now all I need is the time to re & re said assy.
I agree to everyone's advice - better to deal with a relatively minor problem before it becomes a biggie!
Last time I did a pump was over 20 years ago - what size of bucket will I need to catch the coolant - 3 gallon big enough?

 

[axisg]

yup 2-3 gallon. I have an old under bed storage container to get the maximum coverage under the car and I still make a mess LOL

 

[pontiacgp]

remember when you change the pump to put some silicone or another product on the bolts to prevent any leaks