We often do things to our vehicle that appear to have minimal impact. Like topping off a low coolant level with water. I have done this for many years without care. Well let me share a recent experience. While changing my timing belt and water pump for the second time (tells you how long I have had the car) I noticed a thick brownish/tan colored paste on the (internal side) outer portions of the water pump housing, and in the recessed water pump areas of the engine block. Closer inspection revealed what I initially thought was debris from a pending pump failure. It was then that I determined that the engine design includes a feature on the water pump housing that consists of two chambers to the left and right of the impeller. The chambers have small slots that allow coolant to enter, slow down, and depost any debris it has in the chamber, and then exit back into the coolant stream. The paste I saw upon removing the water pump must be the result of corrosion. It changed to dust when dried.
In the future, I'll be topping off the system with an appropriate blend of antifreeze/water with the goal of avoiding this condition. The engine never had any cooling problems and I don't know if this feature is common for all combustion engine water pumps but NXer's beware/be advised if you do you own work. I've heard no mention about this in other posts.
In the future, I'll be topping off the system with an appropriate blend of antifreeze/water with the goal of avoiding this condition. The engine never had any cooling problems and I don't know if this feature is common for all combustion engine water pumps but NXer's beware/be advised if you do you own work. I've heard no mention about this in other posts.
