Q:How long should it take a mechanic to replace a water pump on a 96 dodge intrepid ES with a 3.5L engine? I was given a estimate of 6 hours does it really take that long? at 100.00 a hour I'm not sure my car is worth fixing

I work on all different types of cars but just hearing you mention this one makes me be able to recall what a nightmare these cars really are. The water pump on these cars are driven by the timing chain, yes timing chain. Whats really different about this car is when the water pump goes out, it leaks water but since the pump is under the front cover it can't leak water into the oil pan so they put in what they call a weep hole. When the pump starts to leak you will get dripping water out of the left side of the block which is different but normal in this case. The fact that the timing chain drives this pump says this repair is going to take alot of time I believe standard book time on this job is around 6 hours.

Q:new switch and new tank

Sounds like a bladder tank issue. The bladder gets potential energy when the pump fills the tank. When you open a faucet for water, the potential energy stored in the bladder will push the water out of the tank without the need of the pump coming on until the tank is almost empty. You should be able to rock the tank when the pump first comes on to see if it is light weight, as it would be when almost empty. If not then there's your problem. When the pump ends its cycle is when the tank will be at its heaviest. Again: The tank should be full when the pump is not running and almost empty just before the pump comes on. The water pressure would behave as you describe if the bladder tank is not functioning properly.

Q:My water pump is starting to leak. The shops are quoting $250- $300 to replace but I can buy a water pump at the auto parts store and install myself for less than $100 but I don't know what all is involved with this repair or if I should try (my only experience with car repair up to now is recently replacing the alternator). If anyone has done this please let me know what you think. thanks

It's a rear wheel drive car with the water pump mounted on the front of the engine toward the radiator. So if you go to the library any read the chiltons or motors manual procedures on how to replace the water pump, you probably have to remove the radiator fan blade assembly to get at the water pump. Some fan belts will also have to be removed. You can end up doing the job twice if the new water pump gasket doesn't seal properly due to antifreeze leaking out of the engine block while your installing the new gasket and sealer. Park the car with the engine facing up a hill to prevent that. I'd have it done at a shop. It's worth paying a shop unless you really want to get into major repairs.

Q:I have a quot;Rainbow Lifeguard Quiet One 6000external pump that I would like to use on a new chiller for my tank. The pump is rated at a little over 1500 gallons per hour. I'm debating between a couple of chillers, one that has a max flow rate of 1300 gph and another that has a max of 960.I know that you are only supposed to put any valves on the outflow side of the pump and lessening the flow to 1300 from 1500 doesn't seem like it would be that big of a problem, but I was curious it cutting it back to 960 would be hard on the pump in the long run. (I'm leaning towards the bigger chiller as although it may be overkill for my tank, it would let me have a little more water circulation.)

ditto to magic

Q:I will be replacing my timing belt soon. The dealer is suggesting that I also replace the water pump. Is that really necessary? When do water pumps normally go out?

The only reason they say that is because 90% of the labor to replace a water pump is already done by removing the timing belt. So if you decline and the pump goes out, you'll pay all that labor all over again. If you change your coolant when due and use the right coolant (not some universal coolant), then no, pumps don't usually go bad. But it's all up to you and your level of risk taking. Most people get talking into it because the dollar risk is so high compared to the cost of a pump.

Q:think the water pump is behind the crank pulley but im not certain I've pulled apart the front end but I'm having a hard time getting the pulley off so I want to make sure the part im trying to pull off is not the wrong one.

your water pump is located in the front center of the engine behind the timing cover and is driven by the timing belt. The timing belt must be removed to service the pump and recommend changing the belt at the same time. the only special tool you will need is a puller to remove the crank pulley this can be rented at an auto parts store the rest comes apart with basic hand tools. I recommend buying a service manual for your car at the parts store you get the other items needed to change the pump it will give you a step by step procedure for changing your belt and pump.

Q:I need to get my water pump replaced because it is cracked, a coolant flush and my belt is dry. I went to pep boys because my check engine light came on.They want to charge me 950 for the job. I am reluctant to pay that much. I drive an '06 Pontiac Torrent. I am suppose to take my car in today but I am not sure if I am being ripped off or not. Is 950 too much?

You need to go to a locally owned garage. Taking your car to any of those national chains you're just paying for another tv commercial! $950 is alot for a water pump, they saw you comin!

Q:i want to make this for a physics project for school. i found a video on how to make it, but i dont understand the physics behind. i have to make a model and a poster explaining the physics. i dont understand what to put on the poster so could someone help me with which physics principles this project would go with?

It isn't practical to give a detailed description here. This is a positive displacement pump. The pump chamber is sealed so that as the piston is moved up the volume within the chamber increases. Water is pushed into this chamber by the outside air pressure. If the pump is located too far above the water source then the air pressure is not sufficient and you will produce a vacuum inside but the water still will not flow. When the pump is pushed down the water flows out. Now the one way valves are critical. We don't want the water to flow back the way it came and we don't want the water that we have already pumped to flow back into the pump. So a one way valve on the inlet will permit water to flow into the pump but not out of it. And a one way valve on the outlet will permit water to flow OUT of the pump but not into it. So with each stroke you a) reduce the pressure in the pump. b) water is forced from the inlet, past its one way valve and then into the pump. c) the pump is pushed down increasing the pressure in the pump. d) water flows out of the pump through the other one way valve and on to the output.

Q:Ok, so if i have an 80 watt solar panel and want to run a 12v dc fan and water pump ONLY when the sun is out or enough light to power them, will i need something like a voltage regulator? I would like to have the panels charge deep cycle 12 v batteries at the same time or when the fan and pump is not running. For instance, i have the panels out and my fan and pump on allowing them to run only on solar as well as charge the batteries. What diagram would i use? I would probably get a charge control for the batteries but more importantly what would i need to regulate the power from the panels? Inverter?

You may have to do some math. The 80 watt panel is only 80 watts at peak sun on a 75°F day at the equator. Chances are you will have something less than 80 watts to work with. But you can add up all the hours of partial sun to get an equivalant number of peak sun hours. An example would be a few hours in the morning and evening at partial power and a couple of hours at solar noon at nearly full power may give you 5 peak sun hours worth of light. 5 psh x 80 w/ps = 400 wh Your supply may have 400 watt hours worth of power per day. You state that the fan is 12v dc but what is the wattage? It could be a little 12v dc fan out of a computer or it could be a huge 12v dc fan out of an RV. What is the power requirements of the water pump? Is it a little 12v dc one for a foot tall decorative fountain or an industial 3 phase pump for a well? To charge the battery you need a voltage 120% higher than the battery voltage. 12v x120%=14.4 v To add up your loads convert them all the use to dc watt hours per day Here is an example to give you an idea of how to play with your numbers: Fan 12vdc x 1.5 A = 18 watts, use this for 5 hours your load would be 18w x 5hr = 90 watt hours Pump 120 vac x 2.5 amps = 300 watts (The AC will need to come from an inverter. The inverter has a certain amount of loss. How good it does the job of converting dc to ac is know as it's efficency. Lets use 90% to be safe) 300 watts / 0.90 = 333.4 watts, use this for 1/2 hour per day 333.4w x 0.5hr = 166.7 watt hours The 90 watt hours + the 167 watt hours = 257 watt hours per day. This would leave about 140 watt hours to put into the battery. Yes it would be best to use a charge controller to protect the battery from overcharging if the pump and fan are off, or from draining the battery too much if the fan or pump stays on.

Q:Hey for the past month my car has been leaking coolant, making a wierd noise when i drive it, and saying low coolant when its filled to the top.my husband took it out to get gas this morning and it stopped on him and had to be towed to the mechanicthe mechanic said its the water pump and somethin about anti freeze and this cost almost 300 bucks with parts and laborim just wanting to know if a water pump does indeed cause issues like this before we dish out this kinda money!!! btw its a 96 chevy luminathanks

Yes, most certainly. Sounds like the mechanic knows what he or she is doing and the cost is reasonable. You'd be smart to get a coolant drain and refill after he installs the new pump. Antifreeze should be changed every 2 to 3 years at most.