'93 Impreza, roughly 200k miles.

 

Just started a couple days ago. I've got a chirping/squeaking/squealing noise from the front of the engine. It comes and goes...not constant. With any other car, I'd say the water pump was starting to go. Do Subaru pumps usually fail like this? Chirping, then leaking? As far as I know, nothing is leaking. The radiator is full, although it could be a slow leak. I have a feeling it's going to get worse. Bleh.

Well you are long blessed in the water pump department. Yes it can chirp and squeel without leaking, untill it self destructs. If it self destructs odds are you can't reuse the timing belt (assuming you replaced it 180,000). If not do that too. Are you running the original tensioner and idlers, the sound can be coming from there too.

 

nipper

I thought of tensioners too. *sigh* I guess I'm tearing into it, one way or another. I've only had the car a couple years, and don't have the history on it. I'd assume they're original. I'm afraid to let it go any longer, as I don't really want anything self-destructing on the road 50 miles from home. Crap. I don't feel like dumping money into it but...T belt is due anyway. So is oil pump and all front seals. Tensioners and idlers too. Bleh. I'll check for leakage and pull the T belt covers off. See if there's any play in the pump. I'd guess it's original, so I'm leaning towards it. Either that or tensioners/idlers.

 

Well, thanks.

before you go headlong into the timing covers, check the A/C idler pulley-my leg does that, if I take off and drip in a few drops of oil into bearing shuts up for 10-20K miles or so.....

Good point gbrand, my daughter's 93 Legacy also did the same thing. Seems if I remember correctly the AC compressor also comes on with the defrost? Sold the car to a co-worker who still has it with 215k now, AC locked up last year on him. I had replaced the water pump with a new timing belt 168K and the old pump still looked pretty tight. Saved it for a spare that went with the car.

I thought of that too, but it looks like I was right. Checked the antifreeze about a half hour ago. Bingo! It was low. Not terribly, but enough, and it has to be going somewhere. I made sure it was full when I tested my antifreeze before the cold weather hit. Along with the noise, I'd say it looks like the pump's days are numbered. I've yet to pull the cover off to confirm, but I'm pretty sure. I guess I'll go ahead and do everything while I've got it torn down. Water pump, oil pump, T belt, tensioner, idlers, and oil seals. *Shakes wallet* Why does everything have to break when my tax return comes in.

They smell money.

 

nipper