Ok, I took my '93 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L in to get the serpentine belt replaced, as the old one had snapped. They told me that the water pump had locked up and that's what made the belt break. The thing is, I had to get the radiator and water pump replaced this past summer and I am wondering what might've made my water pump lock up since it is new. The Jeep has a lot of miles and I'm slowly having to fix a lot of things, so I'm trying to be sure that I don't fix the pump just to find another problem. Also, the repair place told me the water pump looks brand new, so I know that it was definitely replaced, but should I contact the place the fixed the pump and radiator and see if there's some sort of warranty on the pump?
I would check for the warranty for your water pump. I had an 89 GMC pickup and I kept blowing alternators and pulling front cover bolts that supported the power steering pump.. Your belt even snapped!?! Mine split. These are all symptoms of the serpentine belt being too tight. My automatic belt tensioner was at fault. Your water pump has probably got the belt around the pulley about 3/4 of the diameter. That equals a heavy load on the bearings resulting in them failing and locking up. Get yourselt a new belt tensioner this time.
If the pump is 6 months old it should be under warranty. The labor to replace it will probably cost you though. If you are having the work done at the same place that did the previous work, they may do that part of the labor free, just ask. Additional: More likely the pump failed first and broke the belt. If your engine has an automatic belt tensioner, you cannot over tighten the belt. Have the tensioner checked and replaced if needed as well. The labor should be minimal as they already have the belt off to do the additional work. It could be the alternator is used as the tensioner in which case, there is no automatic tensioner. Have any idler pulleys checked out while the work is being done. Ask your mechanic.
Warranty on the first pump has run out, you won't get any help there. Parts, even new parts do fail, that's why manufacturers offer warranties. I would suspect however the pump that was installed was a rebuilt unit, and perhaps the re builder didn't properly grease the bearings. Another possibility for early failure is the belt being adjusted up too tightly which will wear bearings out quickly. When it is repaired this time, push on the top of the serpentine belt to see if it has some deflection. There should be about 1/2 deflection along the longest run of the belt.
I have a '93 Cherokee too. So I can answer any question you have about it. Water pump failure is caused be bad seal or bearings. Since it locked up, your bearings were the problem. Maybe the belt was too tight? At any rate, before you give all of your money away on any more probs, give me a ring, K. BTW, I changed my water pump out last month. It was an Autozone special w/lifetime warranty. Since it was a replacement, I didn't pay a dime. Contact me via email with any more Jeep probs and I'll walk you through it. Water pumps on '93 Cherokees are tightened throught the Power Steering pump mounting bracket, no tensioner. Replacements is considerably more than a simple belt swap. You must remove the clutch and elec fan to access the water pump bolts. I had to unbolt the A/C compressor and move it out of way. It took me about 4 hours to do the waterpump and thermostat. Not for the faint of heart. But if you are willing to save a few bucks and have access to a few tools, it's all pretty easy.
Yes, by all means, see if there was a warranty with that water pump. Find out if it was a genuine Jeep water pump or an aftermarket (made by another company). If it was an aftermarket brand, it may have a one year warranty if it was a good one. Ask the mechanic who did it. He might still have the paperwork. Also ask him if he warranties his work. He might have put in a rebuilt or remanufactured pump. They often come with 1 year, 12,000 mile warranties like the better aftermarket ones. Did you save your receipt? You may need it for the warranty.
