I know it's the waterpump squeeling because it sounded like it was coming from there and I used a little WD-40 on the back of it where you can see the pulley turning and the squeak stopped. My brother wants to drive it from Indiana to Colorado Monday and obviously shouldn't drive it on a failing waterpump. The idler pulley and serp. belt were replaced about 1,000 miles ago.

Is it difficult to replace the w/p on these? It doesn't look bad at all but I didn't know if there were any tricks to it. How does the tensioner work? Is it like Gm's where all you need is a breaker bar and a 15mm to ease the tension?
I need to order this part today or tomorrow and have it send over-night so please let me now what you think.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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Normally the water pump groans or clatters when the bearings go. I have made the same conclusion as you, that it was a water pump, but I was wrong. It is most likely the belt slipping. I would put my money on the tensioner not the water pump. The guy who replaced the belt probably cranked the tensioner down a long way, and it never returned to its normal tension, so now the belt slips.

I'm just a DIY, not a mechanic.

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1989 420 SEL

He and I have noticed that the temp gauge bounces up and down. It isn't steady as if the engine were heating up but more like it has a bad connection and I think this still has the older style mechanical temp gauge. Otherwise the needle will be a t normal temp and then it will go up to a little over 100.
Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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The 60x water pumps are relatively easy, at least on the 603. The 602's I have look the same, but your 601 has a electric fan clutch that may be tricky. The gasket is paper so I used some hylomar just to make sure it'd seal. The once the fan and pulley are off its just a few 10 mm bolts that hold the pump in. I didn't have to remove the housing or alternator when I did it on my 6 cyl diesel.

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Brian Toscano

took me 30 minutes on my 84 300SD. The hardest part was the fan blade bolts.

Does it sound like it is the waterpump though? The waterpump is $85 and I would never live it down if my brother spent $85 for one and it didn't fix it.
Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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Is it leaking? Mine did, out of the weep holes. Squeeling can be fan belts. If bearings are going you MAY be able to feel some wobble but then again may not. The part is not that expensive and a pretty easy fix. IF it fails you will have a much bigger problem. If you have a lot of miles on the original and are planning big trips , $40-80 is a cheap insurance policy

The car has a serpentine belt that was just recently replaced with the tensioner pulley, so it shouldn't be the belt. That was all installed my an MB diesel mechanic of about 30 years, so I'm sure it was done right.
When I go to install the pump, won't I want to use gasket sealant on it or just bolt it up with a dry gasket?
Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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I used a VERY thin layer of sealer. You will find answers on both sides here. Some say no, others yes, the main reason for not using it is for the NEXT time you have to replace the pump, makes the gasket harder to replace.
I like to use it because it helps me better visualize the bolt tightning, (slight ooze ) and it holds the gasket in place on the water pump when applied to the block
Good Luck