Episode 643 – Water Pumps 101
This Week In Jeep
Two New Colors Offer Room For Debate
Jeep on a yearly basis releases new color options, many of which are reserved exclusively for the Wrangler, and sometimes the Gladiator too. Limited edition colors, specialty colors, and never before seen or heard of colors that could only come out of a Jeep paint booth. Tuscadero Pink and Gecko Green come to mind to name but a few. Well for the 2023 model year, you can now have your choice of two new and very interestingly named colors. The first will fall fondly with any fan of Prince…. or the artist formerly known as Prince. Why? Because the name is called Purple Reign. Spelled with an “E.I.G.N.” as in the royalty of this purple will reign over the land. But no, the interwebs can’t help their crappy playlist having selves and everyone is falling all over themselves with the prince references. I think the execs at Jeep saw this coming and to avoid any issues with the former singer’s estate, they opted for the royal spelling, not the meteorological spelling. The color looks more like a stale purple drank, or the backside of Barney the dinosaur. It’s purple. It’s definitely not “prince purple” though, and that may be a topic for debate. Jeep says it will only offer a limited number of 2023 Wranglers painted in purple Reign. It’s a $495 option that can be ordered now through October 2022.
The second (and frankly more interesting to me) color option for the 2023 model year is actually one that may give you a case of Deja-vu. And that’s because this color previously appeared on one of Jeep’s 2020 concept vehicles. The Jeep Gladiator Farout Overlanding concept was based on the “Wayout” concept that Jeep brought to the 2020 EJS. The color had everyone talking as it’s something never before seen as a factory offered production color. It’s called “Earl” and it is gray in color with an aquamarine tint, leading you to believe there is a tie to the bergamot-flavored tea of Earl Gray.
In any event, it costs $395 and can be ordered now and throughout the entire model year.
Jeep vs. Fire Truck
A Yorktown Virginia man crashed into a fire truck while driving under the influence just before 1 a.m. on July 4. Deputies responded to the area of George Washington Memorial Highway and Goosley Road in reference to an accident involving a York County Fire Truck and a red Jeep. According to the Sheriff’s report, deputies were finishing up working on a different crash in the area when the accident occurred.
The red Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ had heavy damage to the front after it struck the fire truck, at speed, from behind. Two firefighters who were in the fire truck at the time of the collision suffered injuries severe enough in the crash that they had to be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The 34-year-old driver of the Jeep was arrested and charged with DUI, misdemeanor reckless driving for conditions of the road, and refusal to submit a breath sample.
Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!
Off-Road Air Jack
If you do any off-road window shopping, then you’ve undoubtedly seen various off-road jacks, specifically designed to work on the trail and in the worst of conditions. We’re all familiar with the Hi-lift style of farm jack that’s been around for 100 years. Functional, but awkward, and unsafe if not used properly. I suppose the same can be said for any jack, but the risk factor is always higher when using that type of device to lift a vehicle off-road. That incredible aluminum off-road floor jacks are super cool and very effective. But also very expensive. We’re talking over $500 expensive. Not to mention, they’re the same size as a floor jack and still weigh over 50 pounds. No thanks, I’m not spending that kind of money or carrying that kind of weight around. Hell, even the 60″ Hi-Lift weighs only 30 pounds. Besides, those super expensive off-road floor jacks can only give you like 15 inches of lift. Bottle jacks are cool, and can lift an incredible amount of weight. But they take forever to set up and use and don’t work in every situation. Not to mention the off-road specific ones are still in excess of $300 and will still have a kit weight of over 25 pounds. So why not spend a little more than a Hi-Lift (which I say you should still have, if for nothing else but as a backup) and get yourself an AIR JACK. “But I don’t have on-board air!” you might say. No problem, I say… because this system is designed to work using compressed air OR a vehicle’s exhaust. The lifting capacity of this air jack is over four tons (8800 lbs to be exact). It can lift all that weight to an incredible 31.5-inch height without any other equipment in mere seconds. It is designed for the rigors of extreme off-road use too. Super durable construction, the jack is made from sturdy 1000 Denier Nylon, industrial grade high strength polyester fiber, coated both sides with an environmentally friendly tear-resistant PVC material. The kit comes with everything you need, including a repair kit for the jack itself should you ever need one. There’s an included carrying bag that everything fits into as well. And don’t worry about pressurizing, or hurting the Jeeps’ valve train either. The system is designed for easy use, and the process is quick and requires much less labor than any traditional jack. The best part, with everything in the bag, all the accessories, hose, and all, it only weighs nine pounds. Super light compared to any other jack you have. Wanna lighten the load, free up some space and have the most functional, versatile, and safe jack on this side of a Hi-Lift? …. get the Air-Jack.
Tech Talk with Jeep Talk
TOPIC/QUESTION: Water Pumps 101
There are many different components to a Jeep’s cooling system. Something this show has talked about in quite a bit of detail over the years. Nearly ad-nauseum. I’ve even gone over tips and tricks to get the most out of your cooling system. But the one thing I’ve never done a deep dive into is the heart of any Jeep’s cooling system, and that’s the water pump. Every Jeep has one, all the way back to the 1940s. The purpose of the water pump is always the same no matter what model Jeep you drive.
It very much acts like a heart does in our own circulatory system, as it pumps fluid (coolant or antifreeze in this case) to and from the engine and radiator keeping your Jeep running smoothly and running at a consistent operating temperature. Despite the importance of a water pump, they don’t last forever. In fact, the environment that a water pump has to work in is about as extreme as it gets. Bolted onto the face of the engine, spinning at high RPMs all the time, plus the heat and all the chemicals in the coolant itself all lead to an environment that degrades a water pump’s efficiency over time. Add to that thing like air seeping through a defective pressure valve on the radiator cap, non-compatible or dirty engine coolant, mineral buildup, and even age can all corrode your Jeep’s water pump. So how does one know if the water pump is bad or failing? Generally, water pumps will let you know they’re on their last leg in a number of different ways and I’ll teach you how to spot them all. Here’s a fact you may not know… all water pumps actually have a built-in feature to let you know when one part of them is about to go out. It’s called a weep hole.
And NO!… It has nothing to do with some damn safe space you can go crawl into and cry in. A weep hole is a small hole on the bottom of the water pump. And why would a water pump have a hole in it? Its main purpose is to warn you when the pump’s seals are about to fail. Automotive water pumps only have coolant seals, as the bearing is permanently sealed and self-lubricated. If you suddenly start seeing a small puddle of coolant under your Jeep after it’s parked, or you smell coolant at any time, this is one of the first places you check, along with a good visual inspection of all your hoses.
As the internal seals of the pump start to fail, coolant will “weep” out of that hole. At first, it may just be a drop here and there. But as things get worse, it will start to come out more and more. Of course, if the pump itself is leaking from other places other than the weep hole, then that too is a clear sign that it’s time to replace the pump. The coolant that is stored inside the water pump after you shut the engine off uses a series of gaskets and seals to keep it there. Once these parts wear out, loosen, or crack, you’ll end up with radiator fluid leaking out of the front of your Jeep. A water pump leaking coolant isn’t the only way you can tell your water pump is going out. Other signs may be audible, like whining or squealing noises. The water pump uses a pulley and belt in its operation, and if this pulley is too loose, it will make a whining sound that some describe as harmonic buzzing. This noise is also caused by worn bearings inside the water pump’s motor. Either way, time for a replacement. Now there could be a sign from 
inside the Jeep too. Such as a check gauges light or a light and a warning chime that lets you know your Jeep is overheating. A dead or dying water pump won’t circulate coolant through your vehicle’s engine and radiator, and as a result of this, the engine will overheat. At a certain temperature, usually around 250 degrees or so, the computer tries to let you know something’s wrong by illuminating a light in the instrument cluster or chiming in an alarm of some kind to let you know things are getting too hot.
The hotter the engine gets the greater the chance of serious damage, including a cracked head, engine block, or damage to the cylinders, pistons, and head gasket. Don’t drive your Jeep at all if it’s running too hot and/or if you see steam coming out from underneath the hood. Immediately pull over, shut the engine off, and pop the hood, to help the Jeep cool down faster. The average lifespan of a water pump in a Jeep is 60,000 to 90,000 miles. The cost to have someone replace a water pump for you can vary. The more your engine needs to be disassembled to access the water pump, the higher the labor costs. Taking all these points into consideration, you can expect to pay anywhere from $375 to $787 (including parts and labor). The average cost of doing it yourself runs the cost of the part itself, and that’s on average between $60 and $200 depending on the year, make, model, and how high of performance you’re trying to get out of the pump. Obviously, there will be some coolant you’ll have to catch and replace in the process, and this can add anywhere from $40 to $100 or more depending on how much you have to replace and what you replace it with. The process in most cases can be done in a day with basic hand tools. One note of warning here, since Jeep water pumps are belt driven, having a very long pry bar, or a serpentine belt tool will help with removing the belt from the water pump pulley. As we hear reports from across the nation of heat waves, and triple-digit summer days, now is the best time to make sure your Jeep’s water pump is in good condition.
Links Mentioned in this Episode
NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/
Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/
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