Belt and Water Pump Issue

mjohnston8899 · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:58 am **Posts:** 6

My wife was driving our 2011 Liberty today and called to tell me that the engine got really hot and it had become hard to turn the steering wheel. I drove it earlier today and had no problems except for the gate indicator coming on and off sporadically (seems like this is a common issue when it rains and from what I found its because the sensor got wet please correct me if I am wrong). So she took it over to the dealership (needed an oil change too) and at first they told her it was probably the alternator. I told her that didn't sound right and to try to drive home so I could take a look at it. Conveniently, the jeep wouldn't start when she tried to leave and after popping the hood and taking a quick look the tech said that the water pump and belt needed to be replaced. The tech showed my wife the broken belt, so they weren't just yanking my chain. My question is why did the belt and pump break so early, I figured with only 45k miles and a three year old Liberty that it wouldn't have any significant problems yet. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:52 pm

Talking about the serpentine belt? That actually cracks and breaks at very low miles. I was told at 38K mine was cracked. I didn't believe them, but when I took it off and replaced it (VERY EASY) they were right. It had severe cracks in it.

mjohnston8899 · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:58 am **Posts:** 6

Maybe? The tech didn't tell my wife, but it apparently was broken because the water pump was loose for some reason. The jeep was in the body shop a few months ago after an accident (minor fender bender) and they had to replace the radiator because it had been damaged. So I was thinking they may have taken the water pump off for some reason when replacing the radiator and didn't put it back on correctly. Hence why it was loose.

mjohnston8899 · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:58 am **Posts:** 6

Ok after doing a few minutes of research it was probably the serpentine belt if that is what is connected to the water pump. Sorry for the initial confusion, I am an amateur for the most part when it comes to the inner workings of an engine.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:18 pm

Not exactly sure why it would break to answer your original question.
The serpentine belt has an automatic tensioner (spelling?), so you don't ever have to tighten it. Maybe the tensioner was broken cuz I've heard, but don't necessarily believe, that they should be replaced when the belt is replaced.

DREDnot · **Posted:** Sun Jan 12, 2014 5:38 pm

A water pump can be damaged by a collision like that. Either by physical contact or the impact momentum damages the bearing just enough to cause premature failure. Your serpentine belt was past its prime at those miles and could have been the cause of the failure as the belt snapped and caught/jammed the pump drive pulley. Loss of the belt causes immediate overheating and loss of power steering along with gradual electrical blackout as the alternator ceases to charge and maintain system voltage.
When you do your weekly PM check under the hood (fluid levels, air filter, leaks) inspect the underside of the belt for cracks in the ribbed surface. Also look at the smooth top surface for shiny, polished "glazed" areas. Anything over 35K miles on a serpentine belt is a gamble.

See if you can keep the old belt and post up pics.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:13 pm

DREDnot wrote:

A water pump can be damaged by a collision like that. Either by physical contact or the impact momentum damages the bearing just enough to cause premature failure. Your serpentine belt was past its prime at those miles and could have been the cause of the failure as the belt snapped and caught/jammed the pump drive pulley. Loss of the belt causes immediate overheating and loss of power steering along with gradual electrical blackout as the alternator ceases to charge and maintain system voltage.
When you do your weekly PM check under the hood (fluid levels, air filter, leaks) inspect the underside of the belt for cracks in the ribbed surface. Also look at the smooth top surface for shiny, polished "glazed" areas. Anything over 35K miles on a serpentine belt is a gamble.

See if you can keep the old belt and post up pics.

Agreed and you can evaluate the belt much better when you take it off. You might be a little shocked when there are many cracks in it. I was in disbelief and was thankful it was an easy at home repair.

mjohnston8899 · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:58 am **Posts:** 6

Thanks for the advice! Next time I'll make sure to keep a better eye on the belt. Unfortunately since it died at the dealership, they did the repair which wasn't cheap of course but the guy did give me a 10% discount, so I guess I at least saved a little bit. Now I need to fix the constant "gate ajar" issue.....

Scar0 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:46 am

mjohnston8899 wrote:

Now I need to fix the constant "gate ajar" issue.....

There is a simple solution to this problem. Simply pull up the plastic moulding that 's around the metal latch (hook) that holds your gate closed. You will see 2 torx screws, loosen them, push the latch to the left (drivers side) and tighten the screws. It won't move very far over, but it will most likely fix your problem.
If that does not take care of it, then more then likely you will need a new lock as the "ajar" sensor is internal to the locking mechanism.

Belt and Water Pump Issue

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