I go with Jerry. The pump is essentially dead weight until you get
the thermostat open (Yeah, I know, it circulates in a closed loop,
etc) and has little effect on closed cycle warmup time unless you're
in the frozen North with the heater on. Slow warmup is almost a dead
giveaway for a sticking thermostat.

On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 15:34:09 UTC Jerry Bransford >
wrote:

> That would make me think stuck thermostat, certainly not the water pump.
>
> YouGoFirst wrote:
> >>My 2 cents. A water pump is a very simple device. There are only four
> >>things that can go bad, the bearings, the seal, the impeller, and
> >>miscellaneous leaks. You would hear the bearings if bad, or the fan shaft
> >>would be loose. I assume that you would spot a seal problem or any leaks.
> >>Loss of fluid and dripping would be your first clue. Now if the impeller
> >>were bad, then you would get poor circulation, but also at speed.
> >>
> >>I think we can assume that the pump is not the problem, although you would
> >>have to remove and inspect it to be absolutely sure. On some vehicles,
> >>you
> >>can take off the pressure cap and visually verify coolant flow, short of
> >>this. I do not know whether you can do so with the GC. Do not try it
> >>with
> >>the engine hot. Take off the cap with the engine cool, warm it up, and
> >>note
> >>what happens. If you wait long enough, and the engine is really running
> >>235, it may boil over. Oops! What you are looking for, is movement in
> >>the
> >>coolant before this.
> >>
> >>Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about the gauge, unless the system
> >>is
> >>boiling over. Then, you have real problems. If it really bothers you, I
> >>have some suggestions. Install those hood vents that someone mentioned.
> >>Buy or fabricate shims to lift up the back of the hood, like the ricers
> >>with
> >>big engines do. Load up the GC with camping gear, and head for the
> >>mountains. It's pretty hot up here even, but the Channel 9 weather girl
> >>says it's going to cool down by Saturday. She's hot too, but in a
> >>different
> >>way.
> >>
> >
> >
> > I am leaning more towards a bad impeller because I noticed thismorning as I
> > was driving into work earlier than normal, that the temperature didn't get
> > up to its normal 190 until I had slowed down below 35 mph. That would make
> > me think that the coolant isn't moving through the radiator fast enough.
> >
> >
> >
>


--
Will Honea