Posted by Fastman (209.179.228.159) on April 23, 2001 at 01:14:48:
Today while I was driving alot, my Maverick took a major crap.
I was going about 50 MPH, driving normal and all of a sudden BOOM! Something shot right through the hood. And I mean completely through. The object made an 8 inch slash about 4 inches wide. I quick pulled over and shut the engine off. When I first herd the BOOM and saw a piece fly through the hood, I just figured "Shit, there goes the engine!". But when I realized a breif sencond later my engine was still running and still made excellent power(actually made more after the boom, which I was startled by). I opened the hood and because my engine still ran I thought one of the fan blades broke off and shot through the hood, I was only partly correct on my assumption. When looking into the engine compartment I saw anti freeze/water all over the place and part of my water pump was gone! It turns out, my water pump completely broke in half. The whole snout, pump pulley, spacer, and fan were gone from the pump. The whole broken piece(fan, spacer water pump shaft/bearings etc.) were in the engine bay stuck between the cooling lines. My fan is bent of beyond recongnition, my pulley is also damaged, and during this explosion the whole fan piece also took out my radiator. When I say it took it out, I mean it completely destroyed it. It looks like salad. It was only 2 years old too. I have never herd of a water pump breaking at the snout, maybe the shaft breaking or bearings wearing but not the cast iron snout! I am talking the radiator, pump, hoses fan and belt to the parts store where I bought the rebuild water pump from 2 years ago and see if they are going to pay for it(radiator/water pump, belts, hoses). What do you all think? Are they somewhat responsible? I still have no idea where that fan blade piece went after it brusted through the hood. I feel very lucky nothing came through the windshield. Talk to ya all later.