Q: Car is making whining noise, thermostat keeps going up and down, heater blows cold air, puddle of coolant under car.

asked by on March 11, 2017

It started this winter occasionally making a whining sound but it went away. Then this week it started back more frequently, I noticed the thermostat gauge starts creeping up to right below the red when the noise starts. While this is going on the heater will go from hot to cold. When I accelerate it seems to cool it down. Then today I found a puddle of coolant under the car. I'm completely confused. So any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

My car has 140000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Water Pump Replacement $187.27 - $1236.57 Get a Quote

Hi There, What you are describing sounds like a failing water pump. Generally, when a water pump is going bad, you may hear a bit of a whining sound combined with the pump leaking. The most common place for the water pump to leak from is the pulley shaft seal which is in the front of the pump where the shaft comes out of the pump housing. When the pump is leaking, it will typically cause the engine to overheat as well. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and replace your water pump.

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