Water pump pulley shakes and wobbles.

Tiny
IVAN MAZIN
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 HYUNDAI SONATA
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 180,000 MILES
A loud noise started coming from my sonata that sounds like the engine is cracking clanking. I checked under the hood at AutoZone and one of the reps noticed one of the belt pulleys was wobbling and shaking side to side. I did some research and took a close look, and now I believe it to be the water pump pulley.

My question is, can I replace the pulley without breaking down the timing belt and simply loosening the tensioner on the alternator? It's beyond my mechanical skill to dig that deep, but I could probably loosen that tensioner and take out the pulley without moving the belt too much. The car was bought for $2400 in 2012, so if I have to take it to a mechanic, the most I'd be willing to pay is about $500, otherwise I'd rather buy a new car. Will this repair job fit into that price range at a mechanic's shop?

The sound it makes: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1L9eiM9BC0l

Look at the attached picture of what I suspect is the pump pulley and tensioner
Sunday, September 20th, 2015 AT 8:52 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
CAR-MAN145
  • MECHANIC
  • 321 POSTS
Replacing the pulley will not correct the problem you need to replace the water pump that is driven by the timming belt. It should be close to or under your budget depending on where you live. They sell a water pump kit that has all the parts that is needed.
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Monday, September 21st, 2015 AT 12:42 AM
Tiny
CAR-MAN145
  • MECHANIC
  • 321 POSTS
Sorry the water pump is not run by the timing belt but in order to fix the wobble you need to replace the pump not the pulley. $500 should be plenty to repair the problem.
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Monday, September 21st, 2015 AT 1:19 AM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Replace the pump and if a timing belt replace that as it all comes in a kit
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Monday, September 21st, 2015 AT 6:44 AM

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