Capitol Tire & Service
5610 Odana Road, Madison, WI 53719 608.271.9009
Capitol Tire & Service Tech Question:
I was driving on the freeway in Wisconsin and my vehicle engine started to get hot. I turned off my air conditioner and was able to drive the short distance to my meeting and then found a shop in Madison. It turns out that my water pump was leaking. It cost me many hundreds of dollars to get it fixed. What could I have done to avoid this?
Capitol Tire & Service Answer:
This guy's story really did have a happy ending. When you continue driving when your engine's overheating you risk a catastrophic engine failure. It really is a good idea to pull over and let your vehicle engine cool down before driving again. If you add water or coolant, be sure your engine is cool or you risk serious burns.
Now there's no way for Madison drivers to know when their water pump will fail – they just wear out. This fellow's water pump replacement was more because his water pump is driven by his timing belt. That requires a lot of hours to get to the water pump and then put everything back on the engine.
A money saving tip from Capitol Tire & Service in Madison: if your water pump is driven by your timing belt – replace the pump when you have your scheduled timing belt replacement. That way most of the work is already done and you don't have to pay for it twice.
Check with your friendly and knowledgeable professionals at Capitol Tire & Service about when your timing belt should be replaced.
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Capitol Tire & Service
5610 Odana rd
Madison, Wisconsin 53719
608-271-9009
At Capitol Tire & Service we install quality NAPA replacement parts.