So this week I've been getting a whining noise in the Infiniti. Usually it only happens when the AC is on but sometimes it happens when it's off too. So... I'm heading down to St Louis yesterday and the sound is getting worse and worse. As im pulling into the city the sound persists even when the AC is off.
At this point I'm wondering what accessory or pulley is about to seize and trying to figure out where I can get parts for this thing on a whim if I need them.
So im popping around under the hood and it sounds like the noise is coming from the water pump which is odd because it doesn't have much to do with the AC. Upon further inspection the water pump has a few hydraulic hoses coming off of it and they go, of all places, to the cooling fans. At this point the thing is squealing really bad and sounds quite I'll. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why the water pump would be sending coolant to the cooling fans... So I follow the lines and they go to a reservoir, which is empty. I dip my finger in there and it smells like power steering fluid.
Go to the gas station and fill it up with Dexron, the fans start spinning a lot faster and the pump shuts up. I couldn't believe it. I assume there's a small hydraulic pump inside the water pump and the reason it was louder with the AC on was because the car was trying to engage the fans. I've never seen a hydraulic fan, totally new concept to me. I'm not sure why they do it. Maybe its quieter. Just thought id share my boring story. I'm still stoked that I don't have to buy the $300 Infiniti pump and excited to have learned something new... We now return you to your regularly scheduled soft core porn...
At this point I'm wondering what accessory or pulley is about to seize and trying to figure out where I can get parts for this thing on a whim if I need them.
So im popping around under the hood and it sounds like the noise is coming from the water pump which is odd because it doesn't have much to do with the AC. Upon further inspection the water pump has a few hydraulic hoses coming off of it and they go, of all places, to the cooling fans. At this point the thing is squealing really bad and sounds quite I'll. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why the water pump would be sending coolant to the cooling fans... So I follow the lines and they go to a reservoir, which is empty. I dip my finger in there and it smells like power steering fluid.
Go to the gas station and fill it up with Dexron, the fans start spinning a lot faster and the pump shuts up. I couldn't believe it. I assume there's a small hydraulic pump inside the water pump and the reason it was louder with the AC on was because the car was trying to engage the fans. I've never seen a hydraulic fan, totally new concept to me. I'm not sure why they do it. Maybe its quieter. Just thought id share my boring story. I'm still stoked that I don't have to buy the $300 Infiniti pump and excited to have learned something new... We now return you to your regularly scheduled soft core porn...
