Went to drive my RR today and noticed a crackling noise coming from the engine right off the bat. Lately the car has been being odd with all sorts of squeaks and whines so I didn't think much of it, except maybe the lifters were pressurizing. Came home after an hour and still noticed the sound. Opened the hood up and saw the fan and pulley wobbling around. Scared me to death to, the thing looked like it was going to fall off and send that fan flying through the hood. I guess its time for a new water pump.... I'm surprised it didn't start overheating though and am very glad the impeller didn't shatter on the highway! This may have also been the source for my new whine that I've noticed coming from the engine. So far its been a great weekend . Kinda baffled me that there were no warning signs though.

 

there were warning signs your just rationalized them away as other possibilities.

Glad that major damage was averted, your vehicle will talk to you, all you have to do is pay attention to the little signs

 

You mean like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Hzm...eature=related

 

Yes. I think that's exactly what he was talking about.

 

Am I catching a little sarcasm there? Must have been a bad joke then lol. Of course I know what Merlin is talking about, just pulling his leg. I noticed the whine right after the last oil change. Unfortunately that whine was the justified as being a result of changing my oil to a lower viscosity. Anyways, what do you all think about aftermarket pumps? I've looked all over the place and so far I just get mixed reviews.

 

buy the best pump you can afford new is preferred over rebuilt

 

LRScott, you mentioned that you switched oil and then heard a noise what is your opinon on oil. Which oil works best for everyday driving highway and city on the east coast? Traditional 10w-40? What do you use?

 

I kinda figured getting a new OEM pump was the best idea. There is an old saying I live by, "you get what you pay for". So I think I'll go with your advice Merlin.

To answer your question RROJ, I put 5w-30 in it during the winter because I got valve chatter upon start up. 10w-40 is what a rover should normally use year round. However, the viscosity chart in the owners manual suggested using a lower viscosity based on how cold it was in my area. I need to change the oil back to 10w-40 here shortly as it is warming up now. I've read online that Shell Rotella diesel oil is very good for RRs. the viscosity is the same, but it features more additives that diesel engines need to keep the engine nice and clean. So I might be giving that a shot this summer.

 

I wonder if flow Kool sells one for our rigs, I would find out, I had one on my Jeep and it was awesome.

 

Is it these guys rob? http://www.flowkoolerwaterpumps.com/cooling_faq/