Performance Tune
1007 Centre Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80526 970.482.3971

Performance Tune Tech Question On Your Water Pump

Last Updated: Nov 25, 2025

Performance Tune Tech Question:
I was driving on the freeway in Colorado 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 Fort Collins. 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?

Performance Tune 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 Fort Collins drivers to predict when their water pump will fail – they just wear out. This fellow's water pump replacement was more expensive 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 Performance Tune in Fort Collins: 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 Performance Tune about when your timing belt should be replaced.

Give us a call

Performance Tune
1007 Centre Ave
Fort Collins, Colorado 80526
970.482.3971

At Performance Tune we install quality NAPA replacement parts.