Your car has been running well, but you notice that your thermostat is running a little hot - could your Pontiac water pump be failing? All of a sudden, steam is pouring out of your hood. If your car has close to 100,000 miles on it, replacing a water pump will probably have to be done sooner or later. The smart move is to replace your Pontiac water pump at the first sign of trouble, instead of waiting for a major engine overheating episode. When your engine overheats, you risk damaging or breaking your head gaskets; that's a repair job that is extremely expensive. Some of the signs of a failing Pontiac water pump: low moans or groaning from your coolant system. The most common reason for water pump failure is a) broken gaskets or b) worn-out bearings. If the gasket is broken, usually leaks will show up. There might be drops of coolant under your car after you have parked for a while. To test if the water pump bearings are failing, find the pulley belt of the water pump. Hold on to the ends of the pulley and see how loose the belt is. If the pump bearings have deteriorated, there will be 'give' when you rock the belt around. When it comes to fixing a water pump issue, the easiest and most economical step is replace the entire Pontiac water pump. Buy a quality pump set from our site, and install it yourself.