So I have an overheating issue. I have zero leaks and the water pump does leak not make noise or have shaft play. I’ve check for air in the system.
I believe it’s the water pump pulley. Reason be is that I noticed the pulley slimmed freely before even pulling the tension release tab and that it is dry rotted and missing chunk.
I have got a new pilley but before I put the car back together I just need to know is it normal for the pulley to still be able to spin while the engine is off. I’ve got the new one on and the tension tab pushed back in. They both make contact but I can still spin just the water pump pulley while the engine is off. There is definetly more resistance than the old one though?

 

There is a friction wheel and a drive wheel. You should not be able to turn the drive wheel (attached to the water pump) freely when the engine is off.

The drive wheel can loose it's rubber material over time. Make sure it's all there.

The friction wheel is between the crank pulley and the drive wheel.
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Sorry my terminology is off lol. So my new drive wheel is on the car and it can still be spun when against the friction wheel. My car does not overheat while idling only when driving down the road. It will take a little bit sometimes but it will eventually over heat repeatedly. I’m not sure step I should take next because from what I’ve read signs of a bad thermostat and water pump would usually be leaking. My pump does not have play in it either.

 

Did you ever resolve your overheating issue? I am experiencing the same thing. I have replaced the belt and water pump pulley and still have the car overheat when driving. Like you, I can still turn the water pump pulley pretty freely. The friction wheel is tight on the crank pully but not putting good pressure on the new water pump pulley. When the engine reaches full temps, I can put the heat on high in the car and it feels pretty warm, but not hot.

 

As others said the water pump pulley should not spin freely with the car off. It is only spun by the crank via the friction gear. Make sure your friction gear is operating properly and your water pump pulley has a nice surface on it and of course make sure it is bolted to the pump properly. Then you need to make sure you have no leaks at the thermostat or crossover and bleed the system.

 

And just to be sure - the friction wheel has a pull tab that allows you to lock the spring loaded assembly during installation. Make sure to release the pull tab.

Maybe post a picture of your water pump drive wheel.

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I replaced the water pump pulley and belt so far. The release tab is all the way in. The thermostat and water pump were replaced last June at the dealer. Just bled the system and only coolant came out, no air. I also found this in my quest to resolve:
This shows that you can still spin the water pump pulley relatively easily. Mine may be slightly more easy to turn but not by much. I'm still leaning towards replacing the friction wheel assembly but not sure if I need to as it make good contact at the crank pulley with no play.

 

so during this I had replaced the friction wheel first which didn’t fix it. I realized the friction wheel tensioner was worn so I replaced it as well and that helped a little bit it did not help completely. So then I replaced the water pump. It showed no signs of failure. It spinner freely and everything but after I replaced it I had no more issues.

 

Thanks for the reply. Do you recall which brand of water pump you used?

 

I'm beginning to think that this is my issue now as well even though I show it was replaced less than a year ago. I can see the water pump spinning so it is making contact to the friction wheel. The lower radiator hose is cold where as the upper is hot.

How would I know if a new water pump would be needed instead of a thermostat? I believe I should have a service engine light on or a code for a stuck closed thermostat, no?

 

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-hepu-par...517550484~hpu/
I’ve put probably 65,000 miles or more on this. Not a problem. When I look back on my ordered this was my first purchase before I bought the friction wheel and the tensioner. SO I can’t remember exactly what happened. I may have installed the new pump, realized it didn’t fix the issue, bought a friction wheel because mine was chewed up. Realized that didn’t work either so then purchase a tensioner too. But hedging by my order history on ecs I bought the pump, several days later bought the pulley, then 3 days later ordered a tensioner.

 

the water pump may spin with a sand friction wheel or bad tensioner. But if the tensioner is not working correctly, as you rev the engine the water pump doesn’t spin any faster because of the lack of friction between the tensioner and pulley. As for the thermostat I’m not sure. But if you suspect you need one I may have a brand new unit I bought is 2020 when I purchased my water pump and related parts but I never ended up using it.

 

The friction gear should not spin if it engages properly against the water pump pulley and crank pulley. If it is spinning then you need to check the friction gear for the proper tension and the water pump pulley surface along with the friction gear pulley roller surface.

There is something not right if the water pump wheel spins while it is engaged with the friction gear.