Question folks,

Does the car have to warm up for a given period of time before the intercooler pump turns on, or should it always be on when the engine is running? I'm pretty sure my pump is shot since the fluid isn't moving anywhere. I placed a drop of food coloring in the filler neck and it just sat there, so the pump is 100% not working.

HOWEVER,

I checked this on a cold engine. I let the car idle for a while though while I was dicking around with it, and it never came on. I also got angry and slammed it with my 18" breaker bar a few times with no luck.

It should come on whether the car is just started or had been run for a while though, correct?

I'm going to have to bring it to the dealer and have them replace it under the powertrain warranty. I don't have 120 bucks to blow out of pocket when I can just have the dealership fix it for me.

Thanks for the help!

 

stock tune turns h/e pump on at 10 seconds. no warmup required, check the fuse in the fuse box. its labeled aftrclr

 

just to let ya now these things go out so much. its the same as the ford lightning and cobra intercooler pump. i actually had the same problem. i heard people say they take a hammer to it, like tap it to make it work.

 

I didn't even think to check the fuse. Good call.

I guess I'll take the pump apart tomorrow and see if I can clean it out. Otherwise I'll have the dealer put a new one in I suppose, even though I don't like bringing my car there.

 

when you get the pump out use a flat screwdriver to pry open the little prongs and pull off that end. dump all the dust you find out and clean all in there, no need to take the other end apart

 

i wouldnt clean it. if your going to ter into it i would rebuild it. are you under warranty still? if so just take it to them, if not buy a new pump. check it >>>>>https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/show...tercooler+pump

 

It's very similar to RC electric motors. I've rebuilt a million of those things in my day.

 

i just bought a new pump. although before i did i took it apart and knocked the dust out and cleaned all the contacts and it continued working until i got my new pump

 

If the brushes are still good and it's just seized from the carbide dust built up inside, then it makes perfect logical sense to clean it rather than waste my time bringing the car to the dealer.

 

i fixed mine with a hammer the other day.

 

Should just be buildup. Take a hammer to both ends of it which should knock the buildup off then it should work. If it doesnt work after that then its just shot. If it works with the hammer trick then take it off and clean it up.

 

I'll try the hammer again tomorrow. I was hitting it in the wrong spot, anyway.

 

Haha. I just tapped it with a hammer and it began working like a champ yet again. I sprayed some RC Car motor cleaner inside of the endbell too for the hell of it.

I went to a different dealer since DePaula was packed this morning. The people working there aren't too bright when it comes to these cars I guess. The guy had no clue what an intercooler pump was first of all, which is cool because it's not a part that a lot of cars have anyway, especially ones that routinely come in for repairs/service. I also noticed all of the other service writers trying to upsell excessively for stupid, usless things like induction cleaning services. That right there told me that this service department was after money and not necessarily customer service/warranty repairs. Again, not something I ever encountered on my 6+ visits to DePaula, which strictly were for warranty repars only.

The service writer then gave me the runaround about how he's going to have to charge a $95 diagnostic fee if the pump wasn't the problem, and that modifications would void the warranty and a bunch of other crap that I never encounter at DePaula Chevrolet (great service dept, btw). He then wanted to check other things because of my MIL that used to be on due to my plastic intake tube coming undone (the stock intake tube). I decided that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to leave my car with a bunch of people that don't know what they are doing and are just trying to make money, so I left.

Hammer mod ftw!

 

let us know if you get it covered. Dont have much experience with warranty work. I always wondered if they would cover the pump under powertrain warranty.

 

They should cover it since the powertrain warranty covers engine water pumps.