V8 coolant pump replacement

metallic growling noise in the engine bay is not what you expect to hear from a newly rebuilt V8. So it was a relief to see a steady drip of liquid coming from the coolant pump gland on the front of the engine, which suggested the pump was the source of the noise. The coolant pump’s bearings and seals sit next to each other on the pump shaft so, when the bearings wear with age, they allow the shaft to move slightly which, in turn, distorts the seals allowing coolant to drip out. An engine rebuild doesn’t include the front cover and coolant pump so, before fitting these, we’d carefully checked the pump for bearing condition, and it seemed fine at the time. Given the low cost, we should have fitted a