Water Pump
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 6 other vehicles, including the 2003 GMC Savana Special, 2003 GMC Savana Camper Special, 2003 GMC Savana, 2003 Chevrolet RV Cutaway, and 2003 Chevrolet Cutaway. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The water pump is a centrifugal vane impeller type pump. The pump consists of a housing with coolant inlet and outlet passages, a retaining plate, pulley and an impeller. The impeller is mounted on the pump shaft, and consists of a series of flat or curved blades or vanes on a flat plate. When the impeller rotates, the coolant between the vanes is thrown outward by centrifugal force. The impeller shaft is supported by one or more sealed bearings. The sealed bearings never need to be lubricated. Grease cannot leak out, dirt and water cannot get in as long as the seal is not damaged or worn.
The purpose of the water pump is to circulate coolant throughout the cooling system. The water pump is driven by the crankshaft via the drive belt.