Water Pump?

[lyndsiedanielle]

Hi guys, I have a 2002 Ram 1500 with the 4.7 V8 with only 88xxx miles and for the past few years it has been doing this thing where the temperature runs slightly warmer than usual (needle moves up to the middle of the gauge while idling, turning the truck off for short trips like getting gas or moving it around at work). It used to be very infrequent but the past year its become more prominent.
Last May the truck actually began to overheat so I had it towed to a local shop where they replaced the radiator, hoses, thermostat, cap, fan clutch and put all new coolant in. The temperature continued to fluctuate infrequently (as well as coolant spray from the cap and/or coolant drip from the reservoir overflow hose on warmer days) so I took it back to the shop who performed the work and I was told this is 'totally normal because when the temperature rises, the needle moves up and then the thermostat would open and it would go back to normal'.
In October of last year I took the truck from the SF/Bay Area to Disneyland in Anaheim and it ran great up until just before the Grapevine, the part of the trip I was most concerned about because its famous for making vehicle's overheat, the temperature moved up to the middle and sat there. Of course I kept the A/C off but turned the heater on just to be sure we made it through. Once again, truck was fine the whole trip until it was time to go back home where it did the same thing all over again just before the Grapevine.
I just recently acquired a beater car for a new job so the truck has been getting some long-deserved rest but just this last Friday, I drove it to work and all around during my lunch with the A/C on. Just as I was at the last stoplight before my turn, the temperature began to move to the middle and stayed there until I started moving again. I parked it and let it sit until it was time to go home, when I backed up out of my parking stall, I looked at the ground and I could see a small puddle of coolant where the reservoir hose would have just been. I talked it over the next day with the the owner of the shop I work at and he is giving me a guess that it may be a water pump issue.

Are these the symptoms of a bad water pump? I mean it does sound right to me but neither me or my boss (a current tech at the shop I work for) are confident in that being the problem.
And if it is a water pump issue, what have you guys replaced your water pumps with? I'm not 100% confident in using the dealer Mopar one because the impellers are plastic, but I have access to WorldPac and they have a listing for an AC Delco pump that has metal impellers.

I'm just trying to see what anyone else thought of this issue and if you've had the same problems, what did you use to replace it. Thanks for reading my super long story and have a great night!

 

[Rndom2]

I changed my water pump a few years ago, I caught it early. I had overspray on the engine and it would rough idle Bad from time to time. But it never overheated though. I bought the Delco pump and it’s been running strong for the past 3 years. Hope this helps

 

[Jason G Slabaugh]

If you have coolant coming out of your overflow tube, could either be an air pocket in system, or a small head gasket issue starting to arise. A water pump would cause over heating issues only if it leaks out enough coolant to cause issues, but not through the overflow.

 

[Karlsweg]

If temp goes down when moving, that’s a sign of a bad clutch fan. With the engine warm, CAREFULLY use a rolled up newspaper and from the side, touch the fan with the paper and see if it stops the fan from spinning. I know you were told parts were replaced but you never know.