Coolant leak

[tommy986]

Looks like your water pump needs replacing to me.
That's where mine was leaking. Water pump replacement fixed it.

Tommy

[Viper5]

Originally Posted by tommy986

Looks like your water pump needs replacing to me.
That's where mine was leaking. Water pump replacement fixed it.

Tommy

Did you have someone tell you that or were you able to figure that out on your own? If so, then how? And how much did it cost?

How is it the water pump if I didn't turn the car on (not giving power to pump) and it's still leaking?

[tommy986]

Originally Posted by Viper5

Did you have someone tell you that or were you able to figure that out on your own? If so, then how? And how much did it cost?

How is it the water pump if I didn't turn the car on (not giving power to pump) and it's still leaking?

After reading in this forum and others about water pump failures, I figured it out on my own. I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on weekends. :-)
If I remember correctly, the failure mode is that the shaft wears, so it's seems possible that a system under pressure could still push water down the shaft without it spinning. The only other part in that area, dealing with water, is the thermostat, which is off to the side from where you took that picture. I replaced it at the same time since I was draining the system anyway.
If i were doing it again, I would get one of those 160 degree thermostats from Flat6innovations.

I sourced all my parts from Sunset Imports since they had the best prices and good service too.

Tommy

[tboyer]

Originally Posted by Viper5

Did you have someone tell you that or were you able to figure that out on your own? If so, then how? And how much did it cost?

How is it the water pump if I didn't turn the car on (not giving power to pump) and it's still leaking?

Cost: $900.00

Could be leaking and catching residual on the surrounding brackets/hoses/etc....after the dealer replace my water pump (and sep belt), it appeared to still be leaking the next day with a fresh puddle under the car.

Turns out that coolant had found its way and pooled on other parts surrounding the pump. Problem solved after a day of driving.

[Viper5]

After thinking about what is happening with the dripping of fluid, I have come to the conclusion that the hose is OK. The nut is OK. I strongly believe that the leak is actually above the point of drippage. I'm leaning towards a bad pump, but what other possible parts could it be if it's dripping from right above (which is right where the pump is located)? Basically, I want to know if any other possible part could be failing causing a leak at that spot. Or maybe due to a lesser expensive part such as an o-ring or gasket.

Also, if it is indeed the water pump, will I be able to tell if I take a look at it tomorrow by tearing the firewall down and looking at it from a top view?

Another question is, if I remove the water pump, can I determine if it is the causation of the leak and if so, how?

Thanks.

[Viper5]

I removed the water pump and I'm not sure what to look for to see if it's bad, but it seems to look fine. I attached some pictures of it. When I turn it via the pulley, it does not turn freely, but at the same time there is some resistance. Is this normal?

[cnavarro]

Is it me, or does it look like there's a bit of silicon on that sealing surface and transfer onto the gasket? Looks like it might have been removed previously.

While holding the housing and trying to spin the pulley, it doesn't freely spin? That doesn't seem right - every pump I've handled spins freely without any resistance.

[Viper5]

It turns freely in the sense that there is no sound of rattling from inside. But obviously there is some object inside causing friction to slow it down. Thats all I meant. When I grab the pulley and rotate, it will go for about 4 times around. I can't really see the impellers while they are spinning but it seems like about that many. Which picture are you referring to with the silicon? And what should it look like.