C4 General Discussion General C4 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech

Water pump?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 30, 2019 | 06:16 PM
  #1  
flyingvette's Avatar
flyingvette
Thread Starter
Advanced
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
From: IN
Default Water pump?

1994 LT1. Been proudly running the original water pump, but that may have just come to an end. Pulled into my garage today, smelled coolant, and there was a small amount dripping on the floor. Hoses seem fine, so I started it and there was a mist of antifreeze coming off the belt. I looked at the water pump with a mirror and there seemed to be coolant dripping from just below what I am assuming is the weep hole. Am I correct in assuming the pump is toast? Bonus question, car was running fine, but should I throw in another opti while I’m there?

I was planning a coolant flush next month... I guess the car gods agree.
Reply
Old May 30, 2019 | 08:25 PM
  #2  
car addict's Avatar
car addict
Burning Brakes
Veteran: Navy
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 290
From: Farmington MO
Default

Probably water pump is shot. Drip from the bottom means impending death.

I personally don't think I'd mess with opti if car is running okay. But just my opinion.
Reply
Old May 30, 2019 | 08:45 PM
  #3  
JBPC4's Avatar
JBPC4
Racer
 
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 350
Likes: 74
Default

I agree with both, replace the water pump but leave the good running Opti alone. I think too many Opti problems come from people preemptively replacing a good Opti with a lesser quality aftermarket unit.
Reply
Old May 30, 2019 | 09:45 PM
  #4  
flyingvette's Avatar
flyingvette
Thread Starter
Advanced
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
From: IN
Default

Sounds good, seems like finding a good aftermarket opti isn’t easy. Once I get the old pump out, does anybody know of a reason why I couldn’t run the engine for 30 seconds or so just to make sure the opti is still good before I put it all back together?

Last edited by flyingvette; May 30, 2019 at 09:53 PM.
Reply
Old May 30, 2019 | 10:11 PM
  #5  
John A. Marker's Avatar
John A. Marker
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,107
Likes: 171
From: Dublin CA
Default

When you change out the water pump\ take some time and install a small brass fitting into the weep hole of the pump. I used the fitting that fit into a compression fitting. The once that is in (drill out the hole a little if necessary) then epoxy around the fitting to seal the hole. Then install the pump. Next use a piece of vinyl tubing and push it over the fitting and run the tubing down past the Opti and zip tie it in place so the outlet is well below the Opti. So in the future if the water pump goes and starts to drip out the weep hole it will drain past the Opti. Save a very expensive part.
Reply
Old May 30, 2019 | 10:18 PM
  #6  
81c3's Avatar
81c3
Le Mans Master
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,561
Likes: 946
From: Communist Colorado
Default

In addition to the above, I would pull the cap and rotor, clean it up inside, replace the cap and rotor, plugs and ignition wires.... now is the time....
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Water pump?





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:36 AM.

story-0
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-2
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE