Water pump
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 449
Likes: 1
From: Victoria
Water pump
I am discovering a pool of coolant on the ground under the front when parked for a few days.
I have checked hoses etc they seem fine,Would this likely to be coming from the weep hole in the water pump?
if so, is replacing the pump the only option.
I have checked hoses etc they seem fine,Would this likely to be coming from the weep hole in the water pump?
if so, is replacing the pump the only option.
Pro
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 637
Likes: 0
Or it´s the waterpump gasket that has given up.
Has it been acting up strange lately, the temp I mean?
Let it warm up and see where it comes from, at least you have an 89, so you don´t have to worry about the opti, since you don´t have it.
Maybe it´s enough with just a new gasket and some coolant.
If it´s not the gasket, then I would start to think about a leak somewhere else in the engine, like head gasket.
Check oil for water contamination like light brown sludge under the oil cap, or small water drips/beads on the oil stick.
Or the other way around, "rainbow colors" in the coolant (under the pressure cap).
How is the level in the overflow tank (in front of the right front wheel)?
Is there coolant in the system anyway?
If your "down under", it´s not uncommon that a previous owner only ran normal water or filled up with only water after a leak.
That clogges up the system eventually and causes all kinds of ....
Has it been acting up strange lately, the temp I mean?
Let it warm up and see where it comes from, at least you have an 89, so you don´t have to worry about the opti, since you don´t have it.
Maybe it´s enough with just a new gasket and some coolant.
If it´s not the gasket, then I would start to think about a leak somewhere else in the engine, like head gasket.
Check oil for water contamination like light brown sludge under the oil cap, or small water drips/beads on the oil stick.
Or the other way around, "rainbow colors" in the coolant (under the pressure cap).
How is the level in the overflow tank (in front of the right front wheel)?
Is there coolant in the system anyway?
If your "down under", it´s not uncommon that a previous owner only ran normal water or filled up with only water after a leak.
That clogges up the system eventually and causes all kinds of ....
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 449
Likes: 1
From: Victoria
Or it´s the waterpump gasket that has given up.
Has it been acting up strange lately, the temp I mean?
Let it warm up and see where it comes from, at least you have an 89, so you don´t have to worry about the opti, since you don´t have it.
Maybe it´s enough with just a new gasket and some coolant.
If it´s not the gasket, then I would start to think about a leak somewhere else in the engine, like head gasket.
Check oil for water contamination like light brown sludge under the oil cap, or small water drips/beads on the oil stick.
Or the other way around, "rainbow colors" in the coolant (under the pressure cap).
How is the level in the overflow tank (in front of the right front wheel)?
Is there coolant in the system anyway?
If your "down under", it´s not uncommon that a previous owner only ran normal water or filled up with only water after a leak.
That clogges up the system eventually and causes all kinds of ....
Has it been acting up strange lately, the temp I mean?
Let it warm up and see where it comes from, at least you have an 89, so you don´t have to worry about the opti, since you don´t have it.
Maybe it´s enough with just a new gasket and some coolant.
If it´s not the gasket, then I would start to think about a leak somewhere else in the engine, like head gasket.
Check oil for water contamination like light brown sludge under the oil cap, or small water drips/beads on the oil stick.
Or the other way around, "rainbow colors" in the coolant (under the pressure cap).
How is the level in the overflow tank (in front of the right front wheel)?
Is there coolant in the system anyway?
If your "down under", it´s not uncommon that a previous owner only ran normal water or filled up with only water after a leak.
That clogges up the system eventually and causes all kinds of ....
I only have to add small amounts of coolant to keep it topped up,
No oil /coolant contamination at all,the Water pump appears original
(82,000) So im leaning in the direction that this will be the problem,
Thanks Guys
Pro
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 637
Likes: 0
Just read over my own post here, and thought "waterpump gasket", I´m pretty funny here, does the water pump have a gasket anyway?
I was thinking about the T-stat house gasket all the time and wrote water pump.
Do we even have a gasket there?
Wouldn´t sound to funny, but I´ve been wrong before.
Time to look in my FSM I guess...
I was thinking about the T-stat house gasket all the time and wrote water pump.
Do we even have a gasket there?
Wouldn´t sound to funny, but I´ve been wrong before.
Time to look in my FSM I guess...
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 96,443
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From: Fort Knox, KY
Cruise-In IV Veteran
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Check the water pump weep hole, too. Sometimes you can hear a failing pump bearing squeal or rattle while the engine is idling. You can also use a mechanic's stethoscope to hear suspect pump noises.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,161
Likes: 0
From: Orangeburg, NY
Excluding the hoses there are four places that can leak coolant. The first two places are between the block and the water pump (the contact areas should have a gasket), the third place would actually be behind the water pump itself (also has a gasket), and the fourth place would be from the weep hole. It is relatively easy to clean the water pump and surrounding area, let it dry and get it up to operating temp to check for leaks. It sounds like the pump needs to be changed as the car has 88k miles on it. Not a difficult job but does take time.
If you clean the pump area you shouldn't to use any dye to see if there are any leaks.
If you clean the pump area you shouldn't to use any dye to see if there are any leaks.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,940
Likes: 5
From: Chesapeake VA
If the coolant is changed regularly, then it should be a nice green color, and therefore easy to spot when leaking.
I changed the water pump on my 86' about 2 months ago. The driver's side pump-to-engine gasket was leaking, but since it was original, I just replaced the whole pump with a new "Flowcooler" from Summit. It came with the gaskets.
Water pump replacement, as mentioned, is not hard, but is more cumbersome than it should be, as you have to remove the A/C bracket and disconnect the fuel send/return lines to get the pump off. You should also replace the lower heater hose (I got mine from NAPA, I had to cut it to fit, but it had the correct bends) as you will "already be in there" .
