C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

Coolant leak help needed...

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Sep 21, 2004 | 05:28 PM
  #1  
Ronstrap01's Avatar
Ronstrap01
Thread Starter
Advanced
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
Default Coolant leak help needed...

Came home the other night, smelled a little coolant in the garage. The next time i started it up, low coolant light came on. It took 2 quarts to bring it up to level. Anyway, after starting, i see a steady stream coming from the front of the engine. I have a '90 coupe, 6speed. Now the place i feel coolant is at the base of where the lower rad. hose meets the water pump. I figure the hose has gone bad, so after much hassel, i got the hose of. Seems to be intact. Is there a way to tell if the water pump has gone at this point? It feels dry underneath it. I figure I'm halfway there, if it needs to be replaced. I suppose its possible the hose was just slipping off of the pump, but i guess there is no real way to tell that now, without putting it back on. Except the hose got a little damaged during removal . Any help would be appreciated.
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2004 | 05:58 PM
  #2  
jabez's Avatar
jabez
Race Director
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 17,066
Likes: 3
From: Milpitas ca
Default

Your car is 14 years old. You should change most of the rubber out by now if you haven't already done so.
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2004 | 06:14 PM
  #3  
91vetteboy's Avatar
91vetteboy
Burning Brakes
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,060
Likes: 0
From: Dixon Ca
Default

Reply
Old Sep 21, 2004 | 06:14 PM
  #4  
Perfusion's Avatar
Perfusion
Race Director
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 11,043
Likes: 3
From: San Jose Pat Tillman - American Hero
Default

Do you have a stripe like this under your hood? If so, it's the WP leaking coolant onto the serp. belt, and the belt slinging it up onto the underside of the hood. A dead-ringer for a bad WP.

Reply
Old Sep 21, 2004 | 06:24 PM
  #5  
CFI-EFI's Avatar
CFI-EFI
Race Director
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
Default

Get your hands on a small mirror. I have one on a telescoping wand, but anything that will fit in the available space will work. Look at the bottom of the water pump near the forward end where it disappears inside of the pulley. You will see a hole in the bottom of the water pump casting. It is about 1/8th-3/16ths of an inch in diameter and it's called the "weep hole". When the seals inside the pump start to leak, water is discharged through the weep hole. You may have to "pressure up" the cooling system to make it leak. If water comes out of that hole, you've picked a good time to replace the pump. If the weep hole stays dry, you have greater access, now, to find the real leak.

RACE ON!!!
Reply
Old Sep 21, 2004 | 06:32 PM
  #6  
Ronstrap01's Avatar
Ronstrap01
Thread Starter
Advanced
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
Default

I'll try to rig up a mirror in the a.m. I think I can feel most of the way around the bottom of the WP, (busted knuckles), and couldnt find the weep hole. Obviously, I'm in the wrong spot. I'll get back to everyone, and thanks.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Coolant leak help needed...





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:56 PM.

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