coolant leak?
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Joined: Dec 2012
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From: Fairfax VA
coolant leak?
I own a 2000 c5 vette with around 103k miles on it and recently i noticed there was a coolant leak. The coolant seems to be dripping from near the alternator and drips all the way down towards the bottom of the car. I took it up to advance auto and the guy says he thinks the hose near the alternator is just old and leaking. Feeling around the hose where it connects to the radiator it seems to be a little wet but I'm not sure if thats the leak. The hose is cheap to fix around 20 bucks but I read on the forum that C5's have a common problem with water pumps going bad? I was wondering if that could be the problem, where is the water pump located exactly on the car? I'm thinking of changing the hose this weekend but not sure if thats really the source of the problem though, if anybody could give me some insight I would really appreciate it cause its driving me nuts 
Last edited by batm0bile; Feb 7, 2013 at 09:41 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 187
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From: Lutz FL
Could be either the hose or the water pump. My pump started leaking at about 85k. Changed mine when the A/C compressor took a dump.
Location is on the front of the engine. It is driven by the serpentine belt. Not too difficult a job if you are experienced.
Location is on the front of the engine. It is driven by the serpentine belt. Not too difficult a job if you are experienced.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2012
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Don't guess, try to find the source. Clean/dry it up and keep an eye on it.
If you really are stuck, do the hose and take it from there. The pump will be much more expensive, especially if you hire someone to do it. You don't really want to go there unless that is the real source of the problem.
If you really are stuck, do the hose and take it from there. The pump will be much more expensive, especially if you hire someone to do it. You don't really want to go there unless that is the real source of the problem.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
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From: Lake Elsinore, CA
I just fixed my leaking water pump recently - the leak was showing up on the floor directly under the pump. It was starting to lose a lot of coolant so it was definitley happening while the car was on the road as only a few drops were present on the floor when it sat. The car only has 35K on the clock. I did the major hoses to the radiator while I was at it.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: College Station Texas
Pull off the radiator cover and make sure that where the upper left hose connects to the radiator that the radiator isn't cracked. I had a small coolant leak there about 2 months ago and had to buy a new radiator 
hopefully it's just a hose!
hopefully it's just a hose!
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 55
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From: Fairfax VA
alright im going to try and clean off the area and see if the leak comes back and if I can pin point the location. I'm hoping its just a hose but most on the forum say its been there water pump when theres been a coolant leak. I probably need to change the hose either way since it feels old and dry to the touch, so I might change it and see if its still leaking. Might give the pressure test a shot but would that find the cause of the leak for sure? I'm curious what the cost would be with parts and labor if I took it to a shop 500-600? I'm not sure if this helps but the serpentine belt is also really loud and squeaky dunno if they have anything to do with eachother. I'm really ticked this happened at the worst time, now I'm driving a wagon while my car sits til its fixed I miss her
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Joined: Dec 2012
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From: Fairfax VA
Ohh alright that makes sense, I'm going to have to remove the radiator cover to get to the water pump correct to see if its leaking?
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From: Fairfax VA
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If it is a water pump, there was a vendor advertising brand new water pumps for $110 shipped. Here is the link:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=3157536
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=3157536
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 55
Likes: 1
From: Fairfax VA
If it is a water pump, there was a vendor advertising brand new water pumps for $110 shipped. Here is the link:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=3157536
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=3157536
.... I'm gonna change the hose before anything this weekend most likely and see if the leak still occurs and go from there! I think thats the best option?
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 154
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From: Huntley Illinois
coolant leak?
The first thing I would do would be to clean off any wet areas where coolant has leaked and then do a pressure test of your cooling system. You will probably be able to see exactly where the leak is coming from.
The squeak is most likely coolant on the belt.
There's no sense in just changing things to see if the problem gets fixed!
The squeak is most likely coolant on the belt.
There's no sense in just changing things to see if the problem gets fixed!
Last edited by Randyman2002; Feb 8, 2013 at 09:01 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 55
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From: Fairfax VA
The first thing I would do would be to clean off any wet areas where coolant has leaked and then do a pressure test of your cooling system. You will probably be able to see exactly where the leak is coming from.
The squeak is most likely coolant on the belt.
There's no sense in just changing things to see if the problem gets fixed!
The squeak is most likely coolant on the belt.
There's no sense in just changing things to see if the problem gets fixed!
Racer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 297
Likes: 26
From: San Jose California
Geeez
With the mileage on the car you can't go wrong if you replace the water pump and the "soft" hoses. Even if you didn't have a leak, it would be preventative maintenance anyway. I replace my water pump and all hoses at 100,000 miles.
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 55
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From: Fairfax VA
yeah I plan on changing that stuff too just wish i knew what was leaking so I could take care of that first!