Coolant leak near water pump

[project02]

I was out driving this weekend and I noticed what I thought was a leak around the water pump gasket. The leak was a near constant drip coming from the bottom of the pump area. So today I decided to replace the gasket and put on a new pump as well. I reassembled the hoses and accessories. I then went to fill the radiator with coolant to test the system and; now it is leaking worse than before. Am I missing something here or is there something wrong with my motor? Has anybody else had this issue before?

[Napes]

Although fairly rare, it is not unheard of to get a bad new water pump. Are you pretty confident of your replacement procedure. It's generally recommended to use Permatex #2 on each side of the gasket. Did you do that? If the leak is worse than before then I'd be inclined to believe it is related to the H2O pump, not the motor.

Bob Napier

[project02]

I'm going to take everything apart and re-seal the pump this weekend. Hopefully that fixes the problem.

[Mike Self]

6 o'clock position on the water pump body to see if the drip is originating there. That's usually the first sign that a water pump is going south; the next sign is a "dry bearing" sound; finally the pump seizes. Of course many water pumps skip the intermediate steps and just seize (ask Sahara 75!)

If your new pump is leaking through the weep hole, it's defective and should be returned.

One other test. Try running the car with the radiator cap loose and see if it leaks when not under pressure. Then tighten the cap, run it a bit while stationary and lay under the car while running with a strong flashlight to observe the leak's origin.

Happy troubleshooting

mike

[project02]

Well I am pleased to say that the leak has been repaired. Luckily I had a spare gasket and a new bottle of RTV to form a nice tight seal. I look forward to driving my car again.