water pump question

I noticed that I was losing a very small amount of coolant, yet never saw it on the ground nor could smell it. Today I let my car idle and coolant was being whipped up the drive belt. I assume that this is from the weep hole on the water pump. To date I have had no overheating no real sign of coolant lose and was wondering: would it be safe to drive it with the weeping coolant about 20 miles to a repair shop? I can always have it towed but would prefer to drive.. As I said I have seen no signs of leaks under the car and the coolant loss has been minimal ( maybe down an 1/8 of an inch in the reservoir.) Can a water pump still leave me stranded on a 20 mile drive?

I would think you could drive it 20 miles to your shop. I'd keep a real close eye on the temp guage and be prepared to stop at the first sign of the temp going up, don't risk overheating the engine. I'd be interested in knowing how many miles you have on your Venture. Our 99 Venture went to 90k mi. when all of a sudden the water pump did the same as yours then the replacement pump went over 100k with no problems. Our 04 Venture now has 80k. mi. on it so I'm keeping a wary eye out for that pump to start leaking.

I have 202,000 miles on my 98. I bought the car at 102,000 miles and had the engine replaced at 163,000. The guy who replaced my engine was supposed to put in a new water pump. If he actually did, the water pump only lasted 40,000 miles. I suspect that he never replaced the pump and the pump that I am having trouble with really has 100,000 miles on it.

I have 202,000 miles on my 98. I bought the car at 102,000 miles and had the engine replaced at 163,000. The guy who replace my engine was supposed to put in a new water pump. If he actually did, the water pump only lasted 40,000 miles. I suspect that he never replaced the pump and the pump that I am having trouble with really has 100,000 miles on it.


That makes sense

Yes, if you are ever on Hilton Head Island SC watch out for the car repair shops. They are extremely expensive and in most cases rip-offs. Their logic is to stick it to anyone with out of state tags, by the time your car breaks down again you will be too far away to do anything to them.