coolant leaking

I have a 95 camaro v6 with 71K miles. After the car is driven and turned off, a few ounces of coolant leaks. The coolant only leaks for about 3-5 minutes and then stops. If the car is cold or it's idling the leak doesn't occur. Coolant only starts leaking after I turn of the car. It's difficult to see where the leak is coming from, but it appears to be from the crankshaft pulley. I checked hoses, radiator, and water pump and all appear to be dry. The car drives fine. Doesn't overheat, fan turns on and stays on. White smoke isn't visible. Oil level is normal. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? Please help.

the only reason i could see coolant leaking around crank pulley is if the pump is leaking or maybe the front of the intake manifold. i suppose it could possibly be the thermostat housing. try to use a flash light to localize the leak...

Are you Sure it isnt coming from the water pump.. There are weep holes on the bottem of the pump that will leak coolant when the pump is nearing its end.. i cant say as ive ever seen coolant coming out around the crankshaft pulley before..

By the way, welcome to AF.. and good luck with your maro'

get the duct tape.



I agree with what damone said tho.

yeah only way coolant is leaking around the crankshaft pully is if you have coolant mixing with the oil, and then you have bigger problems. you might have a loose radiator hose, try tightening them, could be a leaking thermostat, waterpump, freeze plugs, intake, any of the above. if you really cant find it, take it to a radiator shop or dealership and have them find it, dex cool does not like being overheated, and will gel up if you do it too often.

I got a closer look and it does appear the water pump is leaking. Is this common for a 95 camaro with 71,000 miles? Does a leaking water pump necessarily mean it's bad? Could it just be the seal? If the pump is bad wouldn't the car start overheating? The car doesn't overheat even in traffic or long trips.

It doesn't appear difficult to replace. Removing the serpentine belt and the water pump pulley should suffice. Probably have to replace the seal also. I have never replaced a water pump, any tips? Thanks for all the feedback so far.

thats a lot of questions.

i think you'll be good just replacing the gasket. hell, if you really want to half-ass it, just through some high-temp silicone down there and hope for the best.

ps - i dont condone the half-assed method

go to the auto patrs store get a coolant pressure test set then you will find the leak

Water pumps can just go bad at any time. Make sure it's not just the gasket. If the pump is actually leaking than it is bad, may not be bad enough to over heat the car though. Maybe just on it's way out. Make sure you loosen the pulley bolts before you take the serpentine belt off. And torque to specs. If you can see or feel under the pulley, you should see the weep holes and if they're leaking. Otherwise the gasket may have gone bad.

Nows the perfect time to upgrade an electric water pump :D Im not sure it would matter on a v6 though.

heheh, i dont think that he needs to worry about an electric water pump quite yet.

I have a 95 camaro v6 with 71K miles. After the car is driven and turned off, a few ounces of coolant leaks. The coolant only leaks for about 3-5 minutes and then stops. If the car is cold or it's idling the leak doesn't occur. Coolant only starts leaking after I turn of the car. It's difficult to see where the leak is coming from, but it appears to be from the crankshaft pulley. I checked hoses, radiator, and water pump and all appear to be dry. The car drives fine. Doesn't overheat, fan turns on and stays on. White smoke isn't visible. Oil level is normal. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? Please help.Is your engine clean? A dirty engine will make leaks hard to spot.§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§REFUSE TO LOSE§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

If you have a mirror check the bottom of the water pump around the weep hole. It's directly below the pully, if that is the source of the leak then the bearings are beginning to fail and you'll want to replace the pump. If you start to notice a metal squeaking or rubbing then you'll definately want to replace the water pump ASAP. I just replaced the water pump on my 94 Camaro with 220k miles on it, same situation really, noticed a bit of coolant around the crankshaft pully.

Thanks for everyone's help. I just replaced the gasket and everything is working fine. No more leaks.

glad to see it worked out for you