water dump after warm-up
timd
08-23-2007, 05:11 PM
I've been looking for a drawing or picture of my '97 Plymouth Gr Voyager's 3.0L cooling system with water flow directions.
I can add water and fill up the radiator (when cold) and no water leaks out anywhere.
No water leaks until the engine heats up and the thermostat opens up. That's when I see water pouring out under the engine below the water pump area. I'm hoping it is only a hose but there's not enough room in the area to see. I haven't been able to see where exactly the water is coming from and that's why I'd like a drawing or picture of this area. The big clue is that the water doesn't run out until the thermostat opens. Help please.
I can add water and fill up the radiator (when cold) and no water leaks out anywhere.
No water leaks until the engine heats up and the thermostat opens up. That's when I see water pouring out under the engine below the water pump area. I'm hoping it is only a hose but there's not enough room in the area to see. I haven't been able to see where exactly the water is coming from and that's why I'd like a drawing or picture of this area. The big clue is that the water doesn't run out until the thermostat opens. Help please.
taillight
08-24-2007, 09:24 AM
Sounds like the water pump seal.
webbch
08-24-2007, 03:35 PM
While not absolutely essential, a radiator pressure tester (http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=76291&group_ID=1901&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog) (AKA cooling system pressure tester) is really nice to have for finding these kinds of leaks*. You can pressurize the cooling system while the engine is cold (and so not scald yourself with hot coolant or burn yourself on engine components). As taillight mentioned, it can also help find a water pump seal leak, which is quite probable. According to accounts I've read about on this and other forums, it seems like these go out almost like clock work at around 115k-130k miles, if not a little earlier. It was the first thing I replaced on my '97 when I bought with about 125k miles.
FWIW, I bought this tool awhile back, and checked all my vehicles at their specified radiater cap pressure. All three of my vehicles had some kind of minor or not-so-minor leak at pressure in one or more of the coolant hoses where the clamp wasn't tight enough. It was my fault for not tightening them enough in the past - I've always been afraid of overtightening.
The peace of mind afforded by using this tool after a cooling system repair is well worth the purchase price IMO. After using it, I wondered why I never bought this tool before when diagnosing potential cooling system leaks. I used to to just hope for the best when it heated up - now I know beforehand
*The one in the link is a snap-on that I picked up for about $100 on ebay. Others can be had for about $60-80.
FWIW, I bought this tool awhile back, and checked all my vehicles at their specified radiater cap pressure. All three of my vehicles had some kind of minor or not-so-minor leak at pressure in one or more of the coolant hoses where the clamp wasn't tight enough. It was my fault for not tightening them enough in the past - I've always been afraid of overtightening.
The peace of mind afforded by using this tool after a cooling system repair is well worth the purchase price IMO. After using it, I wondered why I never bought this tool before when diagnosing potential cooling system leaks. I used to to just hope for the best when it heated up - now I know beforehand
*The one in the link is a snap-on that I picked up for about $100 on ebay. Others can be had for about $60-80.
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