water pump out?

[brianneves]

im having a weird problem with an 89 civic. there is some sort of cooling problem. all of my symptoms point directly at the water pump... BUT... im a little confused because if the water pump was out, the heater would not put out much heat...... right? i just want to know if im missing something here. im not real familiar with hondas. its got a new radiator, new thermostat (its installed facing the right direction), and a new radiator cap. the symptoms are:

fluxuating temp guage (never reads hot)
cold lower radiator hose
heater works VERY WELL - heater lines HOT
coolant leak under timing cover

any tips on water pump change or is it pretty staight forward?

[johnb16a2]

My only suggestion is the leak is introducing air into the system preventing proper coolant flow?


Anyway, the water pump is run by the timing belt. The best tip I can give you is get the service manual Haynes or much better Helm manual.

However, beyond getting the manual there are a few things to keep in mind:

Make sure the car is at top dead center (a given, right?) before you start.

The crankshaft pulley bolt is set up like most out there (left loosey, righty tighty lol) but this one is usually VERY difficult to loosen and a strong impact wrench is your best bet.

The crankshaft pulley has a key and keyway setup so be careful not to lose the key while sliding the pulley off.

When putting the NEW timing belt on (you might as well replace it while your there...) make sure the belt is tight on section nearest the front of the car, between the crankshaft timing pully and the camshaft pully. If it's not tight the timing will be off when you attempt to start or roll the engine over "by hand".

I can't think of any other issues you might encounter, but we're here if you have any other questions. GL

[TheSilentChamber]

No need for it to be at TDC, most people are smart enough not to stick a wrench on the crank or cam just to see if it will spin.

Take the radiator cap off and start the car up and let it run till it hits normal temp, if water starts flowing though the radiator then the pump isnt the problem. With it fluxuating I would check other stuff besides pump. Sounds alot like you have air in the system, did you bleed it when you install all of that stuff? If not there is a bleeder valve on the top water neck. You do however need to fix that leak, I personally would replace the water pump while you have it off if you have the money to spair, as well as the timing belt.

[Kunundrum]

Bad thermostat is what it sounds like, and Possibly a bad ground on the engine to Frame as well.

these are relatively easy fixes that are worth looking into.

[EF You]

you guys missed the part where he said water was leaking from the timing cover. so its 99% chance of a water pump problem, and 1% chance of a crack in the block where the pump mounts.

and it could very well still pump water to the radiator, but since it leaks the system never pressurizes, and without pressure, the coolant boils. higher pressure= higher boiling point.

[brianneves]

ive tried taking the radiator cap off and running it to operating temp. there is seemingly very little flow to the radiator but what cofused me was that the heater core got enough flow to run the heater very hot. i have also bled the system from the bleeder valve on the upper heater hose neck. i never got air from it except for the first time that i would do it after opening the system. its a new thermostat and ive also tried no thermostat with no success. i will check for the engine ground. i would change the pump and belt and just be done with it but the car is driven everyday and im just trying to be prepared for any other likely problems. is the right side of the head under the timing cover a likely place for the head gasket to leak? thanks for all the posts

brian

[johnb16a2]

The coolant is probably coming out the the weep hole on the water pump. If the internal seal in the water pump bearing gives way the weep hole is there to allow coolant to dribble out as a way to warn the owner that there is a problem with the pump (at least that's my theory). So if you take the timing cover off (the upper one at least) you should be able to see clearly where the coolant is coming from. GL

[brianneves]

the problem ended up being that the waterpump o-ring between the pump and the block was dry rotted. it was leaking down the side of the block. i went ahead and paid up for a new pump and belt.

problem solved.

thanks for all the help