Water Pump Going Bad???

[citydragon]

I noticed...shortly after turning the car off, a small drip of coolant makes a spot of about the size of a quarter on the driveway. It only leaks for a second. I believe it's right under the water pump. Is this the start of a water pump going bad?

[Syndrome Zed]

Originally Posted by citydragon

I noticed...shortly after turning the car off, a small drip of coolant makes a spot of about the size of a quarter on the driveway. It only leaks for a second. I believe it's right under the water pump. Is this the start of a water pump going bad?

It depends, but it could be the seals in the water pump. Make sure the coolant level is full, then turn on the car. Check the pump for dripping while it's running - if you see a drip coming from the water pump while the car's running as well as right after it's turned off, then shut the car off and see if you can feel or see where the exact source of the drip is. It could be the gasket, which is no big deal except for having to remove the timing belt cover so you can get to the pump and replace/reseal the gasket.

If it's leaking from one of the small holes on the top or bottom of the housing on the shaft of the pump - the cone-shaped piece of the pump where the pulley sticks out from - then your pump's seals are going/gone and you'll need a new water pump. It's a little tricky trying to tell where the leak is sometimes, since the water drips down the housing and winds up looking like it's from the gasket.

Lastly, make sure it's coolant and not just water from your air conditioner condenser.

Hope this helps!

[GM Line Rat]

Originally Posted by citydragon

I noticed...shortly after turning the car off, a small drip of coolant makes a spot of about the size of a quarter on the driveway. It only leaks for a second. I believe it's right under the water pump. Is this the start of a water pump going bad?

Clean the water pump off with some engine degreaser (Follow Instructions).....Then get a piece of cardboard big enough to cover the area under the engine where the water pump is. Then after driving the car, pull the car up on the cardboard, shut the car off and let the coolant drip down onto the cardboard. This will give you a better idea of where the coolant is leaking from? If you find the coolant leaking out of the "Lower Weep Hole" of the water pump, the WP Bearing is gone and the WP needs to be replaced. Just my 2 cents BUT, Even if you find the WP to block gasket leaking (and you dont find any loose WP Bolts), I would replace the water pump anyways with a new 1 if you have to remove it to put a new gasket on. The only other place I can see a leak occuring is at the Inlet pipe O-Ring gasket at the back of the water pump inlet?