Oh crap :( Water pump leaking, temp and amp gauges dead

[DaraSue]

So I decided to take it on a short road trip to make sure everything was hunky-dory before driving to Vegas next week. Well, 10 miles outside of Wendover I stopped at a rest stop and when I went to get back in the car I found it leaking antifreeze by the water pump. The temp had been just under the 220 line the whole way and by then I'd sat for 45 minutes so I continued into town but as I was getting off the freeway I realized that the temp gauge hadn't really moved possibly in over an hour and my amp gauge was dead. Now I'm worried that I actually drove 100 miles with it overheating. I checked the oil filler and the plastic wasn't melted and the oil on the dipstick looked OK but is there anything else I should check? I felt the radiator intake and outflow hoses and they were warm so I'm hoping that means everything was flowing correctly but from what I've read here it sounds like I have a failed seal in the water pump.

How screwed am I? If worst comes to worst I can either get it towed back to SLC or leave it here and take the bus back but what are the chances a random mechanic can fix this?

[Lwanmtr]

Check the two hoses at the top of the water pump, maybe the clamps just worked loose... I was running mine one day and saw antifreeze running on the ground..got worried and called Toby at DMCNW and he told me to check them...sure enough, the clamps were a little loose.

[sdg3205]

Buy a pressure tester and see where you are leaking. Were the hoses firm at operating temperature?

If there is still coolant in the system, the rad was hot and it didn't boil over you're probably fine. I have seen brand new water pumps leak.

[DaraSue]

Dave, funny you should mention new pumps leaking because this one was replaced by the seller. I contacted him to see what brand it was and if it had a warranty.

I didn't see anything obviously wrong with the hoses but I'll take another look in the morning. There was fluid up by the thermostat and throttle, below them (I'll post a picture tomorrow).

One other thing I forgot to mention, when I got to the hotel, it wasn't leaking any more. But maybe it was just my imagination but it felt hot inside the cabin. (Perhaps worth noting that I didn't have the a\c on, but had run it briefly a few times earlier that day).

I've got a pressure tester. How will I tell where it's leaking, will it make a noise or bubble or something? I used it when I was trying to troubleshoot the overheating in WY but I don't think it was actually leaking then.

[sdg3205]

You'll know if you have a leak because pressure will drop and coolant will probably visibly spill out somewhere. Likely from the elbow hoses at the water pump as already mentioned.

Pump to 15 psi, have your flathead or sockets ready and tighten the hose clamps where the leaks are present.

[Lwanmtr]

Up on top sounds like the hoses to me, thats where I saw it when I started watching it after seeing it on the ground.

Pressure tester is prolly something I should get, unless its the same thing thats used for the fuel pressure.

[DMC5180]

It's not uncommon to see leaks on recently installed water pumps. The hoses / clamps are still going through the break in process and settling in. In addition to the pressure testing, The correct thing to do is tighten all the clamps with a torque wrench. Worm clamps are typically 50-60 inch lbs. A bad water pump is determined by the weep hole in the shaft housing. If that is dry then you just have an external leak to deal with. Running at 220 is okay so long as the needle does not keep going above that. You did not mention the outside air temp and elevation but given that you weren't running the A/C. (Assuming it works) tells me it was not that hot out.

You many have a flaky ground connection at the the LH gauge set. That Volt gauge and temp gauge share the same ground trace on the PCB. As long as the Batt light comes ON with the key ON and goes OFF when you start the engine, your alternator is charging. What direction was the volt gauge needle pointing and what happens to the temp needle when you turn the key ON without starting?


Dennis

[Michael]

I would say you didn't overheat since waterpumps tend to leak but still work as long as they have coolant to move.

I have a question, did you (or someone else) recently add coolant? are you sure it wasn't overflow? The overflow hose is somewhat close to the water pump area.

[Rich W]

I would say you didn't overheat since waterpumps tend to leak but still work as long as they have coolant to move.

I have a question, did you (or someone else) recently add coolant? are you sure it wasn't overflow? The overflow hose is somewhat close to the water pump area.

Excellent observation by Michael. IIRC, DaraSue just had the thermostat swapped recently at her local repair shop and they probably topped off the overflow tank afterward.

While the engine is cold, take a quick look in the overflow tank, to check the level. Usually, somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 full will be the correct level in the overflow tank.

[DaraSue]

I just hooked up the pressure tester and pumped it into the 13-14 range (it was getting hard to press the plunger by then and I was afraid to push it further) but I found leaks in the passenger and driver side large hoses. The ones above the pump on the passenger side and the one going down to the radiator line on the driver's side. I tightened the clamps and it stopped dripping so I'll consider that a positive sign.

I ended up leaving the thermostat that was in it because it had the jiggle pin after all, but I did just have it flushed and one of the hoses on (I think) the return line from the radiator replaced (passenger side, under the car near the front, but I didn't see any leaks from there or the radiator).

I haven't started it up yet but the temp gauge is still showing a hair under 220 and the amp gauge is pointing down below the low end of the scale.