so car over heated, i need help asap

[slo65]

ok guys, on my way to cal mustang to ironically buy stuff for the pony, noticed the temp guage went up fast (never happened before) so pulled into a gas station, i could smell coolant popped the hood, steam everywhere, all i know is it was bubbling from the water pump, not sure where the leak is, its a bad one though, my question is, today saturday, is my day off of work (what a way to spend it ), what should i do? im thinking of filling the radiator with water then starting it up to see where the leak's coming from, any tips? i'm supposed to get some parts on monday for the car, plus i work tomorrow, eek help please

 

[Roland69]

Call in sick and fix your car That sux about the leak doesn't sound to serrious.

 

[slo65]

Call in sick and fix your car That sux about the leak doesn't sound to serrious.

guess thats the easy way, i'd hate to have to call in, my hours are really low due to school these days, i'm gonna go pickup a pressure tester from work i think, how do those work? just fill it up with water then pump it? hmm be back in a few, keep the responses coming guys

 

[timeless2]

Are all the hoses and connections OK? How many miles on the engine (water pump)?

 

[slo65]

Are all the hoses and connections OK? How many miles on the engine (water pump)?

last time i checked, like i said, this just happened all of a sudden, i work at an oil change place so all my fluids are always kept topped up, i think i'm gonna borrow the ol moms car and get a pressure tester from work

i'd say around 30k on the water pump

 

[sgarlic]

Sounds like your t-stat took a crap, and got so hot it started bubbling from what was probably already a leaky water pump gasket.

 

[slo65]

well i just pressure tested it, u know there's like holes in the water pump, well its pouring from the bottom of the water pump, like bad... looks like i gotta replace the water pump?

 

[sgarlic]

If you're referring to the weep hole (can't picture at the moment where it is on there,) and coolant is coming out, then yeah it's time to replace that puppy.

 

[slo65]

If you're referring to the weep hole (can't picture at the moment where it is on there,) and coolant is coming out, then yeah it's time to replace that puppy.

ok old pumps off, installed new thermastat and all that jive, now one last question, do i put rtv on both sides of the gasket or just on the side that goes to the pump, not on the block side? hmm thanks guys

 

[Daggar]

I use a thin coat on both sides.

 

[90mustangGT]

The gasket should seal without RVT help. Just torque down one side, then the other back and fourth, and don't use a lot of pressure, just a little more than snug, otherwise you'll split the gasket and/or warp the water neck. Same with the waterpump.

 

[slo65]

well thanks everybody, finally got it done, just in time for work tomorrow morning (or perhaps a party tonight) it wasnt too bad, i knew it was the seal, but i figured since everything was out, i replaced the water pump, thermastat etc etc, i'm gonna flush the coolant at work tomorrow morning

so yea goodtimes, i took it for a drive around the block, then had it idle as i looked under, no leaks so far