Water Pouring from my water pump!

Ok so a couple days ago i parked in the parking lot at college, and by the time i had grabbed my books and got out of the car then walked around the front of it, a lot of coolant had already poured out, i'm talking a puddle about the width of the engine and it was enough to start running down the pavement very quickly. I looked under the car to see something crazy. It looked like someone had turned a bottle of water upside down in my engine bay. So, its really hard to see the bottom of the pump from the top (duh) and if i get underneath to try to check it out i'll catch hot coolant in the eye, so.... All that i can gather is that it SEEMS to be comming from that drilled hole (like the one that's on the top also, where steam comes out if your car overheats if i remember) on the bottom of the pump. It doesn't look like its leaking from the back like a bad gasket. So is my pump probably just shot on the inside or something? I felt around the bottom of it after it dried and i didn't feel a crack, just that premade hole. Any ideas are appreciated.
-E
 
exact same thing happend to me. i was losing coolant like crazy out of that hole in the bottom of the water pump. i just kept filing the rad back up with water and after a couple of days the leak stoped. i dont know why it stoped but i am still useing the same water pump today and it never leaked a drop in like 2 years.
 
slystang said:
Sounds like your water pump's bad. I believe that hole is called the "weep hole", I could be wrong though. But anyways, when the seals inside the pump wear out, coolant leaks out the hole. Happened on my 4 banger once.


Yeah you're right. I just had this happen. Those weep holes are meant for an indication of worn out bearings. They will leak when the bearings are shot. Time for a new waterpump. It's not that hard of a job, if you need some pointers shoot me a PM... i've done it three times now
 
Awesome, thanks for the answers! Yeah i actually have a t-stat sitting around maybe i'll slap it in. I also have to put new u-joints in...should make for an interresting time.

I dont know what i'm gonna do though. My friend is using my jack stands to change a tranny in his eclipise (who would've thought, right? :D ), and also my 3-ton 4 month old floor jack, used for like 4 occasions, stopped working. When i try to jack my car up, it barely moves up then dies back down. It wont even jack up a person without dying back down some each pump. Any idea whats up with that? Anyways maybe i can fix it or borrow a jack from someone to get this stuff done. I really liked that jack too, cost like 70bucks :(. It has fluid too....ugh.
-E
 
Don't need the jacks. Ramps maybe to drain the coolant but I use 2x8s stacked and screwed together as homemade ramps. Like this:
____
|___|___________
|_______________|________
|________________________|________
|_________________________________|


Works great.

You'll take out the fan shroud and fan pulley. Accessory bracket and then the pump. It's pretty easy really except if you have old bolts. Soak 'em with wd40 the night before.

I think a search here on water pumps gave me the specific directions. Don't remember all the details off hand.
 
Yeah i was needing the jack stands for the DS work. I started ont he water pump install today, slowly but surely getting it done. I dont have much experience with mechanical work at all, so i'm not really good at it, but i'm getting there. I am taking my time also trying not to snap any of the old nasty bolts. I have one bolt left on the water pump and it'll be off, then i just have to put everything back together. Anyone else really slow at this stuff? Its a pain but i'm proud that i'm actually doing it....Kindof like when i installed the suspension in my sig during the summer. I never want to touch that again...
-E
 
THe driveshaft flange bolts at the back are known to be a real pain to break loose - so use a long pull bar, or heat the heck out of 'em before you try. If your pump bolts are really corroded - might be wise to put new ones back in....you wouldn't be the first person to be really careful getting them out, and then break them off during the re-install by getting a little too agressive on tightening them up.
 
Michael Yount said:
THe driveshaft flange bolts at the back are known to be a real pain to break loose - so use a long pull bar, or heat the heck out of 'em before you try. If your pump bolts are really corroded - might be wise to put new ones back in....you wouldn't be the first person to be really careful getting them out, and then break them off during the re-install by getting a little too agressive on tightening them up.



i just pulled the tranny out of my car, and its still sitting high on jackstands.... when i broke the driveshaft bolts loose i just stuck a scewdriver in the ujoint and put the handle against the chassis and cranked it with a prybar, rotate and repeat.... easy even with the tranny out of gear so you can rotate it by hand...