well---FRIG, my water pump or gasket is shot! what do I do?!

[kalvick]

So I was at the store today, I parked my car go do some shopping, and come back. LOW AND BEHOLD there is coolant fluid all over the area I parked my car in. I do a cursory examination under my car and I see no broken or ripped hoses.

I drive to a Oil/Lube place down the street, leaking fluid and I ask the guy there to just change my oil and help me locate the leak. he changes the oil and tells me the fluid is coming out somewhere in the bottom of the water pump or gasket. He tells me i need to replace it.

when I get the car home I look at it, and take these pictures. So what exactly is it I need to replace? is this a 10 minute fix, or is it gonna be really involved?

 

[bdcardinal]

are you sure its the water pump? water pump failures are extremely rare on mod motors. do you have the plastic intake? a leak from the crossover can sometimes appear to come from the water pump area.

 

[kalvick]

are you sure its the water pump? water pump failures are extremely rare on mod motors. do you have the plastic intake? a leak from the crossover can sometimes appear to come from the water pump area.

well thats what the guy at the lube place told me.... I will go take pictures.
actually looking behing the water pully, i see no coolant. it actually appears to be coming from beneath the crank between a gasket somewhere. see the pictures, i added them to the original post

 

[Jbauer]

shine a flash light behind the alternator and under the plastic manifold.. if you see a nice green puddle you know what it is.

 

[deftsound]

probably the intake manifold, what year is your car? does it have the aluminum crossover?

 

[kalvick]

shine a flash light behind the alternator and under the plastic manifold.. if you see a nice green puddle you know what it is.

nope its perfectly dry back there, thank God!

 

[98E9GT]

The water pump doesnt take much time to do, Just remove your serpentine belt, undo you battery first if you want. Then remove the alternator. Undo the 4 or so bolts and pull back on the pump, and the ring will be on the back of the pump. its a 3 dollar o ring from a discount store, autozone or oriellys. or 30 from ford.

 

[kalvick]

ok, so based on the photo graphic evidence..... can we assume the water pump is at fault? I see no green colored coolant anywhere else on the car. even looking under the intake manifold, to see if there are cracks and puddles which there are not. and all the hoses in and around the radiator perfectly dry.

 

[COramprat]

Once the pump goes it will leak through the weep hole and drip onto the crank. The fix isn't too involved. You can do it in about 3 hours...and that is stopping for beer breaks.

 

[kalvick]

I ordered a new water pump and gasket. hopefully this will cure the problem

 

[Gearbanger 101]

If not...it sounds like a great excuse for you to pick yourself up an electric waterpump.