I had the t-stat and coolant temp sensor replaced a couple of weeks ago. After getting the car back home I noticed coolant on the garage floor. I thought it was just residual coolant and would eventually stop. It didn't. So I started looking around the t-stat and coolant temp sensor and it appeared coolant was slowly leaking from the t-stat. I had that fixed this past weekend. Now three days later I'm still finding coolant on the garage floor (about 4 to 5 inches in diameter). I looked around the t-stat and coolant temp sensor and all seems to be dry. My next guess would be the water pump. I checked around the front of the engine and all looks dry. If coolant is leaking out the weep hole, where would I see the coolant (front of engine or behind accessories)? From what I can tell it seems to be on the drivers side which is what led me to check the t-stat and coolant temp sensor again. Let me know what you guys think.
Coolant Leak . . . Water Pump?
- Thread starter TNEnvoyXL
- Start date
dfc739
Member
TNEnvoyXL said:
So you noticed this problem IMMEDIATELY after having the thermostat and temp sensor replaced... and you suspect your water pump why? Do you see any leaking from the water pump? Did you check the hose going to the thermostat? If they are getting old and brittle they could potentially crack. Where are the drips? Are they under the radiator (there are hoses there also)? Are they toward the driver's side of the vehicle? We need more information. And if the shop you took it to couldn't even replace the thermostat properly the first time it's very hard for us on the internet to speculate what else could have happened.
dfc739 said:
So let me add a little more then. Temp gauge showed around 160. I knew the t-stat had gone bad again so I took it to my mechanic. I asked for them to replace the t-stat (under warranty) and coolant temp sensor. They did and took the car back home. Garage floor was dry when I got it home. Later that same day the wife took the car to run errands and I noticed some fluid on the floor. Wiped it up and noticed it had an orange color, knew it was Dex-cool but didn't think much of it because I figured it was residual coolant from where the t-stat and temp sensor were replaced. A few days went by and kept noticing coolant so I looked at the car a little closer. Noticed coolant trace running down the engine block from the bottom of the t-stat. Took the car back and they said the o-ring was damaged. Don't know if it came that way or was damaged when they put it in. Either way they fixed it. Bring it back home again and still noticing a decent amount of coolant on the floor. Checked the t-stat area when the engine was cold and did not see a trace on the block. Ran my hand around where the hose is clamped to the t-stat housing and it was dry. Looked around the coolant temp sensor and didn't see any traces but it is hard to see. This is what led me to the water pump. Wasn't exactly sure where the weep hole was so I wasn't sure where I would see the coolant coming from if it is leaking. The leak seems to be coming from the drivers side, running down the oil pan, collecting on the plastic cover (the one that covers the oil pan), and then dripping off the back of the plastic cover.
So what I'm trying to understand is if the water pump is leaking would I see coolant under the front of the car or further underneath where the plastic cover is. I'm planning to have the water pump replaced with the fan clutch at the end of the month. If its the water pump I may need to get it done quicker. If it's not the water pump I need to look closer to find the leak.
dfc739
Member
TNEnvoyXL said:
I wasn't questioning the replacement of the thermostat. But if you didn't notice any leaking before the thermostat replacement, but there has been leaking almost continually after the replacement, this indicates there is still something wrong with the thermostat installation because it's highly unlikely the water pump spontaneously died at the same time. I think you need to take it back to them and tell them it's still leaking.
The water pump is pretty simple. You can see it toward the front of the engine with the fan and fan clutch attached to it. Five bolts hold it to the block. Do you see any drips from it? Do you notice wobble in your fan when it's running? When you remove the belt, is there excessive play in the shaft of the water pump? If not, then it probably isn't your water pump. Our water pumps are notorious for wobbling and grinding when they begin failing and if not replaced will then start to leak fluid. You might need to remove the plastic oil pan shield to see where the leak is coming from (four 13mm bolts on mine).
Also, you waited until it was cool to check for leaks? I would start it and either prop up the hood, remove the driver's front wheel (you can see the thermostat through the wheel well), or slide under while it idles to watch for the leak (only do this when you are absolutely sure you can do so safely). An easier way to do this is to cut strips of white cloth and tie them at different places. For instance, but three of four at different points on the thermostat to radiator hose and one at the base of the thermostat. Then whichever ones are orange will indicate where it's leaking. Don't try this around the water pump. It'll be a tangled mess. But if you are seeing large puddles then it's a good sized leak and shouldn't be hard to find.
I was worried one time when I drove away from my parking spot (outdoors). I saw an orange puddle and thought it might be Dexcool but I couldn't find any leaks. Then I thought back and remembered I had used the windshield wipers to clean off the bug splatters. I use the orange RainX fluid... It was one of those days.
dfc739 said:I wasn't questioning the replacement of the thermostat. But if you didn't notice any leaking before the thermostat replacement, but there has been leaking almost continually after the replacement, this indicates there is still something wrong with the thermostat installation because it's highly unlikely the water pump spontaneously died at the same time. I think you need to take it back to them and tell them it's still leaking.
The water pump is pretty simple. You can see it toward the front of the engine with the fan and fan clutch attached to it. Five bolts hold it to the block. Do you see any drips from it? Do you notice wobble in your fan when it's running? When you remove the belt, is there excessive play in the shaft of the water pump? If not, then it probably isn't your water pump. Our water pumps are notorious for wobbling and grinding when they begin failing and if not replaced will then start to leak fluid. You might need to remove the plastic oil pan shield to see where the leak is coming from (four 13mm bolts on mine).
Also, you waited until it was cool to check for leaks? I would start it and either prop up the hood, remove the driver's front wheel (you can see the thermostat through the wheel well), or slide under while it idles to watch for the leak (only do this when you are absolutely sure you can do so safely). An easier way to do this is to cut strips of white cloth and tie them at different places. For instance, but three of four at different points on the thermostat to radiator hose and one at the base of the thermostat. Then whichever ones are orange will indicate where it's leaking. Don't try this around the water pump. It'll be a tangled mess. But if you are seeing large puddles then it's a good sized leak and shouldn't be hard to find.
I was worried one time when I drove away from my parking spot (outdoors). I saw an orange puddle and thought it might be Dexcool but I couldn't find any leaks. Then I thought back and remembered I had used the windshield wipers to clean off the bug splatters. I use the orange RainX fluid... It was one of those days.
I understand but you have to know Murphy's Law lives at my house
. If it can, it does. It wouldn't surprise me if the water pump started to fail about the same time the t-stat was replaced. When I had the car checked, before the t-stat was replaced, they told me the fan clutch also needed to be replaced (doesn't engage or disengage). I haven't heard any strange noises coming from the engine and haven't really looked at the fan because I knew I was going to have the fan clutch and water pump replaced by the end of the month. I did check around the front of the engine around the water pump and didn't see any coolant. Since I wasn't sure where the weep hole was I didn't know if the coolant could be running down and hitting something directing it more underneath the engine, not in front of it.
Based on what you said then, I would agree the leak is probably not the water pump. I'll have to keep looking. Hopefully it's something simple. Thanks for the input.
Attachments
It's fairly easy for the O-ring seal to displace during an install. I run a bead of RTV in the groove to hold the O-ring in place. But as pointed out you should be able to see if it's leaking by looking thru the wheel well.