vz coolant problem help...

[trenooo]

hey guys got a strange problem with the cooling system, i seem to be losing coolant ( reserve only just above min level) and have what i think is coolant on the sump, cant be sure cause its just a clear colour and the coolant is red. in saying all this it still sits on 1/4 on the gauge???
any ?
cheers

[colgf]

had the same problem , turned out to be water pump leaking, to check , take radiator cap off first thing in morning when engine is stone cold , top up the radiator to completely full. recheck again next morning or over 2 or 3 mornings , if more coolant is needed each time to fill radiator then you have leak, mine only leaked when engine was hot & turned off , after a few minutes pressure rises in cooling system & the leak commenced from under water pump & ran down to sump of engine. leaks for a few minutes till cooling system pressure drops then leak stops, during normal running cooling system didnt have enough pressure to leak at all. New water pump about $200 from Repco , can be changed without removing radiator or fans. Messy though , when you drain radiator by undoing bottom radiator hose it goes all over the place except into the bucket-typical.....

[trenooo]

Hey mate thanks for the reply, i will try what you have mentioned and see how i get on, only one more question, if it its the pump, can i get away with leaving it as it is without doing any damage? Cheers

[richardpalinkas]

ive noticed on mine that i have a trail running from the water pump, but its all solid, i guess i will replace it when it starts to leak more

[Torquative]

Messy though , when you drain radiator by undoing bottom radiator hose it goes all over the place except into the bucket-typical.....

erm theres a tap on the bottom passenger side of the radiator that drains directly down into whatever's under is.

if it its the pump, can i get away with leaving it as it is without doing any damage?

not really. Its a pressurised system. If its leaking it means its going to lose pressure and over time (which could be as little as a few hours) that small leak can become a large leak so you lose coolant ... not the best time of year to have a cooling issue

ive noticed on mine that i have a trail running from the water pump, but its all solid

I've been told its the bearing in the pump that has like 1mm of play which causes the leak. Think about it, if its not sitting flush and can vibrate and rattle around at whatever RPM it wont take long before something goes wrong.

Anyway guys it is a common problem thats been apparant for a number of years, just off the top of my head that show water pumps in VZ's have an issue...

Slight Cooling Issue
VZ SV6 Leaking coolant
replacing my water pump
Orange Fluid Dripping on to Sump?
VZ Overheating Mystery
Constantly Failing Water Pumps
water pump location

But theres several more.

[trenooo]

Hey guys thanks for all the replies, i have just finished running the car for 20 min, with the thermostat kicking in and did not see one bit of coolant run out of the pipes or the pump wtf?