coolant leak, new pump is in order?

[HRVATSKI_VOJNIK]

hey folks, sorry to get another coolant leak thread up :banstick:

but yesterday my car started leaking coolant. i parked it in the shed to do some checks and took no notice of a small puddle of coolant since i topped it up earlier. but when i drove my car out of the garage and parked it in the drive way i saw it was leaking. No leaks around the hoses so i jacked it up to follow the leak trail. i couldn't find any real leaks around the pump, tho the leak trail starts above the crack pulley ( so i could've missed it). i poured in some Nulon stop leak, drove it around so the coolant went though the engine twice. Surprise, surprise, no leaks and didn't find any fresh leaks/drops when i checked it every hour then after.

Then this morning getting ready to drive my sister to school, i checked and saw no fresh leaks. started up the car, wiped the rain/frost off the glass, came back to the front where it started leaking again.
when i arrived home, i saw small traces of coolant but it wasn't leaking as much. i got my oil tray under atm to see if it'll start again.

I'm thinking that a new pump might be in order, tho i'll most likely will change it next week,

My dad used water in the car before i got it and yes there's traces of rust in there. one of my questions is would a coolant flush help remove it? ( i didn't use coolant flush when i changed it over because i was afraid of opening old leaks. ah the Irony)
also; the reservoir tank is always empty a day or two after i fill it halfway, because of this i use the super cheap brad 10L coolent :bang: so i have heaps of top up left

anything else i should do/check? besides changing the thermostat+housing+belt

engine:3.8L VS

sorry about the long read :blah blah:

 

[wiseman]

I cant really help you out, but i have a similar problem. I have a V6 ecotech, that when parked overnight, leaks coolant. I see coolant dripping from my sump, front right hand corner. I have a my mechanic look for the leak the other day, when i was getting a pink slip, he even had it up on the hoist, also used a mirror to look around. The result was cant seem to find where this drip is happening, the system was pressure tested while on hoist, and no leaks. It seems to drip over night, without any pressure in the system, next day there is always a wet spot on the concrete.
I put some stop leak in, but it did not fix it 100%. still has small drip.
The mechanic mentioned something about the timing chain case cover? Behind the water pump. Anyone know if it can leak coolant there?
Anyway, i dont have to top it up much, and the temp is ok, water pump is GM brand, about 40,000 old.
Mechanic advised me not to waste my time and money chasing such a small leak. So i wait until it turns into a bigger leak?

 

[HRVATSKI_VOJNIK]

yeah, same here. no real over heating problems.
drove it again for awhile with no leaks, but it could be the stop leak working. i'll see what happens when i start it up tomorrow morn

my mate and his dad (who both know their stuff) said it sounds like the ball bearings are gone.

 

[TheIceman]

hey, any leak is worth following up and finding, it could be terminal to your engine otherwise.

And it really makes me tear my hair out when i hear people putting stop leak into their radiator. it means we, mechanics who do proper jobs and have to give warranties, have to go and pull radiator out and get it all flow tested and possibly cleaned out, flush the block, flush the heater core, check thromostat to see if it has blocked anything else up it shouldnt. then we have to find the leak, fix it and pressure test again etc.. far more expensive than if someone just bought in an initial leak and said, fix it or diagnose it, rather than try to stop it themselves.

as for your leak, maybe water pump, they leak at weird times, either when they are cold at start up as pressure starts building and stop leaking as they warm up, or vica versa.

 

[HRVATSKI_VOJNIK]

understand what your saying TheIceman, but you know how people always want a cheap quick fix before taking it to the mechanics unless they know what you have to go through.

started her up this morning and the leak started. the only reason I'm thinking its stopping is when the stop leak goes through. i now only drive it to just drop off and pick up my sister from school which is a short drive. but I'll change the pump over early next week when the holidays start.

 

[slayer208]

Yeah, there's a seal in the water pump. Once the seal breaches, you'll get water flowing out of the water pump from the bottom of it. Usually will flow straight onto your crank angle sensor ;(. F*&^ing idiot designers!. I done my pump Sunday that just passed. Very easy to do. I had more trouble getting the damn drive belt back on. GGrrrrr that was a BiTcH!!. Also found that my whole 3 idler pulleys are stuffed too, so iv'e now got them on order, so off with the belt again. Damn.....

Also, try never to use that stop-leak crap. I'd only ever use it if I had a blown head gasket and was looking to sell the car. Easier for me to just fix the problem.

A new water pump you can get off ebay for around $35. I got mine from there. Bluepack automotive. Sent it out pretty fast and seem to give reliable service.

Also with the radiator flush! use it, but try and get ahold of Loctite radiator flush. Damn good ****!. Repco near home always use it on their clients cars so it's hardly ever in stock around here, so I always tell em' to look around the corner from their counter and they always bring some back. lol.

Regards!

 

[HRVATSKI_VOJNIK]

slayer208 if you don't mind me asking, did you have to take off the smaller pulley which is just upper right of the pump or can you just pull the pump off with the bottom hose still connected?
plus did you take off the spacer so i should buy an extra gasket?

my Max Ellery manual which shows how to do it on the L27 3.8 VN/VP/VR engine, not the VS/VT L36 3.8

starting to sound like i should take out the "stop leak" fluids from my cars first aid bag

 

[slayer208]

Nah, I didn't have to take off that idler pulley.

You should be able to remove the bottom radiator hose, depending on where the last person sat the hose clamp as far as getting into there with a screwdriver goes.

That spacer on the water pump. Well i'm not sure! My old pump never had one on there, so i'm assuming that the new one didn't need it either. I do remember when i replaced one on the vn, it said that space was only for particular models, so hopefully it's not a pre-requisite for the VS. I have done around 400Km's on the new pump and all's good, so hopefully it'll stay that way "touch wood!". lol

Getting the belt back on was a little trouble, coz i was fighting against the idler pulley tensioner. ended up connecting all the belt up to the pulleys and gradually rolled it over the power steering hub with a screwdriver wedged in between the front bolts. Seemed to do the trick!.

Cheers!

 

[HRVATSKI_VOJNIK]

on Morton's guide it only says for series 1 engine (L27). appreciate all the info:spot on:

 

[hako]

Use 2 people to put the belt back on - one with a ring spanner on the tensioner removing tension and the other sliding the belt on. Make sure you buy the correct pump for your VS as there are 2 different ones although some will fit both with the adaptor (supplied).....don't worry about the spacer - if the new pump has one with it then use it but if it comes bare with just a gasket then use just that. No gasket cement is needed. Make sure you use a razor blade to remove all traces of the old gasket. I wouldn't replace the thermostat as they either work or they don't work so why spend the extra cash....same with belt - if the ribs are OK then no problem. Be careful removing the bolts from the waterpump as some will have rusted threadsd so unscrew 1/2 turn then tighten 1/4 turn, unscrew 1/2 turn etc etc to reduce chance of snapping one off especially if your old man was using straight coolant which is bad for V6's. Should only take about an hour to fit and finally use grease or some form of lubricant on the bolt threads to make them screw in easier. Good Luck.