front cover coolant leak
 

hey all

during my engine rebuild i have noticed something thats making me a bit curious, it seems that the coolant is running down the side of the front cover may have possibly gotten into the oil? has anyone ever seen this before? or is it something to be concerned about?

http://photos.yafro.com/pics3/i/2004...18510_full.jpg

Have you checked the water pump? Maybe for some odd reason, theres a leak and its dripping along the sides and entering through a sealing gap through the front cover.

yea the water pump has a "weep" hole in the bottom so you will now if the bearing is bad...

well i know the pumps bad, but i was just seeing if that meant some serious internal damage

I really doubt it. That looks like particles of rust that fell out of that bolt hole when you took the bolt out. Water would have to be under pressure to penetrate the front cover gasket, otherwise it'd just run down the side and off the oilpan. It'd take the path of least resistance most of the time.