My FC has been leaking coolant like mad, I finally got into the engine and noticed it looked to come from the water pump, the previous week i had noticed a weird "rotating" grind kind of noise. I noticed it looked like i was dripping coolant from my water pump. I figured the bearing was bad so I replaced it (the bearing was bad). After getting it all together again and filling with coolant I noticed the exact same leak (just from filling with coolant, not even starting the engine). I took the shroud and everything off again, it looks as if the coolant is coming from underneath and behind the water pump, it's not from the seal on the pump. Has anyone seen this? it looks like maybe a hole in one of the coolant passages I cant telll, or maybe worse?

 

Did you replace the gasket between the water pump housing and the front housing?

 

Yes I replaced the gasket with the one included in the box.. I just looked at the leak again it seems to be coming from the whole coolant area (where the thermostat and waterpump connect to the main block) I can see moisture from that area.

 

its hard to tell from your explanation (though i understand its hard to explain), but after rebuilding my engine, my water pump was pissing water. it literally looked like a stream of coolant **** shooting from the water pump. instead of removing it, cleaning it, reapplying gasket maker and reinstalling with fingers crossed, i bought a new one. that got rid of my leak.
like i said, i cant exactly tell by your problem, but that was my story. BDC said he has a lot of water pumps do this. if i'd have known that i would have replaced it anyways!
good luck.

 

there is usually a weephole under and off to the side of the seal on the water pump, if it is leaking out of that hole then the water pump seal is leaking internally and the W/pump needs to be replaced or rebuilt completely.

 

Yeah I did replace the water pump, im aware of the weep hole BUT the water isnt coming formt he water puimp. Its more like three inches deeper into the engine than where the water pump sits.

Hmm, its hard to explain ill try to get a pic. The leak looks like between where all the coolant stuff hooks up with the roters.

 

so its actually leaking out of the block ? a pic would help, but if its coming out of the block, i have NO recommendations.

 

The First Pic (leak.jpg) is showing the seal that is leaking but its the bottom part of that seal (or area around the seal) underneath the water pump..



The bottom shows the moisture around and behind the waterpump.

 

When I tore my motor down to shortblock... it did the same thing. I removed the front cover and waterpump, to apply new gaskets and such.

At the time, my waterpump was good. The metal blades looked a TINY bit worn, but bearings and everything was good.

I put everything back together.... and all of a sudden I had a coolant leak. Put a new waterpump on, new gaskets (make sure that gasket to the block is on perfect, and just a little bit of RTV on both sides).

Haven't lost a drop since. Dont know if the waterpump warps a tiny bit over time with the mating surface or what... but the new waterpump did the trick. Its hard to see if its actually leaking there with everything installed. Especially if you're using the stock shroud/fan. That and if its a small leak, it probably evaporates before it drips down the front cover.

 

well its not the water pump leaking but yet i used the gasket and RTV on both sides.

 

If you had ANY oily residue (old coolant) on the mating surfaces before application of the RTV bead, she'll leak. How clean did you get her?

 

Good point...

forgot to add that.

I use a pneumatic grinder with the little 2" cookie bits... grind everything PERFECTLY clean and then clean with brake cleaner to get ANY residues off...

 

Do you have the spacer washers on the passenger side bolts(pump housing) that compensate for the housing/block gasket? Are they the proper ones/size? That looks very much like the housing leak I had this summer...

 

I cleaned it pretty good got all the old gasket off with a scraper and then used paint thinner and brake cleaner on it multiple times.

The spacers.. if your talking about on top of the nut and stuff to fasten the pump... yes,

 

Ya I meant these ones that compensate for the gasket:

 

My gasket covers all the bolts. I couldn't find those instructions anywhere..

 

Did you just replace 1 gasket or 2? It sounds like its the waterpump housing to front housing that is leaking. If you didn't replace that one then that is the source of the problem, it's about impossible to get the waterpump off without breaking the seal on the back of the housing.