Okay...I changed the Coolant temp sensor ( front of intake, right above the water pump ) this past weekend to eliminate some weird idle problems. Idle is fixed.

While I was working on the car, I noticed the coolant level was low, overflow was empty, and the level in the radiator ( engine cold ) was about 3 inches below the cap level. So I filled the radiator, and filled the overflow to the COLD mark.

Drove the car back to work Monday, and car is running GREAT. Operating temp is normal, no changes. Come home Monday evening, and after getting out of the car, I smell coolant. Look under the front of the car and there is a little puddle of coolant, and I can see it dripping more.

Pop the hood and look around. I figured I didn't tighten the clamp on the TB coolant bypass hose back...nope it's tight, and the hose / fitting is BONE DRY. NO SIGN of coolant around the CTS, or even on top of the timing chain cover.

Coolant is dripping down from the driver's side of the timing cover, it seems to be running down from somewhere and dripping off the bottom of the timing cover where it meets the oil pan.

After checking the hoses, everthing I'd moved when working on the car, and STILL no sign of the leak I cranked it up and looked. NO LEAK to be seen. Only leaks after shutting the car off after running it up to temp.

So at this point I figure the water pump is telling me it's time to change it. Now engine temp is fine, and it really didn't leak that much coolant at all, so I drove to work Tuesday. Got to work, checked, and same thing, a little puddle in the same spot, NO visible leak. SAME EXACT thing once I got the car home Tuesday night.

Same thing Wednesday. Now today, after getting to work, NO PUDDLE. NO LEAK.

The overflow is empty ( as it was in the beginning ) and the level in the radiator is where it was when I added coolant while replacing the CTS.

I'm going to top off the coolant again tonight when I get home, and then drive it. If the leak appears again after filling the coolant, I'm assuming that something is only leaking when the coolant level is full and there's more pressure.

Can the water pump do this? I mean, there are NO wet spots on the radiator, water neck, everything is bone dry when the leak is happening. The ONLY thing I think it could be is the water pump leaking from the weep holes. If the coolant level was a bit low, would that drop the pressure enough to keep the water pump from leaking?


I'll probably just take tomorrow off and replace the water pump anyway, since it looks pretty old, and I haven't done a pump on this car. I figure a flush and fill couldn't hurt as well.

Anybody had this happen with a bad water pump?


It can't be a hose, because it DOESN'T leak a drop when the level is not totally full. There's no wetness around the rad cap or radiator either.

I may try topping the coolant off today after work and once I get home, leave it running to see if it leaks. Then I'll shut it off and try to figure where the leak is coming from.


Thanks for any suggestions.

 

It kinda does sound like your water pump might be talking to ya through the weep hole. Mine did pretty much the same thing with leaving puddles under the car after driving it and shutting it off. I changed mine right away so I couldn't tell you about it not leaking when the coolant is low. What I would do is, after the car has been sitting awhile, get under there with a flashlight and look closely at the weep hole at the bottom of the water pump. If it has been leaking from there, it should leave light greenish streaks where it was leaking from after the coolant has dried. Kinda sucks that you have a V belt setup. They're not extremely hard to change the pump on but just take some time. I went to help a friend of mine change his once and forgot that he had V belts and not a serpentine like mine, so I was like oh crap, I'm gonna be here longer then I thought.


Tom

 

No big deal on the V-Belt setup. I'm converting to serpentine in the Spring, so the AC is already gone, and the smog pump fell off


I'm going to take the alternator and brackets off as well as the power steering pump and brackets and go ahead and clean and paint everything while I have it apart.


If I was JUST removing and replacing the water pump, it's not that bad of a job.

Remove the top alterntor bolt, loosen the pivot bolt, and slide the alternator back towards the fenderwell. Loosen the front lower runner bolt that that holds the alt bracket, then removed the bolt that holds the alt bracket to the water pump. Remove the alt bracket. Then just take off the power steering pump AT the bracket, and move it a bit, just out of the way.


That's it.


I just want serpentine because it cleans up the engine compartment so much.... Especially with my dual fans I just got going in shortly.


Thanks

 

Incase you haven't looking the Classifieds lately, I thought you might wanna talk to this

guy.https://www.thirdgen.org/classifieds...tgo?adid=12164

 

i was losing coolant slowly it was coming out of the weep hole and running down the hose and falling to the ground, and then one day the water pump completely blew up!!

 

hey ctandc, I'm replacing my water pump right now and I'm having trouble getting the power steering pump out of the way. I've been taking out bolts all around it and I can't seem to get it to budge. I feel stupid but I have been at it and I'm real stuck cause it is the last bolt I can't get too on the water pump.

 

The lower driver side waterpump mounting bolt goes through the water jacket and has to be sealed, if the seal breaks down you'll see coolant leaking from the drivers side of the waterpump. If the coolant is leaking from the weep hole, the coolant would leak down the lower radiator hose and onto the ground.

 

You don't have to remove the power steering pump. Just use a thin walled socket to take off that lower bolt also, that bolt is the one that has to get sealed. I tried one socket that wouldn't fit and just tried another one I had and that one worked.

 

alright, thanks GKK

 

I had the same kind of leak on my car recently. I thought it might be the weep hole - it wasn't. Turned out to be the gasket on the back cover of the water pump, so much for auto parts store water pumps. My Stewart Stage 1 came in the mail yesterday.

 

:sillylol: ok I'm seriously going crazy, I found a thinner walled socket and it isn't working. I really need to know how to move the power steering out of the way, what ever bolts I've taken off the thing won't move at all. I need help bad!

 

Make sure the socket length is short. Don't use a deep socket.

 

Thanks for the help. I got it off.:lala:

 

Have an '88 IROC 350 that I just noticed yesterday is doing the weep hole thing. I was reading this post about "sealing" the one bolt....what exactly different do you need to do to "seal" it...does the gasket for the water pump not handle this sealing?????

Other water pumps i've changed all I had to do was new pump, new gasket and all was well .

is this another one of those "special" F-body things where GM had a better idea?????

ALSO, I am looking to order a stewart stage I...there are 2 pumps on their website for SBC 87 and up passenger cars...part number 11123 and 13123

Which one is right ???

 

All you have to do to the Driver Side lower waterpump mounting bolt is to put some Permatex RTV sealant on the bolt threads to seal the bolt hole.

None of those Stewart waterpumps will work if you have a V-Belt setup. Both of those part #'s are for Serpentine belt setups that have the waterpump Impeller rotating in a Counter Clockwise Rotation or Opposite the Crankshaft Rotation. Also, Part# 11123 is for a Big Block Chevy. I have the Stewart Stage 1 Part# 13123 on my "91" Camaro 305 with the Serpentine Belt.

 

Sorry, but I don't think I said I have a v belt setup...it is serpentine.

It was originally a 5.0 TPI but when I bought it the dealer had swapped for a 5.7 TPI...

My mistake on the pics...I see after reading your post that the 11123 is indeed for the BBC...sorry...mental lapse...when I read it.

Guess that leaves me only one to choose from the 13123 or the 13123

 

My bad, I forgot the 86's and earlier F-Bodies used the V-Belt setup.

 

not a problem....but thanks for making me re-read the headings for their pics...made me realize my mistake...and zeroed me in on what I need...


gotta get the rear end fixed first though...big chunks out of the pinion gear....loud thunk and a jolt when it rolls about a foot...shops saying anywhre from 500 to 800 to rebuild......