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I'm trying to track down a coolant leak. It's dripping off the bottom of the oil pan, and I can follow it back to the bottom of the timing cover, and up to the lowest bolt holding the timing mark bracket on the DS of the block. I cannot find any coolant running or dripping from above that point, and I've been looking for over a week now every time I run the car Every hose connection, water pump connection, and weep hole are bone dry. Does that bolt tap into a cooling jacket, or do I need to keep looking for the real source of the leak?
try lightly snugging the water pump bolts in case they have loosened.
I know that when I have loosened the bolts to the PS bracket, mine wept a little until I reinstalled it.
I'm trying to track down a coolant leak. It's dripping off the bottom of the oil pan, and I can follow it back to the bottom of the timing cover, and up to the lowest bolt holding the timing mark bracket on the DS of the block. I cannot find any coolant running or dripping from above that point, and I've been looking for over a week now every time I run the car Every hose connection, water pump connection, and weep hole are bone dry. Does that bolt tap into a cooling jacket, or do I need to keep looking for the real source of the leak?
Those bolts are not wet. The leak is coming from higher up on the engine, most likely the water pump gasket as others have already pointed out.
Well, the stop leak worked for about a week...and now the leak is back.
So, am pulling the water pump tomorrow to regasket (leak was from the bottom area of the pump-to-cover interface - the suggestion to use dye to figure out where it was coming from was spot-on). No parts store in town has the gaskets (outrageous - not having gaskets that haven't been used in 30+ years lol), and rockauto has different listings for heavy duty cooling and non heavy duty cooling. I've heard of this option but don't know the details - does it really affect the gasket and if so how do I determine if the pump I have on my engine is for HD cooling or not?
I have no idea how to determine which water pump you have. I do know if you buy a timing gasket set it will have the three different water pump gaskets. Just match the gasket to the pump. That’s what I have always done.
Or just buy all three water pump gaskets and match one to your water pump.
Before disassembly, flush the hell out of the system to get rid of the bars leak and other sediments.
Pull the heater core hoses and flush that separately using a low pressure garden hose.
Use a shop vac to pull the tap water out of the block and cores.
Use 50/50 premix coolant or mix your own with distilled water. I use a separate HD Diesel water pump lubricant additive too.
From here on out dip the coolant annually with the PH sticks to check acidity. Its my practice to do a full flush every 5 years....5 years goes by quickly thus I date everything.
Before disassembly, flush the hell out of the system to get rid of the bars leak and other sediments.
Pull the heater core hoses and flush that separately using a low pressure garden hose.
Use a shop vac to pull the tap water out of the block and cores.
Use 50/50 premix coolant or mix your own with distilled water. I use a separate HD Diesel water pump lubricant additive too.
From here on out dip the coolant annually with the PH sticks to check acidity. Its my practice to do a full flush every 5 years....5 years goes by quickly thus I date everything.
Water pump for sure. They have a weep hole on the bottom side over time the shaft seal goes bad and that's where they leak. A good indication is you will see it on the radiator hose on the bottom side where it attaches to the pump.
Even though I ordered the kit w/ multiple gaskets, I am still curious how to ID if I have HD cooling, etc.. pump. Aka if I want to replace the pump too I'll probably need to know. Is this where the infamous different lenth water pumps cause pulley alignment issues, or is that unrelated? I have an FSM and assembly manual and will thumb through to try to find the info on my own but any tips appreciated.
