Coolant Leak, need help?
 

A couple of months ago I started seeing a little puddle of coolant after the car had been sitting for a couple of hours after driving it. I checked all the easily visible stuff, all the hoses and connections and couldn't see anything.

Tonight I decided to get to the bottom of it so I ran the car, put it up on stands and started cleaning things to see if I could see a leak. I appears there is coolant leaking from the bottom of the belt tensioner. It's leaking between the gasket and the tensioner.

I'm not sure if the belt tensioner gasket is the problem or if the waterpump gasket is shot? I've never taken these two items out so I'm not familiar with how it's put together. I looked through the parts catalog and the WSM but not much help to me.

I'm wasn't sure if there is a water cavitiy behind the belt tensioner that would be the source of the leak?

Looking for ideas or suggestions?

Note that I had the water pump and timing belt replaced about 20k kms ago.

Brent
89S4 Euro

On some cars, one of the tensioner bolts penetrates the water jacket: remove the bolt in question and check for the obvious: reinsert after swabbing the threads with white teflon paste - or some such sealer ( even RTV silicon gasket sealer will work). If you have a coolant system pressure tester to connect to the reservoir, it will be easy to confirm the leaker if it doesn't show up readily.

If this is your lucky day, the leak will seal. If not, pull the center cover and check further

I had similar on my car, it wasn't the WP gasket but leaking from the spindle of the WP.

It suddenly got much worse one day.

There's a roller pin that penetrates the water jacket that requires sealant; if thats not it then the water pump itself

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/roller_pin.jpg

Garth, Any idea which bolt might penetrate the water jacket?

John, If it might be coming from the WP spindle, I presume I have to pull everyting off to be able to tell or not?

Malcom, Does that roller pin #11 have a thread that goes into the block? Should that part have some sealant?

Is the best way to solve this to spend the time and go through the steps of replacing the TB to get in there and have abetter look? and even replace the TB since it's been over 20ks since the last one was done?

If I have to go this far I might even contemplate one of ken's Porkensioners? Or should I keep the original tensioner and rebuild it? Either way I appears I have to do a fiar bit of work to solve this problem?

Brent

Malcolm, sorry for not reading your post carefully, it's a little early in the morning but I see you did say you need sealant!

The idler pivot pin (#11) sits in a 'through hole' in the pump casting, directly into the coolant cavity of the impeller: sealant is a must.
I can't recall which tensioner bracket bolt is the culprit - but thought that it was the bolt above the tensioner body. Removing the one shown will quickly indicate its role in this leak - perhaps none at all.There are 4 bolts securing the tensioner, one that hides in the web just above and left of the one shown.
To go further, drain the rad down enough to remove the top hose and fill hose from the reservoir. If you can pull the fans, all the better. Then, all the tensioner bolts are easy to get at - plus, the center cover can be pulled back far enough to check out the pump shaft.

Thx Garth, that makes a lot of sense. I'm going to be putting the car to bed in a few weeks for the winter so I'll most likely get into it after Xmas. I'm even contemplating pulling the whole engine as I want to do a bunch of other stuff and check things out as I'm likely going to boost the car in the spring. If I have the engine out it would make life alot easier as I'll have a few months to get all my jobs done.

I'll let you know how things end up, thx for the suggestions

Brent

Hey Garth, just noticed you're an east coaster. I race sailboats with a couple of guys out here who are from Lunenberg! Gotta love those "Dark and Stormy's"

Brent

It's been a few years - but we raced a ( slow :) ) Paceship out of Sydney Harbour occasionally in the spring seasons - then up the Atlantic coast and down Seal Island channel to day sail on the Bras D'Or Lakes for the summers. Salt water sailing is hard to beat ....

Although that #11 pin pentrates the water jacket, none of the 4 tensioner bolts should. Bolt #26 can leak oil if not coated.

It's not leaking any oil just some coolant so it must be #11 or the WP gasket above it if my guess is right

Or the water pump.

You'll be most of the way to doing the tbelt/water pump project in determing the issue..........may as well go all the way.........Go Riders

I'm now thinking of pulling the whole engine this winter to do some other stuff before I boost it in the spring. This way I can stand up and work comfortably, beer in one hand, wrench in the other!

Riders played well! It was a long drought!