coolant leak
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Guest
Joined: Feb 2009
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coolant leak
Took my 92 cab in for oil change and had noticed a small puddle of coolant in the garage. Guy says leak is from timing cover so , how bad is this, possible causes, and how much to fix? Thanks for any help.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,243
Likes: 31
From: Lafayette, CA
There are a couple of possible sources of coolant leaks from the front of the engine besides the water pump itself. There's an o-ring that seals the plastic hose connector that's bolted to the front of the water pump which is known to shrink and cause a leak. Take a close look with a mirror and a flash light to check for leaks at the interface between this fitting and the pump.
The other possibility is that the clamps on your coolant hoses simply aren't tight enough. The rubber shrinks over time, requiring the hose clamps to be tightened periodically. Go around and tighten every coolant hose clamp, using a nut driver rather than a screwdriver, preferably one with a good rubberized grip. You'll be amazed how much you can tighten each one. I was getting a small coolant leak, so I tightened all of my hose clamps, and was able to get several turns on some of them. I haven't confirmed that this has cured my leak, but I just got done with a 20-minute session at the track which is two miles from my place of work, and I don't smell any coolant (I could distinctly smell it before), so hopefully that's all that was wrong on mine. I hope you have similar luck, as a water pump replacement on these cars is quite an ordeal, and very expensive if you have a mechanic do it (although I've always maintained that a prerequisite to owning one of these, or any 20-year-old car, for that matter, is the ability, tools, and space to do your own work). Either that or a very healthy bank account...
The other possibility is that the clamps on your coolant hoses simply aren't tight enough. The rubber shrinks over time, requiring the hose clamps to be tightened periodically. Go around and tighten every coolant hose clamp, using a nut driver rather than a screwdriver, preferably one with a good rubberized grip. You'll be amazed how much you can tighten each one. I was getting a small coolant leak, so I tightened all of my hose clamps, and was able to get several turns on some of them. I haven't confirmed that this has cured my leak, but I just got done with a 20-minute session at the track which is two miles from my place of work, and I don't smell any coolant (I could distinctly smell it before), so hopefully that's all that was wrong on mine. I hope you have similar luck, as a water pump replacement on these cars is quite an ordeal, and very expensive if you have a mechanic do it (although I've always maintained that a prerequisite to owning one of these, or any 20-year-old car, for that matter, is the ability, tools, and space to do your own work). Either that or a very healthy bank account...
Racer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 364
Likes: 1
If it's coming from inside or behind the belt covers themselves, it's likely to be the water pump impeller or the water pump gasket. Mine is off right now for replacement - I had a good original 44,000 mile water pump I replaced 12,000 miles ago and the new Laso failed already.
Make very certain it's actually coming from there before you "go in", as that's a very involved job.
Make very certain it's actually coming from there before you "go in", as that's a very involved job.
