bad water pump?

[natertater]

ok so i was wondering if its just the water pump, or something major, like warped head/bad gasket. i havent noticed white smoke (but car hasnt driven much... since i owned it) and i had the cap off while letting it run for a minute or two today (checking for oil leaks on turbo...last time they had some..now they dont ) and it didnt seem that the coolant was running through the hoses (even after it was warmed up and thermo opened) and it was smoking from radiator cap when i shut it off. the coolant overflow tank is full and dripping when its warm (i have to take care of that) and the car is fully warmed up in normal operating temp (mid gauge) in about a min from starting it. what do you all think? im sniffing my exhaust now to see if its something bigger

edit : so i checked if exhaust smelled like its burning coolant, and negs...its all good and smells like car that hasnt run in forever (sweet success in my case) so it might be w/p or belt not tight enough (it looked good to me, time to check for rotation now, and test drive!!)

 

[LiquidX]

When was the timing belt changed last? That would indicate roughly how old the water pump is if it was done at the same time. When it's warm, do you get hot air out of the vents?

 

[natertater]

When was the timing belt changed last? That would indicate roughly how old the water pump is if it was done at the same time. When it's warm, do you get hot air out of the vents?

i havent checked that yet, going to check it now. and i dont know, the guy i bought car from is moron and probably couldnt tell me. but the belt looks fairly new, the lettering on belts are still white, but that doesnt mean anything. brb with update!

ok so it blows hot air when i turn on heat...so i guess its good...but why does teh water get that hot soo fast? possible crack in head or block? but not getting into exhaust? my guess...

 

[LiquidX]

A general rule for any vehicle. If you don't know how old it is, replace it. That is especially true with our maitence. Get your timing done and change the pump. Better safe than sorry.

 

[natertater]

how much does that run normally? i would like to do it myself, but dohc and lack of tools for that setup sucks...maybe i can have someone in san diego help me out? taking it in will be expensive for sure.

 

[the_mork]

I would monitor it but not necessarily change the pump. If it were most other cars then I would change the pump immediately but ours requires taking the timing belt off. I would suggest that if you're not overheating and you don't have oil in the coolant. or snotty stuff under the oil cap then I suggest not worrying about it. Turbo cars heat up quickly especially if you're boosting.

Then again if you haven't changed your timing belt or don't know when it was last changed then I suggest you change it. Regardless of the price ($200 for a full timing and water pump kit) it will be cheaper and easier than replacing the head when you snap your current timing belt.

 

[natertater]

ok so that is on list of stuff to do, after its plated. anyone know a good junkyard in san diego with tons of dsm's? preferably 1gb's? i need passenger front fender. and hatch...dent in the one on car now. hopefully there isnt tons of body work to do, but im sure there will be more surprises under the fender...

 

[natertater]

really concerned about having low coolant again...i topped it off, let it idle some to get air bubbles out, then took it for a drive. it did warm up really fast, i had the a/c fans on while driving, didnt overheat then. but it doesnt have white smoke, doesnt smell like its burning coolant, there is no leaks anywhere, and no coolant getting into the oil. what the heck? possibly small warp in head that i dont notice the coolant being burnt? this is pain in butt.

 

[LiquidX]

Have you toped it off, driven it around up to normal operating temp and then parked over card board? Just to make sure you don't have anything you may not have seen. Did you have a friend follow you to see smoke? If it's a small burn, you may not see it very well at all looking behind you. Also, when you top it off, how much are you putting in and how is your resivore looking after a drive?

 

[DeadsEvolution1]

How old is your Thermostat?? Replace that as well. I went to Autozone got a Thermostat with gasket for 8.99 plus tax. Waterpump I don't remember how much but it is warrantied for life as long as you own the car. Timing belt you can order or buy one from NAPA I like the quality actually haven't had problems with one yet. That is going to tell you what's going on plus since you don't know the condition of anything it will be good for you to do.

 

[natertater]

ok, yes thermostat probably needs to be replaced. the timing belt and w/p will be done later when i have car plated and can take it somewhere.

for the topping off and what not, yes i have it parked in my garage with cardboard under it, nada. the resivoir is full up to top, has been since i have owned it..still havent had time to empty that out and fill it to level it should be...but its pretty low after only driving it up and down teh street, maybe two blocks..no i didnt have anyone following me..i should get the wife to follow me in the van when i get this battery thing worked out...no autozone for me ever again...

 

[the_mork]

When my water pump output seal was bad it only leaked when it was hot and the car was running.

Replacing that isn't the worst thing in the world. I'm not going to lie and say it was a walk in the park but it really wasn't terrible at all. You need to remove the exhaust manifold and thermostat housing and then just pull the water line at the front of the block. There is an o-ring at both ends that should be replaced, don't use oil or rtv when putting it back together just lube up the seals with antifreeze then put it all back in place. Took me about three hours without a hurry. Seals are at NAPA or Advanced but usually need to be ordered and should cost <$4.

 

[natertater]

nice...i just put that mani and turbo on there bout 2 weeks ago...aint that a kick in teh pants...still doesnt explain why my car is at full running temp about a min of idling, with a/c fans on.