Anyone ever have this?

LunaEros

LunaEros

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I know the problems with the cooling systems on these cars are primarily the plastic fittings for the hoses and the coolant overflow bottle but has anyone ever had a leak pop up right behind the water pump?
Mine seems to have sprung one there and it starts to squirt a bit when it gets up in temp.
 
When you say right behind the water pump, what exactly do you mean? To me, right behind the water pump is inside the engine block.
 
It looks like the pump bolts on against either a plate or it's the block as you say and the squirt seems to be coming out from that seam where they go together.
 
It never did on me, but it is certainly possible for the gasket to fail.
1668186908928.png
 
I'll bet it's a lot of work to pull the damn water pump off and replace gaskets, isn't it?
 
What are the odds of it being the blocks flange having a crack in it right up around where the pump bolts on?
The leak seems to be coming from right about here.....

1668186908928.png
 
I think that those odds are low, but not impossible. To me, water pump replacement on the LS is pretty easy compared to several other cars. You just have to drain it, get a few hoses out of the way and take the belt off.

 
It looks like there's a TON of stuff in the way. Do you have to pull the radiator and fan out or no?
 
Wow! Well maybe this won't be as disastrous as I feared.
Thanks, Joe. Man we are so lucky to have someone with as much knowledge about these vehicles as you!
 
LunaEros said:
I'll bet it's a lot of work to pull the damn water pump off and replace gaskets, isn't it?
Click to expand...


No. The water pump is one of the easiest things to change on the LS. You don't even have to take the belt all the way off... once you get the air cleaner box out of the way.

New dealer pump comes with rubber embossed steel gasket already on the pump.

All the bolts are torqed to 89 inch pounds. Save the pump pulley bolts till last, before you put the belt on... then use hand pressure on the belt to get the proper torque. Or use a strap wrench.
 
I had something very similar happen to mine. (3.9 04) it would only leak when the car was warmed up. The hotter the engine the faster the dripping/stream would be. Turned out to be the water pump needed replacing and coolant was exiting through weep holes. Obviously could just be the gasket as well!

And yea full replacement its very straight forward.
 
Ryan is correct. Personally, I have never seen a water pump gasket fail on the LS. So most likely the coolant is coming out of the weep hole.

It is designed that way to let the coolant leak out, so the pump doesn't lock up due to a failed bearing.
 
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