Mantonite Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 I have my freebie running fairly well, but after work today I noticed a puddle. It was coolant so I topped her off and headed home. She ran nice and cool (got her for free b/c she overheated: replaced thermostat and away we go), BUT I left a drip, drip, drip trail into the garage. Upon further investigation, it appears that it is leaking out of the timing belt cover/head area on the drivers side. It is "up high"; near the valve cover gasket area. Any clues on what this could be??? I plan on taking off the cover when I have time (have to go out of town tomorrow) but want input as to what I should be looking for. Any ideas??? (first time posting picture... hope this works) Edit - Thanks for the site... it has helped a TON so far!!! - End Edit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantonite Posted August 12, 2005 Author Share Posted August 12, 2005 UPDATE: So while I should have been sleeping, or doing any one of many of my honey-dos I decided to dig a little deeper. A lot of good that did... Took off the timing cover on the drivers side to see what I could see... nothing. Topped her off and ran her (idling)... no leak. So it appears that it's only when running. BTW, the leak is near the cam. Does that help??? Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subi81 Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 make sure it is not the hose under the intake manifold, it could be leaking there then running into the sparkplug hole and out through the covers? Just a thought. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrik Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 In my case it was the waterpump. Underneath it has a "peeping whole" which than drops down in the drivers cover. Feel if the pump has too much play. If so replace............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 My Loyale has a similar leak..Mine is coming from the water pump ..but it is from the tube...needs a new gasket ( you know the metal tube on the upper side of the motor). I racked my brain for months trying to figure it out. But mine only really drips when the overflow/resevoir is full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantonite Posted August 12, 2005 Author Share Posted August 12, 2005 The leak seems to be higher than the water pump, but I'll check it out. BTW - I forgot to mention that the timing belt was dry - no coolant on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantonite Posted August 12, 2005 Author Share Posted August 12, 2005 Took a peek between runs at work and the top of the water pump is wet, near the weep hole. Guess it's time for a pump, unless anyone can think of another potential leak point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 As mentioned by Bucky92, it is possible that it is coming from the metal tube that is the water pump inlet from the radiator. It is above the pump centerline, and is a slip fit into the water pump with an o-ring seal. This seal occasionally fails to seal, and difficult-to-trace leaks occur. Regarding the waterpump, is there a visible coolant-stained trail coming from the weep-hole? (All of my weep-holes are visible from the top of the engine.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Sometimes the h20 pump can be hard to diagnose. Look at the color of the coolant that is dripping. If it is yellow/brownish, this is a sign that it is coming from the weep hole. good luck, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 It does sound to me like you have the same leak as my Loyale does...not to complicated to fix..just needs a new O ring..the biggest pain is getting everything out of the way to do it...thats why mine isnt done yet ..one of the things on my to do list when I replace my timing belts.I just check my anti-freeze everytime I add oil (about once every week and a half). Put it this way...mine goes through a gallon of coolant about every 10 months or so...as long as I leave the overflow empty and the radiator full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantonite Posted August 12, 2005 Author Share Posted August 12, 2005 It is above the pump centerline, and is a slip fit into the water pump with an o-ring seal. How can I check it? Follow disassembly procedures and just replace the o-ring? Hopefully it'll be a visible leak on the way home so I can diagnose in the garage before I head out of town (in my truck). As far as the color, it's hard to tell. There is oil everywhere on the engine so there is really no way to tell. There is no visible stream out of the weep hole; it's just wet all over the top of the pump... maybe that points to it being the metal tube. Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sregor13 Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 i just did this on my Loyale and make sure to gob your metal Tube going into the waterpump with RTV Sealant. The O-ring alone was not enough for me. I just gobbed the bad boy with RTV and seems to be fine now. Tha nks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 How can I check it? Follow disassembly procedures and just replace the o-ring? Hopefully it'll be a visible leak on the way home so I can diagnose in the garage before I head out of town (in my truck). As far as the color, it's hard to tell. There is oil everywhere on the engine so there is really no way to tell. There is no visible stream out of the weep hole; it's just wet all over the top of the pump... maybe that points to it being the metal tube. Hmmm... Hot coolant coming out of the weep hole will clear away any oil, and leave a residue along the sides of the main trail. General wetness would tend to indicate another source. The inlet pipe is faily easy to remove, as long as you can get at the bracing bolt(s?). The o-ring is kind of odd/uncommon, so you may want to locate a replacement or commit to RTVing before you remove it. It is also possible that the under-the-manifold hose might be leaking, and the leak just traveling along the top of the block to the wter pump area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantonite Posted August 12, 2005 Author Share Posted August 12, 2005 NEW DEVELOPMENT When I left work I took off the rad cap to top it off and much to my suprise the radiator was still pressurized even though it was bone cold. I bought a new cap and it doesn't seem to be leaking right now. Could this possibly be the solution? The cooling system was getting overpressurized and pushing coolant out any way it could? I sure hope so. I'll post with more next time I can drive it (likely Sunday). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 What Northwet said might be something you want to look into. This is an EA81 so it may not apply, but I had a leak in the hose that went from the water pump to the metal piping under the manifold. I would be ok when the engine was running, but when it stopped it would leak. I found out where it was when one day I turned off my car and when I came back a couple of mins later, it was peeing green fluid. Good luck w/your leak.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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