My day with an oil change and coolant leak. Questions inside.

BlownSix

Registered User
Well, here's how my day went. It was supposed to be about 70 degrees today so I figured I would change the oil and wash the car. So I start unscrewing the filter and realize that it's not going to come out. It's being blocked by those small hardlines that run right underneath it. So I'm like great, motor mounts are shot. So I jack up the engine very slowly because I don't really know how far it can go safely. I was about to give up when I finally had enough clearance. I was pretty stoked. So, I finish my oil change and start the car to check for leaks.

I'm sitting on the ground for a few minutes and I see a leak. I reach under and when I pull my hand back, it was green. I knew I had a coolant leak but I could never tell from where. One of the other lines that runs below/in front of the oil filter was wrapped in that plastic coil and it had filled with coolant from where ever the leak is. So my puddle area is right where the oil drips when you take the filter off. I looked down on the engine while it was running and I saw coolant running down from behind the water pump.

Now, my question is, is the weep hole on the very bottom of the water pump? Or is it higher to where you can see it running off the pump like mine is?
 
Well, here's how my day went. It was supposed to be about 70 degrees today so I figured I would change the oil and wash the car. So I start unscrewing the filter and realize that it's not going to come out. It's being blocked by those small hardlines that run right underneath it. So I'm like great, motor mounts are shot. So I jack up the engine very slowly because I don't really know how far it can go safely. I was about to give up when I finally had enough clearance. I was pretty stoked. So, I finish my oil change and start the car to check for leaks.

I'm sitting on the ground for a few minutes and I see a leak. I reach under and when I pull my hand back, it was green. I knew I had a coolant leak but I could never tell from where. One of the other lines that runs below/in front of the oil filter was wrapped in that plastic coil and it had filled with coolant from where ever the leak is. So my puddle area is right where the oil drips when you take the filter off. I looked down on the engine while it was running and I saw coolant running down from behind the water pump.

Now, my question is, is the weep hole on the very bottom of the water pump? Or is it higher to where you can see it running off the pump like mine is?

Definitely not coming from the weep hole. Just off of experience I will name a few places to look. Check the thermostat housing at the intake to see if it is dripping on the timing cover. Otherwise, I would say you have a timing cover gasket leak or a waterpump leaking at the gasket possibly. If you had a way to pressure test the cooling system, you could figure it out very quickly. There are also a couple rubber hoses that run to the waterpump that could be leaking.
 
...ss the weep hole on the very bottom of the water pump I knew I had a coolant leak but I could never tell from where.

Most always on the bottom, near the snout. Got a mirror?

That's what a cooling system pressure tester is for - see if you can locate one and know what your issue is for sure.

You may have more than one leak, and when the repairs are done, you can confirm they were done correctly.

<img src="http://www.etoolcart.com/ProductImages/coolingsystem/AST7858-L.gif" alt="Cooling System Pressure Tester AST7858" hspace="8" vspace="8" border="0"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510qEmGue-L._AA280_.jpg">
 
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Check the coolant lines that run into the oil cooler (what the filter screws onto). They are just crimped from the factory and can cause a leak in that area. Coolant leaks can be tricky to find on these cars. One of those pressure tester would be nice to have.
 
I appreciate all the replies. It would be nice to have a cooling system pressure tester. I'll try to inspect it more this weekend and hopefully figure out the point of origin.
 
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