anchor55 Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 Hi all...this is a carryover from my earlier problem where I could not find the source of coolant leak. After speaking with a caddy mechanic he told me to squirt dish soap over the suspected area and I finally found the problem..I refilled coolant pressurized the system to approx 15-16 lbs. and saw that the leak was coming from the top of the waterpump housing and squirting upwards. How do I know if my waterpump is still good ( I believe it is but not my area of expertise , belt works, no grinding, etc.) and if so can I just replace the gasket? I read where I need the special socket to remove WP.Thanx as always....Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 If you are sure the waterpump is good, I would just change the gasket. The waterpump is not that hard to change, but you do need a special socket. You can pick one up for about $20-25 or try to rent one. Change the gasket and if that does not work there is just one more step to changing the pump with the tool than the gasket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 I just finished replacing my water pump cartridge on a '94 SLS myself. If you do replace the pump go to Brasington ($66) if you have the time, unless you want to be raped by the Stealer $110 (like I was). Anyway, you'd replace the cartridge for one of two reasons: the bearing is worn and making noise or the weep hole is leaking. It's real easy to remove the cover and replace the gasket so don't feel obligated to change the pump just for that effort. I wasn't sure what was leaking (but it was comming from the pump area) so I decided to change the cover gasket, pump and lower hose and be done with it. By the way the new pump bearings actually had more play the original (go figure) but the old one did make some noise when rotated. As for the tool, I got mine from a local auto store ($30). The cartridge is fairly deep so I wouldn't try improvising with a screw driver - get the tool or manufacture one yourself if you have a welder and the wherewithall. One more thing, the gasket can only be had from the dealer ($8) no auto stores had it. The original was orange and much thicker than the new one, but I still installed the new one (with great reservation) using High Tack RTV. Hopefully it'll hold. Good Luck. How many miles are on your car? Does anyone know the average life of the water pump cartridge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 I would just change the gasket. If you go for the pump, here is a picture of the tool so you know what it looks like. This is one I made. http://www.geocities.com/grandolfo/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 Most impressive craftsmanship LG. I was planning on welding a few screwdrivers to an oversized socket. Having experience with hacking away (and hurting myself while doing so), my better judgement told be to give in, buy the stinking tool and spare myself some bloodletting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchor55 Posted July 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 Yes, very impressive work! Quick question. how easy is it to replace just the WP gasket? Sadly my car repair expertise stopped 16 yrs ago w/ my 79 trans am! What is the procedure? Can't thank all of you enough~ JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 I haven't had to do one yet but from what I can see all you need to do is remove the intake box and ducting. Remove the cover bolts, cover and gasket. Replace in reverse order. I think the gasket is a rubber "spaghetti" type that fits in a machined groove as opposed to the flat type we "old schoolers" are used to. You can do this one with ease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchor55 Posted July 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 I cleaned up the area to get an exact location of the leak. ..the leak is coming from the gasket connecting the WP housing..I talked to a caddy mechanic and he said the job was a bear..any tips? Thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchor55 Posted July 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 Any idea how I can post a pic I took of the leak area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 A bear eh? Next thing you know the Stealer will tell you that you need an engine overhaul. If it's really just leaking from the cover then the job is a breeze. Like I said, the only issue I found was that the new gasket is thinner than the original, so I'd also use high temp RTV. Bob Bob... was quoted as saying you don't even need the gasket, just RTV. Remember to let the RTV dry for a few hours before adding water. 1) drain the coolant to recycle 2) remove the lower hose from the housing 3) unscrew the 4 housing bolts 4) remove the housing, Clean well with rasor, solvent. 5) install new gasket and re-attach the cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 Are you talking about the cover gasket or the housing gasket??? The cover gasket is a simple job. The housing gasket would be a bit more involved but doesn't look like a "bear" of a job. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 If it is one of the water pump crossover gaskets, it is a pain to repair but definitly can be done by any reasonably skilled owner. I found it was a bit awkward to keep the gaskets in place while manuevering the crossover manifold. Otherwise not real bad. The first thing I would do is check the bolts for tightness. If it is the water pump housing, held on with four bolts it is very simple to remove and replace the cover. No need to distrub the waterpump itself. -George Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchor55 Posted July 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 Thank you all for your quick responses you guys are great! I am not sure exactly what the "water pump crossover gasket" is...The leak is not from the "light-bulb" shaped gasket from WP housing..it is part of the bigger housing that the WP housing is connected to...I took a pic of it but don't know how to upload to this site...I wish it would just be the 4 bolt WP housing but not that lucky this time.. Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted July 28, 2004 Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 Attached is an image from the manual. It is shown from the drivers side looking forewards. There are four gaskets. Note the four bolts at the right: there are four more that are on the left end of the crossover, that are out of sight in this image. As I noted before, try tightening the bolts at the leak area. The gaskets are composition and depend mainly on the silicone bead to seal. Thermo cycling can cause the bolts to ease up. -George Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchor55 Posted July 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 arrow is where leak is...on corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted July 28, 2004 Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 It may be time to break out the JB Weld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchor55 Posted July 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 would JB weld even work on that spot. (pressure).also hard to reach with fingers..how hard is it to replace? Dealer says 6 hrs of work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted July 28, 2004 Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 Forget JB Weld or any other miracle cure. Fix it right and only once. I like JB Weld but I doubt it would work in that application. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franey Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 AS a temp repair , you might remove everything around it , clean area with carb . cleaner and then use black RTV , put all over and spread around good , let dry for24 hours. THIS might buy you some time, till you can pull the whole assembly off. GOOD LUCK, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchor55 Posted July 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 Believe it or not the JB weld has sealed the leak! ...Next issue...I pressure tested it for 90 min. and lost approx. 1psi down to 15..car idles like a dream while parked in D-way but as soon as I take it on road it gets to 257 degrees and overheats and coolant comes from drain tube (but nowhere else) for some reason my blower motor is not blowing ANY air into car...I hear it engage on diff. settings but ZERO air comes out ...now I am wondering if my waterpump is not working..(i just read in my new Haynes reair book that "IF THE WATER PUMP SEAL FAILS ON A 4.6 ENGINE, COOLANT WILL LEAK OUT AT THE LEFT FRONT OF THE ENGINE, BETWEENTHE CYLINDER HEAD AND THE COOLANTCROSSOVER HOUSING" geez, that sounds alot like my last problem..any suggestions..willing to swap out FREE ROOM and BOARD for qualified N8 mechanic, lol....THanx as alwys all... Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 JB Weld is pretty good stuff. Your overheating could be from a failed thermostat. Either that or your water pump belt broke. There's not much that can go wrong with a water pump other than the bearings wear and it starts leaking. You've got some sort of broken vacuum line because I beleive the ventilation doors are vacuum operated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 As far as the blower not blowing air into the car I would look for a vacuum leak if the motor is running. The air delivery doors are vacuum controled. For the coolant overflow I would look at the water pump belt and tensioner. Also if that checks out ok have a look at the thermostat. The over heat may have caused it to warp or some how lock up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rek Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Did someone say to change the oil if it goes into limp mode? rek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Yes, I believe Guru said it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchor55 Posted July 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 For the coolant overflow I would look at the water pump belt and tensioner. Also if that checks out ok have a look at the thermostat. The over heat may have caused it to warp or some how lock up. The belt on WP seems to be fine with decent tension perhaps a bit slow...I am going to replace thermostat 2morrow..is there a sure fire way of determining if WP is not functioning properly...any single female Northstar mechanics out there, lol.. #2 - As I said earler..I hear something engaging when I change heat / ac settings but DO NOT hear the blower motor running and ZERO air flows into vents??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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