Time to replace water pump??

[Rich 89 Gr. Wag]

On the top of the water pump gasket there is a little weeping. Sometimes I see a tiny puddle of antifreeze smaller than the size of a dime. Haven't needed to add antifreeze and the GW runs nice and cool, water pump itself sounds fine.

What should I do to remedy this situation?

[gsmikie]

replace water pump

[andy d]

uhhmn, i would check out the bypass hose real well before i would condemn the pump

[Coley]

Right on, Andy D!
I recently replaced the water pump. Took it for a test spin, popped the hood and saw the same thing. After 20 minutes of the most foul diatribe that has ever escaped my mouth, I noticed that the leak was originating at the bypass hose. On my old pump, it was a PITA to get it to seal, even with a new hose. I had changed the t-stat and it leaked, so I just kept fiddling with it until it was down to a mere drop or two. Then, I think, after some time the rubber hose just "adjusted" itself to the new position and sealed completely.
BTW, mine leaks at the back of the hose, which made it even harder for me to determine.

Good Luck!

[Don in Missouri]

Small block Fords have a simliar little puddle on top of the timing cover. They always seem to be full of oil or water. I've probably driven 200,000 miles on 2 Wagoneers and 2 Fords, always with a little puddle there, and never any significant loss of fluid.

[andy d]

HI Coley ,long time no post. good to hear from you again. i had the bypass hose split on a 50$ dart years ago.i thought it was just a blown alternator belt cuz the idiot light came on. i thought i could make it home. nope. a few years ago i had it happen to the wag.pinhole leak sqirtin coolant onto the belts ran the battery down and stranded #1 son and his date. i was checking the trouble out and was baffled. until i caught the tiny stream leaking onto the belts. the water pump job is such a PITA that i will make dead sure it really needs it. :D

[ September 19, 2002, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: andy d ]

[Coley]

Yep,I was in denial that my pump was bad b/c I knew what a hassle it would be to replace it. When I saw it spewing from the weep hole, my heart was crushed. "Yes dear, all you'll see of me this weekend is my feet sticking out from under the Jeep"
Got smart though..didn't get rushed and came up with an idea for keeping all the brackets and bolts straight. I got a big piece of cardboard and drew a sketch (very rough) of all the brackets and pump. Then drew dots for all the bolt locations. (making sure to include stuff like the bypass hose for landmarks). When I removed a bolt, I just put it in it's corresponding hole in the cardboard. About 5 minutes of preparation saved probably hours of frustration, as those dang brackets and bolts are of all sizes and varieties.

[Ernzo]

Great idea, Coley!! Gotta love this site, real answers from folks that have really done it!!