ok so i drive to sonic, and i see coolant coming out from the bottome of my car... i get out and ALOT of coolant is coming from somewhere.. well i checked it out and no hoses are off or anything and it is leaking BAD from somewhere above the opti... i have no idea where from i cant see it exactly.. HELP! tks

 

Well, your water pump is right above the opti, so it could very well be that. I'd jack it up and take a look if you can. There is a weep hole on the bottom that could be the culprit.

Your thermostat could be leaking as well. I'd pull off your intake elbow and check that the thermostat is ok and that the screws are tight and everything.

 

Thats a warning sign that you should stop eating at sonics

 

haha... true true. the thermostat is good, no leaking there.. im pretty sure it was from that "weeping hole"... dang... if i filled the radiator up with fluid, it would be ok to drive a little ways to get it fixed right?

 

Depending on the state of your water pump, it should be ok to drive a short distance if needed, after topping off your radiator. It's never a good idea to get moisture on your opti, but if you can't help it then no point in worrying about it.

I'd still check to make sure that the water pump is leaking, if at all possible, so that you don't make an unnecessary trip or spend money you don't need to.

 

ok.. ya im sure its that after looking at where it was coming from.. well and from kinda reading up on other people's experiences.. i think ive lost about 34 gallons of coolant already lol.. but, how hard is it to replace the water pump yourself??

 

Very simple to replace... if you buy yourself a haynes manual and take your time... or better yet just search for a write up on this board. Since you have some basic upgrades on your car you might want to look into getting an Electric WP.

 

Who gives a crap about the food, their lime-aides are the ****!

 

ok so me and a buddy (both pretty good with a wrench.. depending) had at the pump today.. and i read about just 6 bolts that needed to come off, a breeze to do.. HA! we had to take of so many other parts to even get to half of the bolts.. it has been freaking ridiculous! 3 hours today and we just got the damn thing off. idk.. its been retarded hard.. but i suppose i will just have at it again in the morning.. any.. ANY tips would be appreciated greatly.. tks guys...

 

make sure you don't f*** up the radiator, i put mine back together and put coolant in, i got a little upset to see coolant drizling out of the rad.

 

Welcome to the club

It was a huge pain for me and my friend too, trying to get to all the bolts and taking off that AIR pump thing

Rest assured that it goes much faster putting it back on since you know where everything goes.

Also make sure you get all the hoses on right

Today I had coolant spewing everywhere and causing the car to stumble (getting on optispark I guess)

Had it towed to the mechanic to see what it was...called back and said it was just a hose that was put on wrong, but the pump seemed to be installed great (that was a relief)

Said they are going to keep it till wednesday though because apparently my coolant sensor is bad and they need to check it cold.

Anyway

Just dont forget to put that sleeve on for the shafts between the timing cover and water pump

And also the job is easier if you just unbolt the fans...give you a little more room.

Good luck