I have a 95 z28 LT1 camaro that decided to start pissing out coolant while i was driving from NY to FL. Fortunately it did not overheat when the car was moving. It is leaking from somewhere around the water pump. I'm not sure if it is the pump or a hose. In about 8 minutes it leaks enough coolant to overheat the car. It also sprays a mist of coolant on top of the intake tube. I'm guessing it is the water pump but i'm not sure. If it is the water pump, any ideas on how much labor will cost?

 

You need to observe the leak when it is occurring and find out where it is coming from. Then you will have a better idea on what to repair. No sense in guessing.

 

I would say it is the water pump. I would do if yourself if you could. Take, off your coil, and air pump for easier access. Drian your radiator, disconnect your hoses from the water pump, and then take out the six bolts. By some new felpro gaskets, and some water permatex silicone, and put it back in. I'm sure if you take it somewhere its probably going to cost you around $400. Be careful of your opti, you dont want that going out due to all of this.

 

Be sure the radiator is full and the engine is cold, jack the car up, raise the hood, have a strong light handy, start engine, crawl under car and look around the water pump and hoses, crawl out and check top of pump and hoses. Be sure to use the light to help see where a leak might be.

 

Unfortunately that is one of my problems. I can't work on the car bacause A. I do not have the right tools to do the job including a jack, and B. I live in a complex that does not permit you to work on your car or it is breaching the contract. I am currently going to an automotive school and I would be able to do it there but I highly doubt it will make it there. The school is about 15 miles away, and it is all stop and go traffic. I tried dumping in stop leak to temporarily fix it so i could get it to school but it just got too bad.

 

Go to Autozone and they will lend you a coolant pressure tester. You pay for a deposit, usually on a credit card, then when you return it, you get the security deposit back. With the pressure tester, you can find the leak without getting the engine hot, thus not overheating and burning hands, arms, etc. This will be the easiest way to find the leak.

later

andy schuck

 

The exact same thing happened to me, I thought it was the water pump but it was just leaking over that so it looked the same. Turned out to be a blown head gasket on the passenger side. Get a leak down test done.

 

If you have your car pressure tested at Auto Zone, that will only tell you if the tank is bad or not, or you just have a leak in general. You can have your cap and thermastat tested as well. For a head gasket leak, which I doubt you have, they can put a chemical in your tank and if it turn colors, then you have exhaust getting into your coolant which indicates a bad head gasket or cracked head. Check your oil, make sure it doesn't look milky or smell really really bad. If not, you probably don't have any coolant in your oil. Has your car been puffing any white smoke, or have you had any noticeable power loss. If not, still don't think you have a head problem. Your best bet is looking at all your hoses to make sure they are on tight. If so, I'm pretty sure its your water pump. Does the pump make whining sound at when car is running. I'm guessing the seal around the drive shaft of the water pump gave out. Good luck man.

 

If you have no way to work on the car, looks like you are stuck with taking it to a shop.

 

It doesn't make any whining noises but it does make a ticking noise that just started recently but it's very faint and does not affect performance at all. Also no power loss and no white smoke. Oil looks normal. I already ordered a water pump on ebay for $100 O.E.M. brand new so even if it turns out to be something stupid like a gasket then oh well I got a good deal on it and the pump is bound to go sooner or later. But I doubt it's just a gasket. Probably is the pump. While I was at it I picked up a 160 degree thermostat. Do I need the power programmer or a chip for that?

 

No you don't need a power programmer. Make sure you get some gaskets for the water pump, I also recommend using some permatex silicone to place on the gaskets. Be damn careful of your opti. Drain all the coolant left in your radiator. then, when you take out the lower bolts on the water pump, coolant will probably come out as you take them out. Let the coolant flow out, and just keep taking out the bolt more and more until most of the coolant comes out, then take out the bot completely. Also, when you pull the pump out, ease out a little, and let most of the coolant that is still left drain behind the opti. Once all the coolant is out, pull out, watch out for your pcm connection to your opti. Good luck