Guys,

Been doing a lot of reading of past posts and i'll let you know what was happening.

I stored my car this winter and started it up occasionally to let it run with no problem. The other day I let it sit and ran for 15 minutes and the temp guage was maxed out. Went to turn the heat on and no heat.

I looked in the coolant take and coolant was nearly empty. I did notice last summer, occassionally right after driving I would notice a small puddle on the ground, clear oily consistancy...couldn't pinpoint a color..not deep red..more yellow but not flourescent green. It looked as though it was dripping from the tranny pan but I checked both the tranny fluid and oil and both were fine.

Now I realize it must have been coolant the whole time. What the are the signs of a bad water pump? Would it drip out the weep hole in such a way to drip on the tranny pan, or would that be a leak from somewhere else. I'm going to jack it up tonight since it was too dark yesterday.

Again, I have no heat, traced that to a nearly empty coolant tank. I know it's not the thermostat because I've seen leakage on the ground, and I know it's not a heater core problem since I don't see any dampness in the interior floor by the glove box. Shouldn't be a radiator leak since I see a puddle further away from the rad. Possibly a hose leak or waterpump.

If the water pump is bad...what should I look for tonight???

Thanks guys,

Rob O.
1995 Camaro 3.4

 

Hey Rob,

My experience has been that when a water pump goes and leaks out the weep holes, it's more than a trickle. You should be able to feel around the pump from the pulley back to the block, and if it's wet, you know it's coming from there. If it's dry, then no. You say that the fluid looks like it's dripping from the tranny pan, and it's very unlikely in my estimation that coolant coming from the front of the engine would drip there and not someplace closer to the front: say, the oil pan. Perhaps there is leakage at the rear of the intake manifold, such that the coolant runs down from there over the bellhousing and to the front of the transmission. I would get a mirror and my hands and explore around the back of the engine until I find moisture. Or, start at the pan and follow the trail of moisture upward until you locate the source. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the response. I bought a set of Rhino-ramps today with the 17degree incline so I can get the camaro up there without ripping the front end off. I'll see what I can find when I get home and hopefully it won't be anything serious.

I will also check my oil and see if it has a milky appearance, although I checked the dipstick last night and it was clear. If I can't find the leak I will fill the the coolant levels back up and drive it to see if I get my heater back working and maybe I can spot a fresh leak since it will be all new coolant.

Thanks,

Rob

 

Thanks for the response. It took me a gallon and 1/4 to fill my radiator up and overflow tank. Now I have heat again and it's not overheating. I drove a couple miles and put it back in the garage and i'll take a look today to see if I have any leaks. I guess I never checked the coolant level since I got the car 4 years ago. The tank isn't clear, and it's a pressurized system so I never thought the need to look in there. That was the first time the car ever overheated. We'll see what happens..hopefully I won't see a leak.

Thanks guys,

Rob