Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,

My 1989 1.7 KY has developed a coolant leak. The coolant appears to be coming from a tiny hole just behind (forward of) the water pump pulley. It's a hole I never noticed before but seems like it is supposed to be there. It's maybe 1-2mm in diameter and faces downward. I'm afraid this means a bad seal? Strange though because I recently returned from vacation and before I left, it wasn't leaking...the van wasn't used for the month I was gone and when I returned and started it up, it was leaking. Any thoughts?

can you get a picture of it?

Ok...so here's a photo. This is taken from the underside of the van, directly behind (or forward of) the water pump pulley. Coolant is leaking from here upon start-up, not flowing out but a steady drip. Like I said in the original post, when I left town a month ago, it wasn't leaking. I came back, started it up and the leak was there. Gremlins?

Pumps worn out - replace it.

Pump breather hole betwix seal tha nose.....basically very common symptom before more serious failure (bearings don't like being lubricated with water)

Martin

Yep def warning to change it ASAP.
Kev

California Dreamin wrote:Pump breather hole betwix seal tha nose.....basically very common symptom before more serious failure (bearings don't like being lubricated with water)

Martin

Yes they do - most small boat prop shaft bearings are lubricated and cooled by water, the difference being there is a virtually limitless cool supply of water constantly changing.

Thanks for the info...I'll replace it. Does a leak from the hole suggest imminent failure? Should this be fixed before it is driven again at all? I'm 40 or 50 Km from my mechanic....
Thanks again.

You should be safe for a while, just keep an eye on your water. When you get a jet of water you know that you should really have done it earlier! The seal is worn out with the only remedy being replacement of the whole pump.

How on earth can you compare a marine cutlas bearing to an automotive ball bearing? ah humour.........
Ball/roller/needle roller bearings don't like being run in water, they will fail pretty soon after water ingress, a few days/weeks maybe a month.

How close the pump is to failure is purely conjecture but one thing is for sure..it ain't gonna get any better and needs changing.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=cutlas ... 9,r:8,s:21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Martin