[WhiteBird00]

I just got my car back from the dealer following a warranty repair of a leaking water pump gasket. I had taken it in because of a burning smell from the front end. They say the water pump was leaking from the gasket and the coolant was burning.

Couple of questions...

A gasket failure seems really strange to me. Water pump seals and bearing failures are familiar to me because of moving parts but the gasket is just a piece of material between the pump and the block. Why would it fail? There's nothing moving there and the car isn't nearly old enough (26K miles) for degradation due to age.

The other thing is that the smell was still there when I pulled into the garage. I suppose the tech could have been lazy and not cleaned up something remaining from the leak but one would think it would be gone after four days sitting in the shop. Also, there were some spots under the car this morning when I pulled out. Should I take it back or just assume it's fixed and that the smell and the spots will go away in a couple of days?

I'm going to call the service adviser today and see what he has to say. Anybody else experience anything like this?

 

[Joenpb]

The failure could be from not having a clean enough surface when it was originally installed. If its still leaking that would explain the wet spot and burning smell when you got home. Perhaps the leak was caused by worn/defective bearings, the extra vibration could produce a gasket leak. I'd run the engine & see if the pump is still leaking. Good luck.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using AutoGuide.Com Free App

 

[Strange Mud]

I've seen a couple of posts with pump leaks....What I would watch (if you cant see a leak) is just keep an eye on the fluid level. Gaskets will fail if the bolts are not tight or maybe it had a cut/crease in it.

 

[David Young]

I bet the gasket wasn't leaking. The water pump has a 'weep' hole that makes it look like the gasket is leaking when the bearing goes bad in the pump. Even new pumps can be bad. Just saying........

 

[WhiteBird00]

Yeah, that's what worries me. I have seen weep hole leaks before as well and I'm afraid that replacing the gasket won't solve the problem.

 

[Strange Mud]

Bird, did they just replace the gasket?

 

[WhiteBird00]

The work order shows gasket, two seals, and coolant. No mention of bearing (are they even replaceable separately?) or any other parts.

 

[Joenpb]

If the bearings are worn out they probably replace the entire pump.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using AutoGuide.Com Free App

 

[David Young]

The OP has 26,000 miles on his Mustang. A water pump gasket doesn't start leaking after that much time. If its going to leak, its going to start from day one. Just saying.............

 

[howisit305hp]

I just came out to my car and there's antifreeze on the ground...like a little stream. I'm not happy


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[Nibis]

I just came out to my car and there's antifreeze on the ground...like a little stream. I'm not happy


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

Wow, WhiteBird is contagious, why, why did I read this thread !!!!

 

[Nibis]

They probably didn't get all the antifreeze off after the repair, I would hose it off real good, and then drive it for about 30 miles and check it for leaks.

 

[s197gt]

Let's see the build date and mileage on these two cars...they are both in Florida...not sure yet we are that they have the same problem ?

 

[howisit305hp]

I'm at the track now. I'm at 44xxx miles


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[howisit305hp]

False alarm. I was beating the $&@? Out of the car and I'm guessing it just overflowed


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[WhiteBird00]

Wow, WhiteBird is contagious, why, why did I read this thread !!!!

Sorry, I should have known better. Next time I'll go to the drugstore first so that I can practice safe posting. :gringreen
It's going up to 80 degrees today so maybe I should go out for a top-down drive and not risk infecting anyone in here. :bigthumbsup

There were no spots under the car this morning and the smell has diminished significantly. I'll keep checking for the next couple of days but I'll assume for now that it was just leftover coolant from before.

 

[howisit305hp]

Mine had a steady stream of antifreeze from under my car. I added water and waited. The drip stopped. I drove 50 miles to the drag strip and topped it off with water. Waited 30 mins and there were no drips at all. I ran all night at the track and not a single drop if coolant leaked.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[Nibis]

Sorry, I should have known better. Next time I'll go to the drugstore first so that I can practice safe posting. :gringreen
It's going up to 80 degrees today so maybe I should go out for a top-down drive and not risk infecting anyone in here. :bigthumbsup

There were no spots under the car this morning and the smell has diminished significantly. I'll keep checking for the next couple of days but I'll assume for now that it was just leftover coolant from before.

Make sure you get extra large ;-)

 

[howisit305hp]

Car has been good for a week now. And all of the sudden it decides to leak from the water pump again. I'm not a happy camper. This is ridiculous


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[Joenpb]

Bad bearing, find another dealer who has competent mechanics.