leaking coolant

[Fred]

So I got home today and noticed puddles of coolant under my car. I'm hoping its the water pump and not a head gasket. How can I make sure that its not a head gasket and it's the water pump for sure? It's a 2000 3.8 v6 with 133k miles with the original water pump. Anyone know about how much it will cost to fix it?

[kristen]

Re: leaking coolant

check your oil...if it looks milky, than its your head gasket. if not, it's something else....and it can be a number of things.

dry off everything start the car and watch for the leak.

[jazzdunn]

Re: leaking coolant

Get a flashlight and look at the bottom of the water pump. The fluid should be coming from there. I just changed my son's. His started the same way.

[Fred]

Re: leaking coolant

I just checked the oil and its fine. As soon as I started the car it started leaking coolant and it seems to be coming from above the water pump.

[jazzdunn]

Re: leaking coolant

I paid about $40 at Autozone with lifetime warranty. The have another model for $27 with only a 1 year warranty.
It is not hard to change.

[Blizzard242]

Re: leaking coolant

I just checked the oil and its fine. As soon as I started the car it started leaking coolant and it seems to be coming from above the water pump.

Do you mean somewhere higher than the water pump or like the top of the water pump gasket?

[Fred]

Re: leaking coolant

right above the water pump.

[Blizzard242]

Re: leaking coolant

vague.

[pace2006]

Re: leaking coolant

Double check that one of the two plastic 90* elbows aren't cracked. It's pretty common for them to dry out and break, causing a leak. They're kind of hard to see, but a flashlight and some sort of mirror (I used a dentist's flexible mirror) should give you a good view.

[Pewter02Camaro]

Re: leaking coolant

Double check that one of the two plastic 90* elbows aren't cracked. It's pretty common for them to dry out and break, causing a leak. They're kind of hard to see, but a flashlight and some sort of mirror (I used a dentist's flexible mirror) should give you a good view.

You read my mind Pace. To the OP, I'm going to be really surprised if it is not this after reading your description of the problem.

[Blizzard242]

Re: leaking coolant

Yeah, that's what I was trying to figure out. I quit.

[Fred]

Re: leaking coolant

Where exactly are these elobows located? I've got the day off so I'm gonna work on it today.

[Fred]

Re: leaking coolant

Heres a picture I circled the area with gray where the leak is coming from.

[landj]

Re: leaking coolant

Heres a picture I circled the area with gray where the leak is coming from.

What circle? Can you use maybe red, or blue, purple, green, orange, yellow or indigo?

- Nevermind, I see it.

[truekoa]

Re: leaking coolant

I agree with the others, it does sound like those plastic elbows, they usually break around the neck, replacements are cheap and the install isn't that hard at all.