waterpump "weep hole' question

2fastshifter · 08-16-2012, 09:36 AM

Hi, there are some drops of coolant coming out of the little hole under the waterpump.
question 1: Whats the purpose of this hole, or why is here a hole?
question 2:Could it be that my coolant pressure is too high because of a faulty coolant tank cap (screws really heavy if you want to get it off the tank) or is my waterpump slowly giving up?

i can sometimes drive for a week without coolant loss, but found out that when the car was really hot (traffic jam @ beach) the pressure might be a bit higher and then it starts leaking.
engine temp stays always stabile and fans are working properly.
coolant tank outlet is dry, nothing coming out of overflow hose but maybe that can be caused by a faulty tank cap?
(tie-wrapped a plastic bag on the overflow hose outlet to check it but that stays dry and doesn't even gets more air in it)

i don't know but i want to rule out everything else before getting the job of replacing the waterpump and again working to this point of dissasemblement as i did when i replaced my head-gasket (that's still fine tho

:

thanks! Mark.

rustyballs_69 · 08-16-2012, 04:26 PM

The weep hole is there to let you know the seal is no longer holding and its time to replace the pump. Let it go too long and the bearings can lock up, being that its chain driven that probably wouldn't go very well.

For the coolant res I would say the threads are cross threaded and thats why the cap is hard to get off. The cap should still work and release the pressure at the right psi even though its cross threaded.

I would change the pump and the coolant res. Most coolant res come with a new cap.

Redog · 08-16-2012, 06:31 PM

Yes it's time for a new water pump, that's why the weep hole is there.

When my water pump started leaking from the weep hole, I replaced it right away, but at 11 years old and 130,000 miles, I didn't mind

XanderWiFi · 08-16-2012, 09:00 PM

I had some coolant leaking when I was in El Paso. Just small amounts, but I do not know if it came from a seep hole. The mech said it was just the gasket failing, fixed it up without replacing the whole pump.

Hopefully I am discussing something relevant to your situation that they can help you save a buck with.

Redog · 08-16-2012, 09:37 PM

IDK how much a 2.4 water pump is, but the 3400 one was only $31 and it came with a gasket. With a lot of miles on the water pump, I would just replace it anyway instead of saving a buck now to spend it later, plus frustration

cavaliers60 · 08-16-2012, 09:41 PM

They are about the same price for the 2.4l. Just looked it up.

rustyballs_69 · 08-16-2012, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cavaliers60

They are about the same price for the 2.4l. Just looked it up.

Yes but there is a big labor difference.

colonel6632 · 08-17-2012, 12:11 AM

are the 2.4 and 3.4 gear or belt driven?

rustyballs_69 · 08-17-2012, 12:25 AM

Both have chains and sprockets but the 3.4 is a ohv while the 2.4 and 2.2 are dohc, no belts for the timing on any of them if thats you question.

Redog · 08-17-2012, 12:31 AM

I think he means the water pump.

Don't know about the 2.4, but the 3400 is on the belt

colonel6632 · 08-17-2012, 12:39 AM

your spot on redog. i know the eco is internal gear driver. i was curious about the others

its nice cause when i blow a belt i keep running without worrying about over heating

2fastshifter · 08-17-2012, 06:06 AM

Thanks for the info, i will get a new one today and spent some time getting my hands dirty.

2fastshifter · 08-24-2012, 06:33 PM

I am changing it this weekend.
Took the engine surroundings apart and pump is faulty.
It is not rotating right, seems the bearing on the coolant side has given up.
Glad i changed it before it really broke and messed up my distribution.

I am taking pictures of the replacement, if someone is interested in a how-to-replace-yer-waterpump i can post a how-to later on if you like that.

I was happy to see that the head-gasked repair i did last year is still succesfull, timing chain housing is clean, last year it was full of buttery blubber.

My Alero is holding up, even when i am not so nice to my engine pushing it to it's limits

I am very pleased how everything comes apart, even the exhaust was easy to dissasemble. (props for GM

)
That's a big difference with some european cars, they are sometimes rusted together, won't give in, and everything gets broken.
Well, i will post some more after finishing the job, it takes more time than i thought, GM states 6.3 hours labor for it but it will cost me two whole days.
(haven't got all special equipment here at home so some almost unreachable bolts cost an hour before i get a grip on it) hang on! cheers!

98GrandAmLD9 · 09-13-2012, 11:30 AM

Let the damn thing leak til the chain goes bad, add water every month ot two...

sleepyalero · 09-13-2012, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 98GrandAmLD9

Let the damn thing leak til the chain goes bad, add water every month ot two...

Great idea.

rocketfast321 · 09-14-2012, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colonel6632

your spot on redog. i know the eco is internal gear driver. i was curious about the others

its nice cause when i blow a belt i keep running without worrying about over heating

And still have power steering, i believe the 2.2 has it's p/s running off the intake cam like the 2.4

falloutboy · 09-14-2012, 06:50 PM

remember to post an article on gm-alero.de - preferably in German
as you are one of the only ones active with a LD9