95TAGary

iTrader: (4)

Just had my 02 Firebird for two weeks and today I'm driving to work and noticed steam coming from under the hood and car temp. was 220°F. I pulled over and hardly could tell where it was coming from, let motor cool and drove and happened again. I added coolant and it appears the leak is coming from water pump, below alternator behind belts? not sure, but had a question is this a hard install on a V-6 car, new water pump or gasket?
Could it be a head gasket? Not sure what a head gasket problem looks like?

Always somethiong, any advice?

Darth_V8r

iTrader: (4)

Water pump on a RWD vehicle - V6 or V8 - isn't bad at all. It sounds water pump-ish. Most likely a blown gasket where it mounts to the block. When the pump itself fails, it usually slow leaks out the bottom.

FWIW, head gasket failures tend to put steam (white smoke) out the exhaust, water in the oil (milky appearance on the dipstick) or both. Since you're not indicating either, you are probably just looking at an external leak

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

3.8 v6 water pump has got to be one of the EASIEST things you can do to a car:

remove airlid and resonator chamber
crack loose but don't remove the 4 small bolts holding the pulley to the water pump
remove serpentine belt
now remove 4 bolts holding pulley and remove pulley
remove bolts holding water pump housing (2 different sizes from what I can remember) and remove old pump
clean off old gasket from block if needed
install new water pump and gasket
install pulley to new pump and reinstall belt and airlid

should take about thirty minutes and don't forget to re-fill coolant and bleed the system at the screw on the thermostat housing.

but I would suggest also checking the lower radiator hose where it runs into the block or the other part the 3.8 is notorious for is it uses these plastic elbows where coolant flows out of the block into the back of the tensioner pulley assembly (that the heater core lines run into) and those can crack and leak and that is straight below the alternator.

95TAGary

iTrader: (4)

awesome replys, I'm new to these cars and will follow your advice and directions. Thanks

Firebrian

With the access to the belt pulleys it might be a good time to regrease the idler(s), especially if you have any noticeable squeaks from that area.

95TAGary

iTrader: (4)

went home after work and let car idle for awhile and I couldn't get temp. above 200°F. I guess I have to drive it to see where the leak is, I'm pretty sure its the water pump though. could be wrong.

Darth_V8r

iTrader: (4)

My 97 3.8 was the coolest-running engine. I sort of miss that 3.8 sometimes. That engine was very dependable and very resilient. I had to hydrolock it to break it