Water Pump
03-22-2008, 11:17 AM
#1
Water Pump Okay I noticed this while working on my car that coolant is seeping out somewhere. I never see any coolant on the ground beneath my car but when I was doing my headers I noticed there was a bit of coolant hanging from the bottom of the water pump. Just a drop or two just hanging there. So I wiped it away and continued working and the next day went back under my car and the two drops were hanging there again. The car hadn't been started or anything and I would wipe it away and the next day it would be back. Not sure why it would be doing that. Any suggestions? also the water pump is 1.5-2 years old.
I really wanna get this figured out before I put a new opti in.
I really wanna get this figured out before I put a new opti in.
03-22-2008, 11:53 AM
#4
If the car runs without any hi or low resolution codes it is likely all that is needed is a cap and rotor which are tuneup items.
The mechanical WP is a good piece, I use remanufactured ones from Advance Auto.
IMO electrics are WAY overutilized, yes they make the car faster at the strip but they also suddenly and completely fail as opposed to the slight weep you found with the mechanical. If looking to gety every last .1 out of it at the strip go ahead and consider an electric understanding it frees up power by moving LESS water. If the car is a driver and reliability is greater concern than ET go mechanical.
The mechanical WP is a good piece, I use remanufactured ones from Advance Auto.
IMO electrics are WAY overutilized, yes they make the car faster at the strip but they also suddenly and completely fail as opposed to the slight weep you found with the mechanical. If looking to gety every last .1 out of it at the strip go ahead and consider an electric understanding it frees up power by moving LESS water. If the car is a driver and reliability is greater concern than ET go mechanical.
03-22-2008, 04:59 PM
#6
I think both are decent the Meziere flows more and guys do use them on daily drivers with good reliability, thing is when they stop flowing you have to notice pretty fast or you will hurt the motor BAD potentially ruining the heads even, it does happen I know of a few cases and the guys usually are not too quick to volunteer information on it because they usually said "I will keep an eye on the gauge and notice" and come time to do so failed to notice in time.
The GM heads while they have a LOT of good going for them are pretty fragile when it comes to overheating, it can permanently soften them and they wont hold a head gasket after.
The GM heads while they have a LOT of good going for them are pretty fragile when it comes to overheating, it can permanently soften them and they wont hold a head gasket after.
03-22-2008, 05:31 PM
#7
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I have two reasons why I went with electric.
(1) is because the drive gear got stripped. This is the main gear that drives
the water pump - it is coupled to the water pump's driven gear via a coupler.
(and it, itself, is driven off the cam gear). If I were to decide to replace the
drive gear, it would have meant opening up the front timing cover. And I'll
be rebuilding the engine soon.
(2) For the HP boost. All the "little HP boost" items add up.
The pump that I have has an estimated lifetime of 2500 hours. In order to
combat the "sudden death and not knowing it happened", i've wired in with
the pump a relay that trips a buzzer inside the car, so if the pump decides
it's going to take a trip South, I'll know immediately. But by my estimation,
however, I shall have the engine out, rebuilt, and re-installed
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03-23-2008, 12:03 AM
#9
The idea of a fail-safe when doing the ewp is great but for those without the skill to wire one in should stick with the mechanical. Much harder to fail and more proven in their reliability.
03-23-2008, 12:37 AM
#10
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Bearings in the pump gone bad, when the system is pressurized it will leak alot more than a couple of drops. Change it now before it destroys your opti. Go with a GMPP unit. You should also take the cap off the opti to see if it may have done any damage already.
03-24-2008, 03:36 PM
#11
ok so I have two options....keep in mind currently I have an ever so slight misfire at idle and while cruising at partial or full throttle there's no misfire
1) get a mechanical water pump cheap and buy an opti and just swap out both
or
2) get a Meziere and leave that opti in now and if it continues to misfire or gets worse swap in a new opti in a few months when I have some extra $$
what do you guys think I should go with?
1) get a mechanical water pump cheap and buy an opti and just swap out both
or
2) get a Meziere and leave that opti in now and if it continues to misfire or gets worse swap in a new opti in a few months when I have some extra $$
what do you guys think I should go with?
03-25-2008, 12:24 AM
#14
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hmm..it is kinda like a domino effect. IF you are going to do the new waterpump, you might want to go and also do opti and wires at the same time. Also why not do the plugs too.
03-25-2008, 12:45 AM
#15
I just did plugs and wires when I did my headers like 2k miles ago. The thing is I have either the money for a opti and buy a water pump from a local guy for cheap or keep my opti which is working fine now and get an electric water pump
03-25-2008, 01:44 AM
#17
I would stick with a mechanical pump and new opti. Thats only because I would hate to do the same job twice. Personally if I have to pull everything I'm gonna replace what i can to get it running in tip top shape. If you get it running right now then you can throw on an electric later on if you feel the need. I just hate wiring stuff and the fact that it can just go bad at any time. Unless you run more wires for a safety light or someway to warn you.
Also make sure the "local" pump your looking at is in good shape. Look at the weep hole for signs of rust or coolant to make sure you don't end up with the same problem by buying a bad pump.
Also make sure the "local" pump your looking at is in good shape. Look at the weep hole for signs of rust or coolant to make sure you don't end up with the same problem by buying a bad pump.
