Coolant leak from bottom of water pump

[roads]

Hi all, this is my first time working on a car so not much experience here.

I recently have gotten a big coolant leak from a hose in the bottom of the water pump. I don't think the engine is getting any coolant as it is heating up to half on the gauge within 5 minutes (I only drove it around the block to make sure the coolant leak was from here).

The red circle shows the hose which the coolant gushes out of. (I think)



I tried tightening the hose clamp, but it still gushed out from that area.

This should mean a new pump right? (just need confirmation before I buy some new parts, I will replace the timing belt also if I need to replace the pump).

I can include more pictures if needed.

Thanks in advance! :)

[e30davie]

Hose might be cracked. Only way to tell is to pull the hose off, check if its cracked. You have a fair bit of length there you should be able to cut off ~20mm of the hose and get a fresh bit put it back together and see if it seals problem.

[jgilber0]

Don’t drive the car if it’s overheating. The aluminum head is quite vulnerable to heat warping and you could wind up with much bigger problems than a hose issue.

Try and get a good look at the bottom of the water pump to see exactly where the leak is. If the leak is limited to the area right around the hose, it’s most likely the hose. That hose looks like it’s old and a little swollen. I’d view this as an opportunity to replace all the coolant hoses. It’s not that difficult and will cost you less than $100 as a DIY.

My e30 blew a hose last year and I had to get towed. Since then, I’ve been on a campaign to replace all of the old rubber hoses on my car. That includes coolant, fuel, and vacuum.

If coolant is coming off the bottom of the pump at the gasket, then you’ll need to either replace the pump gasket, or simply replace the entire pump.

Replacing the pump or the pump gasket requires removing the timing belt. As you said, you should do the timing belt, the timing belt tensioner and the pump all together as a single project. If you don’t know when the timing belt was last changed, or if it’s older than four years or 60,000 miles, it’s time to do that belt anyway. Timing belt failure will destroy valves, possibly the whole head, or even in some cases the entire engine. There is ample documentation on the web on how to do change the timing belt:

http://e30performance.info/viewtopic.php?t=1855

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/i...ng_Belt_Change

https://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/tec...iming-Belt.htm

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg4sgxoIHPI

While difficult, it’s not that terrible of a job to do is a DIY. Better yet, find an e30 friend to help you do it.

[roads]

Thanks all for the help.

So I cut the hose where it was originally leaking and then it started leaking from a T-valve near the firewall. The red circle shows where it's coming from now.



I think it might be the thermostat (because the coolant is boiling out, so it will just find the easiest way out right?), but I am really not sure.

I need to go buy some tools so I can begin taking it all apart to test the thermostat.

Is there any way I can test the water pump?

[jeffnhiscars]

You can replace the water pump without messing with the timing belt. You will have to remove the belt tensioner spring but as long as the tensioner itself is tight (which is should be if the belt was installed properly) and stays that way you'll be fine.

I'd also suggest you replace the thermostat as well since a stuck stat can also cause a quick overheat

[jgilber0]

You can replace the water pump without messing with the timing belt. You will have to remove the belt tensioner spring but as long as the tensioner itself is tight (which is should be if the belt was installed properly) and stays that way you'll be fine.

I'd also suggest you replace the thermostat as well since a stuck stat can also cause a quick overheat

I will defer to Jeff on this one – I’ve only done the job once, and I thought that the belt was in the way of the pump, but it sounds like you can get the pump out of there without having to take the belt off.

Good luck!