PTAaron Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Hey guys - 1994 Cutlass Supreme 3.1 is having another issue... Intermittently over the winter I've been finding that I'm losing coolant, but there are no obvious leaks, nothing in the oil, and the system holds pressure. Only thing I've been seeing is some coolant near the water pump. Over the weekend I noticed a "bumping" sound under the hood - and when I popped the hood I could feel it through the radiator, but not the engine... and it stopped shortly after it started. Today on the way home from work I had no heat and the engine temp kept spiking up, and the coolant light was on - so I stopped off and bought some antifreeze to add to the overflow. That didn't change much - still no heat, still running very hot. I made it home and the overflow tank is still almost full of antifreeze that I added on the way home, and I can hear hissing near the water pump, and when I open the bleeder valves I'm just getting air rushing out. First thought I have is that my water pump is dead - are there any other things to consider here? I'm not really sure anything else even makes sense as an option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 No heat is evidence of low coolant. check coolant level in the radiator, the reservoir is a poor indication of the system level. waterpump is cheap enough, even if it may not be the answer, you would at least have that crossed off the list of possible issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTAaron Posted March 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Thanks. This morning I topped up the radiator and drove the Cutlass to the gym and back (3 miles round trip) to get the engine warmed up and see if anything had magically changed overnight. When I got home and popped the hood I found coolant being sprayed into the hood liner by the pulley on the water pump. I think I found my leak! Oddly enough when I opened the bleeder I got a dribble of coolant rather than just air this time. Fluid is circulating now, but definitely leaking from the pump at an accelerated rate. Car will be parked until Saturday when I can get under the hood and replace the pump and thermostat... this is annoying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Well... now you know. Waterpump on your engine is pretty easy to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTAaron Posted March 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Well... now you know. Waterpump on your engine is pretty easy to do. Yeah, looks pretty simple - even for someone with 10 thumbs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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