I recently started driving a 1993 Ranger 3.0 again. It's been sitting since like July. Now it is leaking coolant. I flushed the system out and put new in a few days ago. I'm afraid that the old coolant was mainly water and might have caused a problem while driving in the cold. I did not notice a leak until after I flushed/refilled. I have found the general area of the leak but am not sure where exactly it could be coming from. Point A appears to have a gasket or something and Point B is a hole. I think the leak is coming from Point B but I'm not sure. Any help would be much appreciated. And needless to say I don't know the technical terms for things so please keep that in mind.

(Over the summer my parents drove it and it overheated on them (they'd been on the road maybe an hour and a half) and they just quit driving it without finding out why. They thought it was the water pump but now we didn't find anything wrong with it.)

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Welcome to FTE!

From your pic, point B looks like the hole in the pump casting. Given that you say it's comming from point B, that suggests you need a new water pump; the seal has failed. Dirty coolant with debris in it is hard on that seal. While you have the system drained and since you said it was overheated, install a new thermostat and check the radiator cap to ensure that it opens at the correct pressure. I'd be pursuing the reason for the overheat and fix it before it comes back to bite again. Somehow, I have the feeling that you may need some radiator service before hot weather comes. Running water with no coolant offers no corrosion protection. Rust and scale may be reducing the flow thorough your radiator. If there is a history of water only, this is something to strongly consider.

 

Wow! thanks for the speedy reply. I totally trust what you're saying...but can you explain (so I can learn) how you know this? And how hard will it be for me to do?

 

Thanks. Where is the thermostat at? And how do I check the radiator cap? Any ideas on why it would overheat?

 

Well, at the front end of the pump there is a sealed bearing and by design and practical considerations there is no need to apply pressure from the cooling system on that bearing. In fact, sealing (coolant) would be even more of a problem to deal with should that bearing be placed in coolant and with a seal in front of the bearing. Then there is the issue of the bearing being in the coolant. Your seal is now further back towards the impeller. It's desireable to vent the cavity between the seal and the bearing presumably so no pressure builds.

I'm not sure how handy you are, but replacing a water pump is not a very difficult job. From your pics, it looks like you have good access. Clean the surfaces well before installing the new pump. When at the parts store, make sure the new pump includes the gasket; if not buy one. Generally I use a very small amount of Permatex blue on the gasket.

 

* Answers in caps

Where is the thermostat at? FOLLOW THE UPPER RADIATOR HOSE BACK TO THE ENGINE. THERE SHOULD/WILL BE SOME FORM OF HOUSING YOU REMOVE TO ACCESs THE THERMOSTAT. And how do I check the radiator cap? ANY RADIATOR SHOP SHOULD BE HAPPY TO DO IT FOR YOU FOR FREE. SAME WITH MANY CORNER GAS STATIONS. IF IT'S THE ORIGINAL ONE, IT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO JUST BUY A NEW ONE. Any ideas on why it would overheat? SEE FIRST POST. ALSO, POSSIBLY A BAD LOWER RADIATOR HOSE(COLLAPSES WHILE DRIVING DUE TO SUCTION), LOW COOLANT LEVEL, FAN CLUTCH, USING STRAIGHT WATER WITHOUT ANTIFREEZE (BOILING POINT INCREASES WITH ANTIFREEZE).

 

Thank you sooo much for your help! You are my new best friend. I'll try to get the waterpump changed tomorrow. Also-I forgot to say this earlier-since I've been leaking antifreeze my temperature gage has been fluctuating so I guess I need to go ahead and change the thermostat. Thanks again.

 

Thanks, but there's lots of knowledgeable folks on FTE besides me. Somehow, I sort of get the feeling that your cooling system may have been somewhat neglected and now that is causing a few problems to surface. Let us know what happens.

BTW, and while you're at it, inspect all hoses for cracking, softness, bulging, abrasion, and any other signs of damage. Why be left on the side of the road some rainy, windy, cold night because of a $10 hose? Myself, I inspect hoses a few times a year and simply replace every 75,000 - 80,000 miles. When it comes to reliability I spare no expense; however the things we're talking about are very affordable and common causes for leaving one stranded.

 

Well-I'll do my best to keep it better maintained, especially now that I know more.