Where is the water pump weep hole?
bottom
A weep hole is a small hole on the bottom of the water pump. Its main purpose is to warn you when the pump’s seals are about to fail. Automotive water pumps only have coolant seals, as the bearing is permanently lubricated.
Can the water pump weep hole be the source of a coolant leak?
Water pumps can be a source of coolant leaks when the bearings start to fail. The tell-tale sign of a bad pump would be noise from the pulley/bearing or excessive play. Some water pumps are designed to extract debris in the coolant through a weep hole when they’re new (e.g., Toyota 4.0L V6 1GR-FE).
What is a coolant weep hole?
A weep hole is a small hole on the bottom of the water pump. If the oil seals are leaking, extra lubricant from the pump bearings will drip out of the housing through the weep hole. Without a weep hole, oil would leak into the coolant and/or coolant would be forced past the oil seals and contaminate the engine oil.
What happens if you plug the weep hole on a water pump?
They need the weep hole to warn you when seals are about to fail in the pump. The weep hole is intended to allow extra lubricant from the pump bearings to drip out of the water pump housing. Without this hole, the oil would be forced past the water pump seal and get into the engine coolant.
What causes a weep hole to leak?
Cause: Contaminated coolant is the main cause of weep hole leakage. Solution: Thoroughly flush the cooling system before installing the new pump and refill the system with the correct vehicle manufacturer’s recommended coolant. Never dry run a water pump, not even for a few seconds.
Do all water pumps have a weep hole?
All mechanically driven water pumps have a weep hole that might leak a little in the beginning. With a new water pump, it takes about ten minutes of operation for the dynamic seal to properly seal itself. During that break-in period, small drips are to be expected.
Can you drive a car with a water pump leak?
Even though your car may still run with a coolant leak, we recommend taking it to a professional to get fixed as soon as possible. Driving with a coolant leak can damage an engine by allowing it to overheat or get worse. Bigger leaks could cause even more significant problems.