Waterpump questions

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » December 8th, 2005, 9:26 am

Hey guys I have a 93 GS and I believe my water pump failed me...the situation I am riding uptown Charlotte and in the middle of traffic I see some steam or what I though was fog...I didnt pay it too much mind cause it was cold and drizzling rain, and I thought it was fog coming from the sewer drains...well it wasnt cause I looked at the temp guage and it was almost in the red, so I pulled into a parking lot...poped the hood, and there was steam coming from the passenger side, right wear the radiator hose meets the waterpump. I drove it, or rolled it, a lil futher to a restuarant and filled the empty coolant tank with water. I let the car sit (not running) for like fifteen minutes with th hood open, It cooled and I drove to work...about 5 minutes down the road the temp guage shot up again, I got to work open the hood and the water that I had filled in the coolant tank had not moved and under the Rad. cap it was bone dry.l...So after explaining this story...I need some help on how hard it is to switch the water pump out with out raising the K8, and what is the best technique. thanks

MX3 GSR for dummies · December 8th, 2005, 10:55 am

I am pretty sure it's not your water pump...thank God. In order to change the water pump, you have to lower the motor off the mounts and access inside the black cap on the side of the motor and thats not fun...4hrs work at least. Check that your cap is on tight where the hose connects, check the hose itself....find out exactly where the leak is coming from. If it was the water pump, it would leak where the pully is on the side, not where your hose is.

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » December 8th, 2005, 12:49 pm

MX3 GSR for dummies wrote: you have to lower the motor off the mounts and access inside the black cap on the side of the motor and thats not fun...4hrs work at least.

Lower the car off the mounts? Are you doing the Polish water pump change? And I'd like to see someone do it in 4 hours. 8 is more realistic, and that's only if all the bolts have been broken loose in the last year, otherwise you'll spend hours just breaking old bolts loose.

PATDIESEL · Post by **PATDIESEL** » December 8th, 2005, 1:00 pm

1st. You don't need to lower the motor to change the water pump. 2nd. No radiator hoses go into the water pump. So what side of the motor is the hose youare talking about? Drivers or passenger?

Like mentioned before it is most likely a bad hose or the radiator is cracked. Replaceing both hoses and the radiator and the thermostat should cost about 250-300 if you replace them yourself. (not much work, probably about 4 hours for a first timer)

How long have you owned the car? Has it had all the major services as perscribed by the owners manual while you owned it? How about with the previous owner? If not then you need to do some catch up and do one now, Otherwise you run hte risk of the car leaving you stranded or blowing up.

PS, DO NOT run the car hot. We have aluminum heads and they will warp or crack when the car overheats. Then you'll need a new motor instead of a new hose. If it is going to take you a few days to change the radiator, hoses and thermostat then carry a few gallons of MINERAL water with you to put in the car. Do not put cold water in a hot engine, it will crack all kinds of parts and ruin the motor. Let the car cool down and then crank it, take the radiator cap off and fill the water with the car running. Or check the water level everytime you get in and add some if needed before you crank it and it warms up. Use mineral because tap water will cause deposits and clog up the tiny water passages the car uses to keep things cool.

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » December 8th, 2005, 2:13 pm

Well, on the upper passenger side of the engine bay....the radiator has a hose that goes from the radiator and connects to the engine, I thought it was the waterpump that it was connecting to. The thing that concerns me is that no fluid is moving through my coolant system when I crank the car up.

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » December 8th, 2005, 2:24 pm

Unfortunately I have been servicing my MX-3 only when it needs it. The guy that sold it to me sold it to me as is....it had a bunch of problems and still does...like cv joints...needs body repair...tune up, and new tires...I just dont have the money...but i have heard a water pump that has failed would stop the fluid from flowing through the system. That is the reason my car is over heating...it isnt leaking anymore...i will let it run for a while before it over heats, and no leaks with a full coolant tank.

MX3 GSR for dummies · December 8th, 2005, 2:57 pm

I'm sorry but I have to say that me and a friend did change a water pump and timing belt in 5 hours and yes we had to dissmount the motor so we could lift it up and down to access the area's much much easier. This is probably why we did it in only 4.5 hours. This was with smoke breaks. Another thing, I am sorry lakersfan but if it takes 4 hours to unbolt your mounts than you should head to the bridge...

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » December 8th, 2005, 3:33 pm

When a water pump breaks, it just leaks water ...... it shouldn't stop actually circulating the water unless the belt snapped or came off.

ovendenk · Post by **ovendenk** » December 8th, 2005, 4:00 pm

it won't circulate no matter what until it reaches a certain temp. if you over heat and the water STILL hasn't circulated or fans don't turn on, then it might be the thermostat or it could be that your water pump belt snapped. the latter of the two being easier to diagnose of course.

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » December 8th, 2005, 4:05 pm

Man I love you guys...this is probably the only place were MX'er can come and get some questions answers, or at least pointed in the right direction...I will check the belt, and the thermostat...this may be a dumb question but....if I replace the thermostat, should I also replace the thermostat gasket, or keep the the one thats all ready on? Once I check everything i will let you guys knwo what is going on. Thanks

~jay

MX3 GSR for dummies · December 8th, 2005, 4:17 pm

By "CODE" it calls that the gasket is replaced. In fact you can search the on-line manual for this info. Hope all goes well!

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » December 8th, 2005, 5:30 pm

JYOUNYA1 wrote:Man I love you guys...this is probably the only place were MX'er can come and get some questions answers, or at least pointed in the right direction...I will check the belt, and the thermostat...this may be a dumb question but....if I replace the thermostat, should I also replace the thermostat gasket, or keep the the one thats all ready on? Once I check everything i will let you guys knwo what is going on. Thanks

~jay

If you've still got the OEM gaket with a rubber seal wrapping around the thermostat rim, if you can GENTLY remove it without ripping anything, you can reuse it.

Ohterwise, you'll have to use the aftermarket paper gasket with some water pump sealant on both sides of the paper gasket.

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » December 12th, 2005, 10:02 am

ok fellas, switched out the thermostat, checked hoses (no holes), checked belts all in tact, and started the car up...there is still no circulation of fluid through the coolant system. Could the radiator be clogged? Or could the water pump be shot if the belts are turning and working properly?

JYOUNYA1 · Post by **JYOUNYA1** » December 12th, 2005, 10:44 am

Also after I changed and checked everything...I started the car and the idle was going crazy like before...Idling up and down....

lakersfan1 · Post by **lakersfan1** » December 12th, 2005, 11:56 am

A) You're probably not going to be able to SEE water circulating. Especially when the water's not hot enough to give you third degree burns. The thermostat isn't going to open at all until it's at 180 degrees, and the cooling system is pressurized.

Second, the cooling system may take a little running before all the bubbles are worked out. Just check the passenger side radiator cap each time you start the car from cold and make sure it's topped off. If your idle doesn't stabilize after that, try doing a TPS adjustment.