This morning, I saw coolant dripping under my ‘93 2.3. It started with a steady flow, then dripped and stopped within a minute. The puddle was about 6 inches wide. I noticed the coolant was coming from the lower radiator hose, but not from the upper hose, thermostat, or any other connections.
The lower hose isn’t in bad shape, but I recently replaced the upper hose because it was cracked and leaking.
I replaced the radiator last year and the water pump 3 years ago. I hope the leak is from the lower radiator hose at the engine connection, but I couldn’t tell for sure. The engine temperature is normal.
Has anyone had a water pump fail? If so, what did it sound like, aside from the coolant leak?
Do you have an old radiator? The metal-to-plastic joints can fail over time. I bought an all-aluminum radiator from Rock Auto and it’s been great. I just had to find plugs for the transmission cooler holes since my car is a manual.
After a year, my water pump gasket failed. I also think the timing cover gasket might be leaking slowly. A pump gasket leak usually causes a noticeable flow of water. Look for the wet spots and trace them to find where the leak is coming from.
I have an AC, but I haven’t used it in years because it doesn’t blow cold air. Would that mean it’s not the problem? I don’t know much about AC systems.