jj421 Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 The mechanical seal is probably slobbering out the weep hole. Is there a chemical that may somewhat revive those seals? I definitely don't want to run any chemicals through my system. I'm against chemicals and additives, haha. rdweninger's vehicle developed a freak coolant leak 5 seconds after this statement was made. JJ I've been dealing with almost an IDENTICAL problem with the Loyale for about ...a good year or so now. I just keep topping it up. I'd tear into it and reseal the water pump and all that, but the front end of the car got crunched about a year ago (not reason for leak. Had put a new water-pump in the very day before the crunch) and....well.... I don't think it's going to be particularly easy to get all that stuff apart and back in again Are you sure it's an IDENTICAL problem? Haha, because the coolant leaks out almost as fast as I put it in. If I were to run the car, I'd have to top it off every five minutes. If I put 2 fl oz of coolant into the system, it'll all be on the ground within 40 seconds. Yeah, it leaks that fast. If you can visibly see no hole in a hose and you've replaced the gasket, I'm willing to bet its a bad water pump. I have seen cheap new ones leak straight out of the box. I might have an old water pump sitting around here you could try but I wouldn't run it myself... When I take the pump off again, I might test that elbow hose. Cap off one end, fill it with water, check for leaks. Blow into the hose, listening for leaks. But I really don't think it's that hose, since the top of the water pump is dry. So, my bet is on a faulty water pump. I'll see what I can do with buying a legitimate Japanese pump, but I doubt my paycheck will be big enough for that. As much as I'd like to try that water pump you might have, it seems like a waste of time and effort. Unless it's a low mileage OEM pump, waiting 24 hours to let RTV cure just to test it doesn't seem like it's worth it to me, haha. I might head to the junkyard this weekend, if I can. An original water pump with fewer than 170K or so might be worth it. My old pump on my old engine had 261K on it, and it was still going strong. Unfortunately, Subruise took my old engine, so I can't take it off of that. We talked, and he's going to try and find the receipt, but doubtful I can exchange it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subruise Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Ill give you your old one back and a new gasket. sucks that one leaks. And I did use a torque wrench (beam style) when installing and the rtv on the bolts is from putting them through the holes. Thats what I (and now you) get for not sticking to cheap used crap instead of buying new Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobangmycar Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Second hand water pumps? Man you guys sure do things different over there! I'd never consider running a second hand water pump, it's just not worth an engine rebuild. For $60USD or so why take the chance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indrid cold Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) ...stupid Grimmlins... never know when they pop up and make something so simple a pain. We buy and sell these cars "as is", it's a toss of the dice sometimes, we try to be up front but there is always a chance things can go screwy and they do. No ones fault... just happens when these cars are 25+ years old. referring back to that bracket and my failing memory, ... ahhh, yes.. that's where it was. good seal their, and I think Blue Silicone on the "O" ring is a good idea. Good picture details. I keep a small dental mirror (cheap) in my tool box, great for snooping into tight spots. Don't feel bad for a re-do, on my coolant leak I thought it was a bad head gasket so I changed it out. Still leaked? so I made a small test plug for my radiator cap area, hooked to a compressor and gently fed about 10 psi into my cooling system. I could cuddle right up on the engine as it was cold with flashlight and dental mirror and I found a pin hole on the head exhaust flange. I learned that on coolant leaks you have to find the exact source so not fixing the wrong thing as that coolant creeps everywhere. That is why everyone keeps hinting about those upper hoses tucked away... we all been there on those. Give that elbow hose a squeeze... their a pain to get too once back together. You can't replace everything just because.. understand the fund limitations and it will probably last years longer. Grab that snout of that water pump, feel for any movement side to side or play in the shaft... I am surprised it wasn't visible earlier... hmmmm.. nor in the video as i watched the weep-hole on the water pump...... hmmmm.... still guessing... let us know when you go it fixed. Edited June 5, 2013 by Indrid cold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subruise Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I just remembered something....didnt you say you went without the gasket on the throttle body after you discovered thats where your original leak was from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj421 Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 (edited) Ill give you your old one back and a new gasket. sucks that one leaks. And I did use a torque wrench (beam style) when installing and the rtv on the bolts is from putting them through the holes. Thats what I (and now you) get for not sticking to cheap used crap instead of buying new Yeah, definitely not your fault that it leaks. Just poor manufacturing. Kind of like axles. Most "new" remans just don't work like they're advertised. The thing that irks me, however, is how on O'Reilly's site, it says the pump is new. You can buy a cheaper, remanufactured pump, but the pump you installed is advertised as new. Ergo, it should work without flaw. But I guess OEM Japanese parts will always trump aftermarket parts. I believe that when I tighten down the bolts with my 1/4" ratchet, it torques them perfectly. Not tight enough to shear the bolts, but not loose enough to create concern. I think since the torque values on these bolts are so low, it doesn't matter much, as long as if they are snug. I noticed RTV got on the bolts when I reinstalled the pump, so that makes sense. I'm thinking I should spend the extra couple dollars for a gasket from the dealership. According to subaruparts.com, it only costs $3 for the gasket. I can stop by the dealership tomorrow, since it's right next to my school. Maybe sticking my old pump on will be the best option for now. Not sure how long EA82 water pumps last, but if I have to replace it again, I'm going to the junkyard. Second hand water pumps? Man you guys sure do things different over there! I'd never consider running a second hand water pump, it's just not worth an engine rebuild. For $60USD or so why take the chance? If my water pump failed, I'd probably buy this pump from O'Reilly anyways. A pump from the dealership costs $100 (according to subaruparts.com), which is twice as much as this one from O'Reilly. As a broke, 17-year-old college student, with a 15-hour-per-week minimum wage job and a $180/month car insurance bill, I'm all about saving money when I can. If I was doing a full engine rebuild, I'd definitely use dealership parts. But just replacing one part, I generally tend to keep to cheaper stuff, if it's acceptable. A thermostat, cone washer, valve cover gasket, etc., I'll go to the dealership. But for an alternator (for example), I'll just buy from O'Reilly. ...stupid Grimmlins... never know when they pop up and make something so simple a pain. We buy and sell these cars "as is", it's a toss of the dice sometimes, we try to be up front but there is always a chance things can go screwy and they do. No ones fault... just happens when these cars are 25+ years old. referring back to that bracket and my failing memory, ... ahhh, yes.. that's where it was. good seal their, and I think Blue Silicone on the "O" ring is a good idea. Good picture details. I keep a small dental mirror (cheap) in my tool box, great for snooping into tight spots. Don't feel bad for a re-do, on my coolant leak I thought it was a bad head gasket so I changed it out. Still leaked? so I made a small test plug for my radiator cap area, hooked to a compressor and gently fed about 10 psi into my cooling system. I could cuddle right up on the engine as it was cold with flashlight and dental mirror and I found a pin hole on the head exhaust flange. I learned that on coolant leaks you have to find the exact source so not fixing the wrong thing as that coolant creeps everywhere. That is why everyone keeps hinting about those upper hoses tucked away... we all been there on those. Give that elbow hose a squeeze... their a pain to get too once back together. You can't replace everything just because.. understand the fund limitations and it will probably last years longer. Grab that snout of that water pump, feel for any movement side to side or play in the shaft... I am surprised it wasn't visible earlier... hmmmm.. nor in the video as i watched the weep-hole on the water pump...... hmmmm.... still guessing... let us know when you go it fixed. Once one problem gets solved, another shows up. The one thing I like about this problem is the mileage. When I swapped the motor, I reset the trip odometer inside the car. Now the car is a sitting duck exactly 400.x miles later. I was actually mistaken. I have grey silicone RTV, made specifically for water pump and thermostat gaskets. The packaging was blue, which threw me off, haha. But like I said, I put some RTV on the rubber o-ring, and I really doubt that that will leak from now on. Too bad I don't have compressed air, so I can't do that test. I have no problem suspecting the elbow hose and other hoses, but they're not wet with coolant. The top of the water pump is dry. The bottom of the water pump is wet. So it has to be leaking from the water pump's height or lower. As far as I'm concerned there are no other coolant lines below that. Ergo, isolating the pump. Again, I'll test the hoses when I take the car apart, but I'm 95% sure those aren't the problem (yet). I just remembered something....didnt you say you went without the gasket on the throttle body after you discovered thats where your original leak was from? That's one of the first things I looked at when I first saw it leaking. But when I had the TBI gasket in, the bottom half of the TBI was wet with coolant. The coolant ran down the driver side of the intake manifold, and dripped near the gasket where it bolts onto the engine. Not to mention it hydrolocked the engine. Haven't noticed any of those symptoms since taking that gasket out, and still haven't noticed those symptoms with this leak. The TBI is dry, intake manifold is dry, the block/heads are dry. Also, with the TBI gasket in, it didn't leak out this fast nor in front of the engine. I also checked the intake manifold gaskets, since I didn't put RTV on those. They're still holding up and are dry. The entire top half of the engine is dry. Not a single wet spot, nor any visible leaks. Not to mention that that car is parked on an uphill slope (in the same spot where is was parked when we dropped the motor in), so if any leaks occurred, gravity would pull the coolant down to the rear side of the engine. But this rapid leak is coming from the front of the engine, somewhere behind the water pump and crank pulley, and is dripping down to the oil pan. It has to be coming from the water pump or the connecting lines (which, again, I will test them when I pull the pump off again). Before I replaced the gasket, I could see it leaking from the pump. Couldn't see it leaking after the installation of the gasket, but the timing belt tensioner pulley right underneath the pump was soaked. After the gasket replacement, it was leaking out just as fast as before, which tells me that the gasket swap did nothing (and ergo wasn't the problem). Edited June 5, 2013 by jj421 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobangmycar Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Oh right. I'm sorry, didn't realise your situation and that you were still at school and all. I've been working for 10 years and am married with kids, and I'm still working with next to no budget with my Subaru. Haha, rest assured it never gets easier my friend... It only gets worse. Keep up the good work and I hope you sort your issue soon man, sounds frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobangmycar Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 By the way, I work in aftermarket parts here in NZ and I can supply a Japanese NEW GMB Water pump for around $45NZD. Give or take a bit. I believe we are at about 83cents at the moment with the USD and freight is really nothing, sometimes I can land parts out of the states quicker and cheaper than getting them from the other end of my country to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj421 Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 Haha, well, as longs as you stay single and don't have any kids, it shouldn't get too much worse. Hopefully I can swap out the pump real soon. I hate borrowing my mom's car. If you can ship a pump out for a similar cost, that'd be best. I might just head to the junkyard one day and pull one from a low mileage Soob, or I'll grab my old one from my old motor. Went to the dealership yesterday. Good news is the gasket is only $5, which is hardly anything. Bad news is, I'll have to wait until Monday for it to come in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj421 Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 For anyone interested, the problem was solved by installing my old water pump. So the "brand new" one from O'Reilly was faulty, and only lasted 400 miles. My pump from my old engine even came with a layer of thick grease on it, so I don't have to waste time making it dirty in the future. Lesson learned here is, OEM Japanese water pumps only. I also installed a water pump gasket that came from the dealership. The dealership gasket seemed to be a little thinner and made of different material than the one from O'Reilly. When it comes to water pump things, just go to the dealership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subruise Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 im glad we got it sorted. hopefully it stays that way for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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