Hey all again... i have a 90 Bronco with a 351W in it... I drove to work today and upon parking it and shutting it off i noticed that coolant was pouring out from somewhere..... so i popped the hood and i was sure that i slipped a gasket or possibly cracked the pump... upon closer inspection i noticed a hole in the top of the pump... it looks like it used to be plugged or had a ***** in it... i don't know what went there or where it went to but i know that it is dumping coolant everywhere... when the motor is running the leak slows but doesn't stop... the second i shut the motor off all the coolant that is in the block empties all over the ground... HELP!!!! i will try to take a picture to show what i am talking about by tomorrow... thanks all!
Gary,
That's a weep hole. It is often the first sign that your bearings are bad.
You need to replace your water pump, and the sooner the better, antifreeze is expensive!
If you crack your radiator cap open, it won't allow the system to build up pressure so it won't pour out quite as quickly, but carry extra water with you and keep an eye on your temp guage.
Take note of how your belt runs, if you don't have a diagram on your radiator housing or something, take a picture, or make a drawing.
Pulling the pump shouldn't be a big deal, but scraping the old gasket off may be a bit of a pia. IF you don't have a gasket scraper, a single edge razor is a good choice.
Haynes says upon reinstallation of the pump... 12-18 lbs psi torque. If you don't have a torque wrench, that means good and snug, but not crazy tight, just tighten them evenly. One should also pretty much go in a crisscross pattern, such as upper right, lower left, upper left, lower right, and follow the pattern around until you hit the same bolt a few times, just like when doing your tire stud nuts. But again... with these.. not crazy tight.
