im having a problem with the water pump on my V8 maverick. although the water never made any noise, ran hot, or leaked before... suddenly it leaks profuslely. at 1st i could not positively identify where the nasty/steady pour/drip was coming from. i finally located it coming from a little hole (that looks like it was built in) under the water pump snout. as much as i really dread it... i need to replace that water pump. however, yall know it is a huge job with AC and other accessories in the way. therefore, i did something i dont like to do. that is put a snake oil in my car. the product used was "bar's leaks" heavy duty stop leak. im afraid, even if it works that it might cause more damage than repair. it certainly has slowed down the leak, but as the engine gets hot and builds up pressure, it seems to leak again. it wont leak with the engine running (with product in) and NO radiator cap. however, i dont think it would be wise to drive the car like that every day. i just wonder if the product needs extra time to solidify, to seal completely. BUT.... the cooling system is currently filled with that goo and water. (no anti-freeze) IF that stuff works, can i drain the system and replace the fluid with the proper mixture of water and anti-freeze, or should i expect it to leak again? ultimately i know ive got to replace that waterpump. but its waaaay to hot this time of year to do a major job like that. i really am hoping for a miracle. anyone have thoughts on this issue? roadrage
Quick Fix Bars Leak has been around forever, is a very good product or at least it was in my day. But for a leaking pump seal it will slow down the drip but cannot stop it, the seal is worn out and the pump needs replacing. You could run the car with the radiator cap loose but the engine may run hot in stop and go traffic. It's not easy to chg. out with the AC and such but the alternative(burned up 302 and high dollar replacement) should warrant the new pump soon. Try to start in early morning when it's cool and maybe have a helper to assist or just take the brunt of cursing and throwing tools. I know people who take thier cars to mechanics for repair and then bitch to me about the outragious labor charges for such a little job. I think you know what I'm getting at. Personnaly I would rather change out the whole engine than work on some of the similar problems you have, but we gear heads just grit the teeth and plunge into it. Most times when we are done we are quoted as saying one of two things,"That wasn't so bad" or "I'll never do that *#***** job again" You are correct about flushing and refilling the system though, use 50-50 mix anti-freeze, your little 302 will feel better anyway with new coolant to drink. Think positive and stay cool.
water pump that weep hole came that way from factory the pump seal is bad.As for the stop leak it will work for a while, best thing is replace the pump,and a good 50-50 mix of water and antifreeze. good luck
I had a radiator leak in my 93 Escort GT. I used some stop leak. It stopped the leak allright and worked well all winter. First warm day, I realized it also stopped up my radiator. Spent the entire day with my heat on trying to keep the car cool till I got home. I was trying to avoid having to buy a new radiator. Well, I ended up buying a new one anyways. Now it cools great. The sad part is, the leak wasn't that bad to begin with. Moral of the story: That stuff will clog your radiator and cut down on your cooling capacity...wouldn't recommend using it.
