Coolant leaking throught weep hole

89 civic. A very small amount of coolant is leaking between
oil pan and water pump area. I thought it could be engine
oil is leaking but after online research I gotta found out that
the rad coolant is weeping through a weeping hole. I did not heard
of a weeping hole before. Some posters suggested that dripping a bit of
coolant through a weeping hole is a NORMAL. Is it normal?
Or is it water pump starting getting bad?
I got my car reflushing the radiator coolant about 3 months ago. Since
that time time, I noticed the coolant resevior is losing a coolant. I
know it must be a weeping through a hole. Some posters
suggested a wrong type of coolant could cause the problme.
Use Silicate coolant one??? I did not use HOnda brand coolant.
I think I used mobile brand coolant.

 

You have to use the right coolant. The older formulas will destroy a
water pump very quickly.

 

Correct. But a small amount of weepage IS normal even with the correct non-
silicate coolant. There is a weep hole built into the water pump. Over the
course of six months or so, the level in your reservoir will drop enough to
require a top-up.

 

limited seepage is normal. especially on a brand new pump. if it gets
excessive however, consider replacement. i got my crx dirt cheap
because the pump seal had completely gone & the bearings had seized.

 

Before I had my water pump replaced on my Vigor, it was apparently leaking
through the weep hole, but I never observed it dropping it under the car.
Though the mechanic who changed the water pump & timing belt said that it
was a good thing I replaced the water pump, as the bearings were about to
seize relatively soon. Though, this was @ 145,000kms (I still think that
someone played with milleage on my car before I bought it)

If this person didn't have had a change of water pump, I suggest he does,
especially if the timing belt hasn't been changed. It's cheap insurance
compared to a seized water pump and the other damages that can occur.

 

The weep hole in the water pump is there so you can tell when the seal
isnt doing its job. No its NOT normal for collant to leak out this hole.
Its an indication that the seal is failing. Part II is the extra coolant
can damage the pump bearings too.

-Pete

 

There was a expert honda guy macdonald said that small weeping is a
normal.
Is it normal if it leaks every day? Looking under the car for dripped
spot
every morning, I found the dripped spot about an inch in diameter.
I filled up coolant level to max in reservoir from the min level twice
in 3 or 4 months. I don't know if I have to change Water Pump now
possible before the problems get into engine and Timing Belt.

 

wrote in

A "normal" water pump will leak a few ounces over six months.

If you're finding drips under the car, that's NOT normal. You have some
kind of leak somewhere. Maybe from the pump, maybe not. If it's coming from
behind the timing cover, then it's the pump.

 

replace water pump ,timing belt crank and cam seal.Also ck all v belts,you
should be ok

 

Replacing timing belt crank? you mean the round pulley????
why should i replace cam seal? Are you saying water pump o-ring?

 

The drip is between oil pan and the behind the timing cover. i thought
it's engine oil becauese
I got the oil change at the shop, and they overfilled it. Honda
manual said 3.75 qt. They add
4 qt. I don't know if this might cuz the seeping. I checked oil
dipstick time to time and there is
no sign of losing. And I also checked the coolant reservior and it stay
on min level. Why is that
coolant reservior never emptied out if the coolant is being seeping
through water pump?

 

wrote in

..25 qt over is meaningless. It will cause no harm whatsoever.

If you're certain it's oil, it could just be a leaking crank or camk seal.

You need to check the RAD as well (when cold). It should be right up to the
filler neck. If the rad is low, the reservoir level will not change!

 

I checked the rad cap. The coolant is full all the time.

I want to change the water pump whether it's bad or good. I have no
experience changing timing belt and water pump.
I have to remove drive belts and timing belt then water pump.
My problem is on timing belt about the alignment.
I don't know about what is number one piston position at Top Dead
Center. Can I just remove timing belt and put it back
exactly the way it is? I mean the exact teeth of timing belt align
with exact teeth of camshaft sprocket
Once I remove timing belt, do I have to make a TDC thing?

 

wrote in

Then don't even attempt timing belt replacement until you've got some idea
of how engines work. The #1 cylinder is next to the timing belt.

Yes, of course. But the problem is that once you remove the belt, the
camshaft will rotate slightly, throwing alignment off.

If you use Wite-Out to mark the belt and pulleys, and transfer the marks
exactly to the new belt, it will be a lot easier to get it back on right,
and at that point TDC is less important.

Don't re-use the old belt. If you're going to go through that much work,
replace it.

You seem to be regarding TDC as if it were some impossibly difficult thing
to achieve. It's not. There is a mark on the crankshaft pulley that
indicates TDC. You turn the crank by hand THE CORRECT WAY until the valves
are closed for the #1 cylinder, then turn it until the TDC mark is lined up
on the timing belt cover.

At that point the camshaft will line up with a similar mark on the inner
timing cover, showing that it's properly aligned for TDC.

If this means nothing to you, then you'd better go to the library and get
some books on engine operation.

Keep in mind that if you do something wrong while replacing the timing
belt, you can reduce your engine to a pile of expensive scrap.

 

Sorry, I misspoke. The TDC mark IS the mark for the #1 cylinder at TDC.
Turn so the marks line up and you don't have to look at the valves.

 

What do you mean by line up? Line up with camshaft?
Once I remove the timing belt, I turn the "crankshaft drivebelt pulley"
until the TDC mark (you said there is a mark on the crankshaft pulley)
is
set at 12 o'clock position before I install new timing belt. am I
right? What about camshaft pulley? Sorry man I'm confused about this. I
do read
the book I'm still confused.

 

I'm reading your timing belt website. I'm still confused. I don't
know if I
can handle it. This is all new to me!

 

wrote in

I don't have a timing belt Website. You must be referring to the external
one that's linked in my pages. It's done by professionals doing it with
professional tools. I'd like to replace it eventually with one that shows
the operation using home tools.

Look, you really need to get some beginner's books on engine operation. The
idea of TDC is very simple, if you understand how engines work. If you
don't understand what TDC is and how to get to it, then you lack some very
basic knowledge, and you'll probably muck something up very badly.

What really helps are repair manuals dealing with engine overhaul. They
show the parts exploded, and they give them names. They describe things
like valve adjustment, timing belt replacement.

Even a thorough read of something like a Hanes manual will give you some
sort of idea, but a Helm manual would be quite a lot better.
www.helminc.com

Start here:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm
And use a search engine for any questions to arise.

Another thing you can do is to simply observe: Remove your valve cover, get
a socket on the crank pulley bolt, and watch what happens as you turn the
engine. Turn the crank COUNTER clockwise, and don't overtighten the valve
cover bolts after.

Timing belt replacement is considered "semi-advanced" auto servicing.
Perhaps you'd better work your way up to it by doing oil changes, brake
servicing and other stuff that is more tolerant of mistakes.