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Coolant smell, appears to be gasket

BainMan

Full Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2019
Messages
1,216
There is a hint of coolant smell coming from the front of the motor the last few weeks, no fluid hitting the garage floor and no smell in cab. I checked all hoses and fittings, bone dry. The reservoir tank and pressure cap do not smell like coolant. Nothing is visible from the top side nor do I see the fluid reach the ground, but using a bore scope to look under the pump I see corrosion from a leak around the lower/side sealing surface of the water pump.

Now my question is.. I've read that sometimes it's just the gasket that goes bad, at 135k miles what are my chances of that? Truck reaches 210F and never goes above. Any way to tell if it's the pump going out or just the seal?

The video feed was more clear, but here is a screenshot with an arrow showing the start of the corrosion where I believe it to be leaking, The angle is looking in from passenger front with AC belt going through middle of the picture.

o7sI9BL.jpg
 
Ever change waterpump?

might be the time...

But many places for coolant to leak from water pump since it has so many connections and pump bearing shaft seals
 
I have not changed the pump, but I've only owned it the last 13k, unknown prior history..
 
Buy or borrow a radiator pressure tester.

Pressurize the cold system to 15 PSI and wait.

Your leak will make itself known in short order.
 
Change the pump now. You'll hank me later when not stuck somewhere when the seal on the pump shaft let's go. My 04 did the same thing and that happened to me. Put two pumps in, one about your mileage and the other around 250K.
 
Thanks for the push guys, I know changing the pump is the right thing, and you're all correct, was just hoping for a cheaper fix this time (gaskets).. I've dropped around $2k into the Avy the last 2 months including rust repair, tires, ball joints and tie rods and hoped to make it at least a few months before the next expenditure, but that's just how it goes I guess.
 
Easiest water pump I've ever changed, not that I've changed many. Still a bit of coolant smell remains, but the lower components took a coolant bath when removing the hoses, so I expect the smell to dissipate over time. One less thing to worry about, hopefully at least.
 
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