Coolant Leak Help
08-05-2012, 09:05 PM
#1
Coolant Leak Help
Hi, I just noticed a coolant spill on my Maxima VG 1990, I tried to find out where it came from, i fill it up and see where it was dripping, can't find the exact spot but I saw coolant on the pulleys and belts right next to the nut where you drain your oil, could it be my water pump? I was reading a guy posted something similar on another thread but I'm not sure if the same area, I attached a picture of where I spotted the coolant dripping.
This happened at the mall and after I fill it back up the dripping stopped, I drove back home and don't see this happening anymore, but I'm afraid to drive it in this condition, I do not assume the problem is gone, but unfortunately I do not have enough money to perform any repairs at the moment, how safe is to continue driving it with the leak as long as you fill back the lost coolant?
All help highly appreciate it. Thanks all in advance for your input.
This happened at the mall and after I fill it back up the dripping stopped, I drove back home and don't see this happening anymore, but I'm afraid to drive it in this condition, I do not assume the problem is gone, but unfortunately I do not have enough money to perform any repairs at the moment, how safe is to continue driving it with the leak as long as you fill back the lost coolant?
All help highly appreciate it. Thanks all in advance for your input.
08-05-2012, 09:09 PM
#2
if its on the left side by the pulleys its most likely the water pump, check your hoses etc. anyways to make sure its not coolant getting splashed back
personally i wouldnt drive it like that, youre best off getting a OEM water pump and installing it yourself. not too hard to do yourself. i have seen people drive with leaking water pumps for a while but i dont recommend it
personally i wouldnt drive it like that, youre best off getting a OEM water pump and installing it yourself. not too hard to do yourself. i have seen people drive with leaking water pumps for a while but i dont recommend it
08-16-2012, 08:02 PM
#4
Hi, Thanks for the input and sorry for the late reply, I had no choice but to keep driving it like this is my only commute to work, I keep filling it back with water (antifreeze is too expensive to keep filling it back up)
I went under the car and can't find the leak, I just see some water dripping from the pulley, just below from the water pump. I still can't be sure what is it.
I have never replaced my water pump and I've had the car since 2004, top hose was replaced like 5 years ago and I inspected that and I don't see any leak.
It only leaks certain amount of water, and it does it when I fill it back up even with the car not being turned on, it leaks for a while then it stops, it does not drain all the way empty, well I only drove it to work which is about 10 miles one way. I don't want to risk it driving any farther than needed.
I was also gonna ask if the Prestone Stop leak could be helpful, I have read some people say that thing coulld cause damage on the core heater, but I want to hear from you guys since you know better than me or any co workers.
I do not have too much experience to replace the water pump myself, so i would need to pay a mechanic to do it, and like I said on my previous post, my financial situation is not good at this time. But I need to get this fixed since this is my only ride.
I went under the car and can't find the leak, I just see some water dripping from the pulley, just below from the water pump. I still can't be sure what is it.
I have never replaced my water pump and I've had the car since 2004, top hose was replaced like 5 years ago and I inspected that and I don't see any leak.
It only leaks certain amount of water, and it does it when I fill it back up even with the car not being turned on, it leaks for a while then it stops, it does not drain all the way empty, well I only drove it to work which is about 10 miles one way. I don't want to risk it driving any farther than needed.
I was also gonna ask if the Prestone Stop leak could be helpful, I have read some people say that thing coulld cause damage on the core heater, but I want to hear from you guys since you know better than me or any co workers.
I do not have too much experience to replace the water pump myself, so i would need to pay a mechanic to do it, and like I said on my previous post, my financial situation is not good at this time. But I need to get this fixed since this is my only ride.
08-16-2012, 09:14 PM
#5
Stop leak products will not work on a bad water pump because of moving parts. It will not work on a leaking hose because the hose flexes. It might stop a small radiator leak.
But don't use stop leak products. They work by building up a layer of chemicals something like a crust. And it coats everything in the cooling system, the radiator, the engine block. This reduces the efficiency of the cooling system by a small amount.
Fix the problem the right way. Replace what ever part is leaking.
But don't use stop leak products. They work by building up a layer of chemicals something like a crust. And it coats everything in the cooling system, the radiator, the engine block. This reduces the efficiency of the cooling system by a small amount.
Fix the problem the right way. Replace what ever part is leaking.
08-16-2012, 10:58 PM
#6
Mirroring what the others have already said, look at your hoses but expect to be doing a water pump.
It is not difficult, mostly time consuming and tedious if you've never done it before, and a little cramped. Save yourself some trouble right off the bat when you start, get yourself a pulley puller and a way to secure the crank so you aren't wasting energy turning the motor instead of removing the nut.
Impact helps immensely, its a 27mm nut on the pulley. You WILL NOT remove the lower timing cover without pulling the crank pulley no matter how crafty you hope you are. Use lots of PB blaster on the nut, spray it the day before you plan to do this job, or if it won't be until a weekend, I did a nightly spraying for a week before I tackled it. I got lucky, mine needed no securing and zipped right off with a quick shot of the impact hammer. Good thing too, my socket wasn't impact rated haha!
I learned this the hard way LOL
While you're in there, do your timing belt too, may as well get that taken care of. Do yourself a favor and drain the coolant with the block drain plugs. If you're lucky, yours won't be seized. I swear to god mine were JB welded onto the block, so my water pump spewed like hell when I pulled it
EDIT:
I used this handy writeup for doing the water pump. Was a hell of a lot more useful when combined with the haynes manual I was referencing. Oh yeah, and you will probably break those screws holding your spash guards on under the car. I broke most of mine even with PB blaster and gentle coaxing. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you..._Nissan_Maxima
It is not difficult, mostly time consuming and tedious if you've never done it before, and a little cramped. Save yourself some trouble right off the bat when you start, get yourself a pulley puller and a way to secure the crank so you aren't wasting energy turning the motor instead of removing the nut.
Impact helps immensely, its a 27mm nut on the pulley. You WILL NOT remove the lower timing cover without pulling the crank pulley no matter how crafty you hope you are. Use lots of PB blaster on the nut, spray it the day before you plan to do this job, or if it won't be until a weekend, I did a nightly spraying for a week before I tackled it. I got lucky, mine needed no securing and zipped right off with a quick shot of the impact hammer. Good thing too, my socket wasn't impact rated haha!
I learned this the hard way LOL
While you're in there, do your timing belt too, may as well get that taken care of. Do yourself a favor and drain the coolant with the block drain plugs. If you're lucky, yours won't be seized. I swear to god mine were JB welded onto the block, so my water pump spewed like hell when I pulled it
EDIT:
I used this handy writeup for doing the water pump. Was a hell of a lot more useful when combined with the haynes manual I was referencing. Oh yeah, and you will probably break those screws holding your spash guards on under the car. I broke most of mine even with PB blaster and gentle coaxing. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you..._Nissan_Maxima
Last edited by Levsimus; 08-16-2012 at 11:04 PM.
09-20-2012, 10:15 PM
#7
I want to Thank all for the help provided, Yes it was the water pump, I had to pay a mechanic to do the job, I watch him do all the work and for sure this was a major job I won't be able to do by myself.
Well the problem is gone and everything is up and running, he did my timing belt also as you suggested and he didn't charge any extra for doing that.
One problem I noticed is when I test drive it after he replace WP, is my idle stumble a little and it didn't use to, so the mechanic when and make and adjustment on the distribuitor, and that stumble was gone, however after driving it for a couple of weeks now I noticed my MPG is kinda lower than before and I don't feel the same acceleration power on the takeoff, do you guys think this is related to that adjustment he make?
I'm not sure how is that adjustment called, is it ignition timing? i was reading about that and i read a bad adjustment could affect fuel economy and engine performance.
Well the problem is gone and everything is up and running, he did my timing belt also as you suggested and he didn't charge any extra for doing that.
One problem I noticed is when I test drive it after he replace WP, is my idle stumble a little and it didn't use to, so the mechanic when and make and adjustment on the distribuitor, and that stumble was gone, however after driving it for a couple of weeks now I noticed my MPG is kinda lower than before and I don't feel the same acceleration power on the takeoff, do you guys think this is related to that adjustment he make?
I'm not sure how is that adjustment called, is it ignition timing? i was reading about that and i read a bad adjustment could affect fuel economy and engine performance.
09-21-2012, 07:34 PM
#10
You're going to need a timing light and I believe a 12mm wrench for the distributor nut. I'd recommend marking the position of the distributor if you decide to try and adjust it yourself. Under the hood of the car there is a piece of paper with emissions info and things, you'll also find the proper timing for the car on it. I believe it's 15* before top dead center (BTDC).
Warm the car up before you time the motor. Then you'll point the timing light down at the crank pulley which will have several marks on it designating timing and an arrow for reference. The timing light will flash every time cylinder #1 fires. You want to line the arrow up with the notch on the crank pulley that is at the desired timing. To do this, you rotate the distributor left or right.
That's basically it in a nut shell. Youtube has some good videos to give you an idea.
Warm the car up before you time the motor. Then you'll point the timing light down at the crank pulley which will have several marks on it designating timing and an arrow for reference. The timing light will flash every time cylinder #1 fires. You want to line the arrow up with the notch on the crank pulley that is at the desired timing. To do this, you rotate the distributor left or right.
That's basically it in a nut shell. Youtube has some good videos to give you an idea.
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