i dont know cuz i failed to see the number on the gauge. Tomorrow I will be takin the car to a few different garages & I'll let u kno wut they say.

 

I hope your not paying a diag fee each time. Vacuum tester and compression gauge are under $30. A local parts store should do free scans.

 

nah im too broke to not be stingy lol im not payin for anything i could do myself. Especially not any diagnostic testing for that matter. But since im in redneckville I suspect it forces anyone in the automotive repair biz around here to be more honest & competitive.

 

well they all tried to charge me but i said no. Gettin a compression checking tool soon, gonna do it myself. Of the 4 different places that looked at it, they all agree that the water pump is shot. 3 of the 4 are charging ridiculous prices for the water pump + install tho... $350-500. I think if I buy the parts myself I might save some $. What parts specifically would I need for that? Would you recommend a new timing belt? What else would I need?

also, I am not leaking oil too bad apparently. Just a little bit here & there. But there is a leak on the corner of the block. Assuming that 1 mechanic is right & thinks my head gasket is only gonna be a matter of time, what kind of head gasket & brand should I get ? I have read that MLS is the only way to go...

as for the poor acceleration, the cat is still questionable but it didnt rattle when he tapped it & vacuum is good... the brake pedal gets kinda hard while driving it, he said thats a symptom of blockage in the cat or muffler.. He recommended cata-clean but to be honest i dont wanna put that in there with a questionable head gasket...

 

Brake pedal getting hard could be a result of low vacuum or poor vacuum. Which corner is it leaking from? When you do the water pump you put the timing belt in. Also good to do idler pulley and cam seals. Some parts store sell everything as a "timing belt kit" or "water pump kit". I think gates makes one. MLS headgasket is fine. Some people reuse head bolts. But for me I replace them every time unless they work shortly used. ARP studs I reuse. I always get the head decked, and check the block at the least. Wouldn't hurt to get a valve job done if you have the money. What is "good" Vacuum? If the water pump is making noise then that is a big problem.

 

i dont know how it could be low or poor vacuum if he said the vacuum was at a good level, but like i said i didnt catch the reading on the gauge in time when he was checkin it... anything else a hard brake pedal could be?

water pump isnt really making any noise but every time as soon as i shut my engine off, the coolant boils back into the coolant reservoir pretty violently (ive been using 100% water recently). I over fill my reservoir cuz it seems to leak pretty bad. Every time I go to get in my car the next day I check the coolant level & other oils, & the coolant reservoir is bone dry every time. Engine oil has stayed steady at 'full' line for the last 3-4 days...

it is leaking oil from the driver side, closer-to-the-driver corner. Just a drip every once in a while while running.

 

keep running water in it you will need a lot more then a water pump. Coolant is also a lubricant for the cooling system. Would you replace you oil with tap water? Actually have a buddy that ran water. Got the motor warm, water pump went out, head gasket went out, head warped, and wiring melted together. All because of a small radiator leak and he was to lazy to use coolant. All vacuum readings on different cars will vary. Thats why I am curious as to what this guy says is "good". Does that mean he checked specifications and compared diagnosis? I would find another mechanic. Water pump either leaks or makes noise when its bad. Boiling over coolant could be a headgasket, to much water in the cooling system, Bad thermostat, bad radiator cap.

 

water is only bein used til the water pump gets fixed. At the current rate coolant is leaking out of it it is extremely uneconomical to use antifreeze mix... after waterpump is replaced, I will flush coolant system & replace w/ coolant mix. it needs a flush anyway cuz i noticed that the previous person was using water extensively & i could see rust floatin underneath the radiator cap. water pump is def bad though cuz its leakin right out the plastic case.

 

The rust is more then likely from the water. Water is not a substitute for coolant. When you buy pre mixed 50/50 water/coolant they use distilled water. Tap water corrodes the system, a flusher will not get that out. If the water pump freezes up (which it will do in short time with water) the timing belt will break off. When the timing belt breaks you will need a motor rebuild. The valves will hit the pistons resulting it bent valves and possibly a hole in a piston. Once the water pump was diagnosed the car should of been parked, driving it is just asking for problems. Also like I said straight water in the system creates a boiling steam system in there. That explains the boiling in the reservoir.

 

the car has been parked except for while goin to garages with it. thanks for the warning tho. & distilled water is what i have been usin, but obviously the previous owner had not.