Hi i have a 2000 dodge neon 5spd and its leaking coolant around the waterpump area at idle once warmed up. it does not overheat and the coolant hoses have good pressure. I'm assuming the waterpump seal has gone but want to be sure. i have plans to replace both torque struts and possibly the center motor mount if needed( i know the proper allignment procedure) if I'm ripping it open i figure i should also throw a new timing belt/ waterpump and seal. how hard is it to changr any other seals in there (ie. cam crank nd oil seal...possibly oil pump) also the car has a minor oil leak which i dont know whete it is from, maybe headgasket... is it worth it to attempt the headgasket replacement while its all opened up? I am fairly familier with these cars since my last car was a 00 plymouth neon and a shop sabotaged me when i refused to pay 1400 for the timing belt replacement after they misdiagnosed my problem for 4 months. money is an issue so i may have to drive with this leak for a few more weeks if i need to grab more parts to replace while I'm in there and just keep feeding it antifreeze till i get all the parts together. its a daily driver and my only ride to and from work. any input would be greatly appreciated . and sorry if theres other threads on this but my mobile device cannot use the forum search...glitchy .

 

Just make sure that there is no coolant leaking from above the waterpump. I.E check the thermostat housing or the head gasket because those are things that will allow coolant to travel down that way. It really isn't a hard job if you have the experience, you would be foolish not to replace the timing belt and tensioner if you are dead set on replacing the pump. I can't say I've heard too much about the cam and crank seals, I haven't had any problems with mine and I have 165k. While you got the belt off it would be the best time to do the head gasket, but if it is just leaking a little oil why bother with it?

 

Thanks for the help. if the headgasket was failing wouldnt there besmoke or a antifreeze smell from my exhaust? The motor has about 130k( allthough the guages may have been swapped out because i put one with a tach on it in and two swrews were missing when i took the old one out)

 

There would only be smoke if it leaked directly onto the exhaust. And you'd definitely smell antifreeze on exhaust, it's a real strong sweet smell, and it stinks!

 

No, it is possible to leak coolant externally from the head. My point is make sure there is nothing leaking above the pump, because you don't want to waste all that time on a pump if it wasn't the cause.

 

radiator cap....