A few days ago I checked my radiator for coolant level. I could not see any coolant in the radiator at all.

I added coolant to the radiator and noticed that it "poured" out by the water pump. It did not "drip", but ran straight through and out.

I was under the impression that when the water pump was going it would "drip" or make a "squealing" sound. I thought that pump failure was a process that came on slowly.

There seems to be a blockage in one of my heater hoses also. Would this have contributed to this blowout?

I started to change the water pump, and noticed that a couple of the bolts were taking forever to remove. This job was going to take a long time, and I was getting quite disheartened.

Does any one know where I can get a step by step tutorial on doing this job. (I have a pretty much useless Haines manual).

And, is it common for the water pump to just "blowout" or just outright fail without some warning?

Thank you.

89b150

 

Are you certain it is really the water pump that is leaking? There is a bypass hose hiding back there and when it fails the leak will be sizable.

 

hey blackvan;

I attacked the water pump first, without giving a thought to perhaps a second place for leaking. (I panicked).

I need this vehicle for work, and was in a bit of a panic mode. Fortunately, a client of mine has a Dodge van that he is not using, and so, I bought it tonight. I had to buy an alternator for it, but she runs, and so, no more panic. (I have clients in need of me this week).

When I first discovered the leak, I bought a new water pump, and started to remove the old one, out of the necessity of getting this vehicle on the road as fast as I could. I did not think of other places where she would leak from. I have already removed some of the bolts of the water pump and so I might as well finish removing the rest of them. What was the most difficult was the removing of the fan, and I have yet to solve that problem.

After running into an obstacle of not getting all of the water pump bolts out, I resigned to letting this van go to the wreckers.

Since then, my mind has changed and I shall attempt to totally remove the old water pump, and bring this old girl back some life. She has served me well this past 6 months. Besides, she is kind of pretty.

Btw, blackvan, I had purchased a new bypass hose, and was pondering the notion that the hose was the culprit, and so I shall keep you posted. (I thought about the hose being the source of the leak as an afterthought.)

Oddly enough, this Dodge van was purchased only because my Ford Econoline broke down. I intended to have it for a week or two then scrap it to get my money back. (This van was on her last legs when purchased). I have had her for 6 months now, and she has been a delight to drive.

Anyway, thanks for the response, and shall let all know the outcome when she is pulled back together.

thanks,

89b150)

 

I'm glad you didnt scrap the van. And I think we've all been there: bought parts and had the engine torn apart before discovering what the problem actually was.

As to removing the fan clutch, I think my first post on this forum may be of interest.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-r...placement.html