It's definitely leaking again

It’s already been well over a month ago since I pulled ‘t Kreng from the shed and enjoyed her on a short trip and parked her under the carport. This way it would be easier to do some routine checks and maintenance on the car. Though immediately after switching off the engine I lifted the bonnet to check for any leaks. And sure enough after a few seconds coolant started to leak down from what looked like the hole underneath the water pump.

Fast forward to today and I finally found some time for a proper check under the bonnet. And what I had feared turned out to be true. The level in the header tank had dropped considerable. Time for the next check, the connecting tube between inlet manifold and water pump cover. This turned out to be dry:

This couldn’t be said of the slot underneath the water pump. That was pretty moist. This left me with only one option to check it. Fill the header tank and see if it was still leaking.

And as you can see in the second picture it sure is. Will check tomorrow how much it is leaking over approximately 24 hours without pressure in the system.

But it looks like I have to bite the bullet at last and take out the water pump again after almost 17 years of service (not too bad for a rubbish design as some call it 😛) . A job I have so far successfully postponed since the summer of 2017, when the first drops appeared. And the fact I haven’t used the car as much as I would have liked certainly didn’t help here!

In preparation of the job of repairing or replacing the water pump, I spent some time in my parts store(s) to see what I have lying around for repairs. And it looks like I have all the necessary parts in stock! Even found a set of stainless steel bolts for the inlet manifold and thermostat housing, to reduce galvanic corrosion.

Edited on the 12^th of May 2024: I did another check of the coolant level this evening. And after well over 30 hours the level in the header tank has dropped. But only marginally. And all the coolant that leaked from the pump wasn’t enough to escape from a single folded tissue paper stuffed in the slot …

Maybe it’s time for my proven leak repair solution! Drive the car more and see if that (again I should say) solves the problem. As it might well be that due to its long period of inactivity some corrosion started on the sealing surface of the impeller. And some use could get rid of the corrosion. Hopefully soon to be continued!