Hey, I have a 1993 Honda Civic EX with some overheating problems. First I replaced the thermostat which seemed to help for about a week. Then I started to have overheating problems again over 60ish mph so I thought I had a bad radiator. I replaced the radiator and it ran fine for another week. Now the overheating problems im having are at 0-50 mph and when I beat on it the temp goes down. Yesterday I was overheating a little bit so I popped the hood and im pretty sure the coolent steam was coming from the water pump. Any ideas on how I can check it out before I go and buy another one or anything else I can check?


Thanks,
Stephen

 

bump

 

if you have coolant *steam* coming from the water pump, it sounds like the seal around the water pump needs to be replaced. If it's close to the right time, you might want to just replace the water pump and timing belt since you'll have to take those off to get to the water pump seal.

Another thought is that maybe part of your cooling system is clogged and hot coolant is building up around your pump. A cooling system flush *may* correct this... if it does, it'll be a lot cheaper and faster than a timing belt/water pump replacement.

I'm assuming that your coolant level is still at the level it should be...one other thought is that there could be air pockets in your cooling system. So even if your coolant level looks okay, there could be air in the system making the amount of coolant look larger. There's a bleed screw to get out air bubbles. Check a service manual about bleeding the cooling system.

To answer your question about checking the water pump, though, I don't know of a way to check the pump without taking it off. Age and mileage can be a good indicator. You can check the service records of the car for the last time the water pump and triming belt were replaced. If it's been more than 60k miles, you may need to change them. I'm not sure on the specifics for your year. If it's been more than 90k miles, you definitely need to change them.

All that said, I'm still very much a n00b. Pretty much what anyone else says overrides me =P

 

now i can see it leak from where the water pump is so im pretty sure its coming out of the weep holes.