I have a coolant leak which is coming from the horizontal line below the two bolts on the water pump cover.Any suggestions on a remedy.
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There's a drain channel in the vee that runs behind the water pump cover and lets out at the bottom. That's why you're only seeing coolant there.The only place coolant is coming from is that horizontal gap.The vertical gap is dry as is everywhere else.
Thats for sure where the coolant is coming from so does that mean my waterpump is leaking and this is where it shows?There's a drain channel in the vee that runs behind the water pump cover and lets out at the bottom. That's why you're only seeing coolant there.
--Mark
It means your coolant hoses are leaking, probably at the fittings where the coolant exits the engine. That's up in the vee, underneath the throttle bodies. See Dave's comments in post #3 and also this article.Thats for sure where the coolant is coming from so does that mean my waterpump is leaking and this is where it shows?
Thanks for the info guys i guess my first line of attack is to drop the rad and tighten up the clamps on the thermo housing.From other posts i gather that there are 5 hoses and clamps up there so are they all accessible by droping the rad or just the thermo housing?Odds are great the leak is above the engine in the vee of the cylinders - as Joe posted. A simple tightening of the hose clamps in the cooling system will most likely solve your problem. If they have never been snugged up since new it is almost guaranteed this is the immediate problem. Removing the radiator exposes the thermostat housing and by using socket extensions and long screwdrivers you can tighten the clamps on and around the housing. I would also replace the O-ring in the thermostat housing as long as you go in there. It looks bad but it really is a simple fix.
I think you would be shock at how many times we have directed people to the true cause of an issue when a dealer has miss-diagnosed it or couldn't figure it out. In their defense, it isn't like many of them see many STs. They are pretty reliable, there are not that many of them out there and when something breaks many of us fix them ourselves. So many times all they know about them is what is in the service manual. This doesn't always explain things all that well and like you mentioned in your first post. You thought it was a water pump issue.Well guys i took off the rad and tighten all the hoses i could at from there. Some were so loose i could have turned them with my fingers.Definite signs of leaking as the area in front of the thermostst housing was quite gummed up.Bolted everything back up and crossed my fingers.Well last nite the temperature dropped down to +4 celsius so a good chance to check for leaks.Fired her up and let run till three bars showed and not a single drop.Thanks for the help guys it is much appreciated.To those who are thinking of doing this procedure themselves all i have to say is if i can do it most others can.A little back story while i'm here.Took the stead to the dealer 2 years ago for the valve check and i figured while its there flush the coolant and install a new thermostat and o ring.At that time a waterpump replacement was suggested because they noticed a collant leak.If up at the thermostat housing at that time you would think they would have seen the signs of leakage there.Well i guess some unsuspecting customers would be willing to fork out the $700 they wanted for the replacement but me being a little of their fix at the time turned out to be a good thing.
Will i be able to change the o-ring by going in via the airbox?Would rather not have to pull the rad again if i don't have to.Any tricks i should know beforehand with pulling the airbox?You probably won't need to start it up.
If you pull the air box, you'll have pretty much full access to the thermostat and everything around it. You'll also be able to get into the area under the throttle bodies and feel around the bottom of the fittings where the coolant comes out of the engine. If either of those is leaking, you'll come back with dried green blood (coolant) on your fingers.
--Mark
You might be able to pull that off. I haven't had my air box off in quite awhile and can't remember if the clearances are there.Will i be able to change the o-ring by going in via the airbox?Would rather not have to pull the rad again if i don't have to.Any tricks i should know beforehand with pulling the airbox?