Fox leaky water pump

[m_owing]

1988 fox, stock 5.0, upgraded hoses and rad. Pic is from the ground looking up at the water pump. You can see the balancer and pulley in the foreground.
As you can see there’s a weeping leak coming from the bottom of the water pump, NOT the weep hole. I had a pressure tester on the system when this pic was taken, the leak isn’t really noticeable when the car is hot.

Does it look like just the seal/gasket that’s been broken?

[ZR]

With the poor quality of most gaskets these days, not at all uncommon for rear plate to leak like that.

[m_owing]

With the poor quality of most gaskets these days, not at all uncommon for rear plate to leak like that.

I have no idea if it’s the factory pump/gasket, hasn’t been touched since I got the car around 15 years ago.
I think those lower bolts (right where it’s leaking) only attach the backing plate to water pump. Can they be tightened with some special thin wrench?

[ZR]

You need to grind a wrench to slide up in between.

[Ponyryd]

Likely a bad gasket, the pump looks pretty old and coolant is acidic, over time it will eat gaskets and cause leaks like that, best to swap it out, or replace the gasket. You could try tightening, IIRC those bolts are either 11/16”, which is close to 17mm, or 5/8”, which is close to 16mm.

[m_owing]

I’ll try tightening. I’m doubtful it will work but it’s easy, so it’s worth a shot.

[redo75]

Sorry to bring up this topic, but I was sleeping and just woke up. Princess Auto has a 9 pc #8566549 super thin metric wrench set from Grip. Used it on my wife's Volvo C30
Not high quality , but may save your knuckles in a pinch.

[LX89]

Pray those water pump bolts don't break when tightening or removing.
They are notorious for breaking.

Antiseize when reinstalling.

[RedSN]

Pray those water pump bolts don't break when tightening or removing.
They are notorious for breaking.
With it already leaking, can almost guarantee at least one of them seized.

[m_owing]

Sorry to bring up this topic, but I was sleeping and just woke up. Princess Auto has a 9 pc #8566549 super thin metric wrench set from Grip. Used it on my wife's Volvo C30
Not high quality , but may save your knuckles in a pinch.
Those are what I got! They’re a great tool to have.

[m_owing]

Pray those water pump bolts don't break when tightening or removing.
They are notorious for breaking.

Antiseize when reinstalling.

These aren’t the long studs/bolts that hold the pump on. Just small bolts that hold on the backing plate. They face the front of the car and are installed before the pump goes in the car. There’s very little clearance for them.

So one was already super tight/seized. The other head was at that awkward position that a crescent wrench couldn’t get a grip on. So that was a bust.

[redo75]

OK, I'm going back to sleep. Thought I could help out with a solution.

[m_owing]

OK, I'm going back to sleep. Thought I could help out with a solution.

You did help. Those wrenches would’ve been the ticket if the bolts were loose.

[Moadkarcia]

That leaky water pump can be a bit of a headache, but you're on the right track by considering the seal or gasket as the culprit. Sometimes, it's just a matter of a worn-out gasket causing those weeping leaks. So, checking and replacing that could do the trick. In the meantime, I've had my fair share of car troubles too, and it's always nice to find some deals when you need replacement parts. If you're in Canada, you might want to give this link a peek: https://www.firstordercode.com/coupons/autopartsway.ca. They've got some promo codes that could save you a few bucks.

[ZR]

Super common these days, rebuilt or even new pump comes with gaskets that will never stay sealed. Always best to opt for Fel Pro n dump those in the trash.