Rb26 Water Leak :(

[omega36]

Hey guys,

Just looking for some pointers - car is going in to the mechanic ASAP (Monday morning).

Was going out to get some dinner last night when I noticed that there was some coolant under my car:

It's leaking from somewhere above the sump, as there is coolant all down the front of the oil sump. It's not pissing out, but it is leaking at a fairly steady rate; I drove 25km (30 minutes of driving, lowest engine revs possible) this morning and lost about 750ml of coolant as a measurement.

Are there some water hoses near the front of the block? I couldn't trace the source of the leak. Or could it be the water pump? It's an N1 water pump on a forged/rebuilt 1990 RB26 - I have been driving it without any leaks for over a year now.

I'm hoping it's something "simple" like a split hose, but if you guys have any further tips, pointers or experience with such a leak, please let me know !

Thanks

[jiffo]

GTR'S have dozens of coolant hoses.

Across the front of the cambelt cover you have the turbos water return, pretty easy to check that one.

[omega36]

GTR'S have dozens of coolant hoses.

Across the front of the cambelt cover you have the turbos water return, pretty easy to check that one.

Thanks jiffo - I've checked that, but it doesn't appear to be leaking from that pipe

[jiffo]

Plenty more hoses to check.

Just about impossible to see clearly without removing lots of gear, especially on a 32.

[BlackR32]

Same thing happened to me a shile ago... we managed to change the hoses without taking the plenum off but it was hell...

The hoses in my case ran from below the back of the intak eplenum up and around the back of the head... little leak, but drained my whole engine of coolant and cooked my oil which may have had a lot to do with my bearing failure also. joy !

Don't drive it what ever you do.

and reach back behind the head you will find 2 water lines... follow them with your hand to see where they are joined.

Then fill the coolant up, turn the car on and feel again for water.

Best of luck !!

[omega36]

Thanks guys. We believe it's the actual N1 water pump housing that is leaking. So much for it being any better...

I have an OEM RB26 water pump at home which will replace the N1 water pump.

Will update this thread once confirmed & resolved.

Cheers.

[doo doo]

This is pretty common as the bolt hole for the smallest 6mm bolt is quite large- you just need to make sure you have enough sealant in that area and that the pump is positioned correctly for the hole to not overlap the water passage. I also had this problem but now rectified have had no issues.

[Victory]

Yes this is a common problem with N1 water pumps.

One of the bolt holes is elongated and you have to hold the pump so it covers the water passage when you do the mounting bolts up.