R33 Skyline - Stuffed Water Pump

[Danniel]

Hi Guys

yesterday i was driving to my mates ( a good hour of driving to his place) when i got into town my car just shut off and i had to roll it to the side of the road. Once i was on the side of the road i tried to start and it wouldnt go, sounded like the battory was dying so anyway I checked under the engine, was warm but still had coolant in the tank thing and had enough oil so i didnt really think anything of it, i ended up leaving it for 5 and it started thought ill just take it to my mates place and drive like a grandma. so i took it to his place and it stopped just on the corner from his place. so i got my mate and a few other guys that were around to push it to his place. We had a bit of a look and let it cool down.

When we looked after it cooled down abit, we noticed that there was only air in the radiator (Which i know is definatly a bit thing) we got the hose and tried to fill the radiator and were going to see what happened from there. then we noticed the water was just coming straight back out. There was a mechanic there at the time and he said its a stuffed water pump and i will need a new one.

Basically I know something will be damaged probably the head or something, What I want to know is what do you guys reckon will be damaged and also what are some ways I can check/test or even signs to look out for while im driving it.

Oh and the temp gauge had been playing up so I didnt really notice it heat up. And Yes I had been checking Oil and water regularly - Thought the coolant was fine as it hadnt moved in that tank on the side so i wouldnt have noticed. and Iv never seen anything leaking/any wet patches under it.

Thanks Heaps

Dan

[StevenCJR31]

get a compression test and other tests done to determine if youve killed the motor, these will reveal if youve done the HG or cooked (lose the tension) the rings, if thats all good then just change your water pump and put a timing belt kit in it if its due(while things are apart)an oil + filter change might be needed as the oil wouldve got very hot and fix the guage

Edited July 31, 2011 by StevenCJR31

[Danniel]

Awesome thanks! ill check it out

[jjman]

had exactly this a while back but noticed it as soon as the temp began going above normal and as i pulled to the side of the road the steam which had been unnotcable driving at speed was apparent as it was coming from the sides of the bonnet. Stopped it and had it towed to the shop n put it in for a full 100k km service (timing belt, water pump, seals etc etc). All good thankfully. No damage done whatsoever.<BR><BR>U've got the prob of ur thermostat playing up so you dont know how hot it really got.<BR>Doesnt sound good tho if the car conked out on you...<BR>fingers crossed that ur as lucky as me though.<BR><BR>Good word of advice though, check your dates on the last 100k service (find a import specialist shop who can read the Jap dates if its pre-import). If it is impossible to tell when it was done or if it was done more than 5-7 years ago n before importing then get it done. Not worth the risk of the water pump or timing belt letting go n killing your engine... <BR><BR>my 100k service was 'only 50k kms ago' (importing may have changed that figure tho) but 8 years ago. Ad to that the muck that can accumulate in the cooling system during the import process and the expected life may not be 10 years (which is the maximum that the 100k service parts are rated too)

Edited August 1, 2011 by jjman

[DVS JEZ]

When there is a leak in the cooling system there is no pressure or vacuum so the little tank doesnt go up or down, also when there is no water in the engines cooling system the gauge will basically read cold as there is no hot water on the sensor.

Hopefully when u fix it will be ok otherwise it may need head service and gasket kit. Hard to tell over the net.

Try and fill it up and get it running to see how it runs. Its a big job to replace the water pump and it woukd be disappointing to replace the pump and get it running only to find u have to pull the head back off

[Danniel]

I left it at my mates place in Ulverstone and i got a mechanic over there to work on it for me as I live and work in Burnie.

I'v got a new thermostat and the water pump should get here today so hopefully I haven't done any other damage.

I'll let you guys know how I go.

Thanks for the advice!

[89CAL]

When you say water was just coming straight back out when you were filling it with the hose........ Where exactally was the water coming out of?

[jjman]

mine was doing the same thing and was pissing out of the 'inspection hole' (i think that is what the mechanic called it) on the front of the water pump.

[Danniel]

was coming out of the front part of the engine at the bottom and the mechanic that was around said it was a water pump. why's that?

[StevenCJR31]

was coming out of the front part of the engine at the bottom and the mechanic that was around said it was a water pump. why's that?

cos water runs down hill (!)

[89CAL]

mine was doing the same thing and was pissing out of the 'inspection hole' (i think that is what the mechanic called it) on the front of the water pump.

Tell-tale hole

was coming out of the front part of the engine at the bottom and the mechanic that was around said it was a water pump. why's that?

You never specified where it was leaking from, I wasnt sure if you knew it was coming from around the water pump or it was coming from somwerher else. You might be able to see if it is indeed coming out of the pump if you take the timing cover off. Might (not 100% sure) be able to look down through there and see.

It will at least let you know if it is def the water pump leaking. but sounds like it probably will be the issue