[Engine] Coolant Leak

[stevedmc]

Hello everyone. I am the proud new owner of 16510 and this is my first post to DMCTalk. Unfortunately I have an issue I need some help with.

Yesterday I hooked up a coolant pressure tester, pumped it to 14lbs, and found several coolant leaks. Two of them are at hoses and shouldn't be very difficult to repair.

Unfortunately I seem to have a major leak around the water pump. I checked the hoses around the water pump and they all seem to be fine. I noticed a valley below the water pump so I placed a finger in there and found lots of coolant sitting in there.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do? The hoses will be easy to replace but I am not sure about removing the water pump. The pump looks new so I am also confused as to whether or not this is the source of the problem.

Attached are pictures of the waterpump and hose coming from the coolant bottle. I am not very worried about the hoses as they are easy to get to.

You can also see a video of the issue I placed on youtube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVTIZ-B1HXU

Thanks,
Stephen Rice
16510

[Ozzie]

Welcome to D ownership (and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way at all), and welcome to DMCTalk.

The leaks on the hoses may just be the clamps need some tightening up, or if not just hose replacements. Maybe it's just be but the clamps seem to be close to the edge of the pipes.

The pump leak may indicate at best more loose clamps into the pump, or a pump that's gone bad, or maybe pump's rear cover gasket is leaking - it's difficult to tell from the video as it was dark around the pump. If you have to change the pump, it's not too bad to do if you can spin wrenches, you'll just have to take off the belts and the intake and its connected parts - which is not a bad idea to do, so you can check if any coolant fluid has overflowed into the crevices on the top of the block (aka: "valley of death", VOD) . Am sure the DMCTalk community will walk you through question you'll have on the way.

Suggest you don't drive like this because you'll get air into the system, and she'll quickly overheat and create worse problems.

Also, consider a self bleeder in the future as I didn't see one on your car. I have some details on them here:
Blog Posting: "Burping your new Delorean baby"

Best wishes.

[stevedmc]

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking I may just give John a call at SpecialT and order a waterpump master kit with all the gaskets and everything. I might as well change all that stuff out if I am going to take it apart.

I just thought it would be a good idea to get the opinions of a few people on here before doing so. It does seem a bit intimidating to do all the work. I hear it is a 6 hour job. Does the workshop manual have enough information in it for taking the pump out?

[Ozzie]

Yeah, definitely get more input, suggestions, opinions.

By the way, until you get hard copies of the manuals, you can reference them here:
Workshop Manuals
Letter "C" is the one that has the procedure to remove the water pump, but like all manuals it makes the work sound simpler than what it actually may be, or turn out to be (e.g., sheering a bolt).

[Ron]

Originally Posted by Ozzie

Maybe it's just be but the clamps seem to be close to the edge of the pipes.

+1 ...and the one in the first pic is not on straight.

-------

[Spittybug]

Do it all right the first time. Go straight for the Valley of Death clean up and you wont regret it. Search the posts, you'll find lots of threads including pictures. You will find this to be an EXCELLENT way to learn all the workings of the fuel and cooling system as well as tackling many of the 30 year problems all at once. Distributor cap, rotor, vacuum hoses, cooling hoses, water pump, Y pipe, valley clean out and sealing, injector test, plugs, idler pulley bearings... all good to do at once. All available from John or the vendor of your choice. I'm just finishing mine up, in fact I'm doing the pressure test as I type!
Welcome.

[jtrealty]

The coolant system on many Deloreans is neglected to the point that most of the parts are probably original. For many owners that are handy one of the first "baptisms of fire" is to pull the intake manifold and replace ALL of the hoses, gaskets, seals, water pump, "O" rings, pulley idler bearings, belts, anti-freeze, and otterstadt switch and seal. Rarely is it "just" tightening a hose clamp. To improve the cooling system you also need to consider the metal header tank, a new radiator, upgrading the circuit breakers and fan relays. And this is just getting you started. You should also order a Master tune-up kit while you have it all apart. If the tires are over 7 years old, battery 5 years they need to be replaced. All of the fluids should be flushed and replaced including the brakes and clutch. Before you start on the VOD you should be prepared for and have the ability to deal with broken bolts. Very common for at least one to break off and be a headache. Other areas you should consider around the motor are replacing the exhaust manifold gaskets and studs, and adjusting the valves. Check the oil sender unit on the left side, rear for leaks and the wire going to it for being burnt up. The muffler bracket top right side is prone to cracking. All good winter work to prepare the car for the next show season!
David Teitelbaum

[Canon20DFan]

Drive your new Delorean as fast as you can on a snowy road...if ya gotta fix it, fix it after having some fun!

[DeLorean03]

Welcome to the DeLorean community sir.

I pretty much echo what everyone else has said. Granted you live in Baton Rouge, you're not TOO far from me (Pensacola, Fl).

You are going through what almost every new owner goes through and David T. put it very well - baptisms by fire. The water pump job is not "impossible"; it can be quite a trepidation if it is your "first" job on your DeLorean. Do some searches on VOD cleanups as others suggested - a number of us (myself included if you have questions) have done the VOD cleanup and have posted pictures/descriptions of our work. You'll learn some "tricks" here and there to minimize your work as you go. For instance, keep the fuel distributor (spider looking thing in the middle) and the fuel mixture unit/air plenum (part that the F.D. is attached to and anchored to) in one piece when you take it off. Far less likely chance of any contamination. That is one of countless lil' tricks you'll learn - I assure you.

These cars - for being an exotic - are great to work on. Lots....LOTS of space to work in and the parts arent "wallet breaking". You will be tested and tried many times. Don't lose your cool as you go. If you have to walk away, just walk away for 5 minutes. Take breaks here and there - don't work with a hot-head. You'll almost always end up breaking more things than fixing.

When you take things apart, put bolts, nuts, washers, screws, etc in ziploc bags and clearly label them. Depending on how often and quickly you work, this could take a week to a couple months, and I assure you, you WILL forget which bolts go where. Take photos and notes as you go - you'll be amazed how much it will help.

Also, if you find anything that is 7 mm (allen bolts on the back of the water pump housing for example), get John or your vendor of choice's phone number ready). Lowe's or Home Depot don't carry that ):

Be patient and persistant; we are here to help you. Remember, it's not a rocket ship. It's a car. As my best friend Casey always tells me, if you keep coolant and oil in it, we can fix it.

Good luck, sir! ASK any questions you got.

[stevedmc]

After nearly 2 months I finally have the car back on the road. It would have been much sooner but I have just had a lot of stuff going on lately.

I ended up having to change all of the coolant hoses, the heater control valve, and the water return pipe. I don't think there was anything wrong with the water pump but I ended up changing the thing out anyway since I had already ordered one.

At first I thought it would have just been a water pump but I discovered the other leaks, including a corroded water return pipe after getting into the vally. It looked like one of the POs didn't tighten a hose correctly that caused coolant to leak on the pipe and into the valley. Fortunately It already had the POR15 coating but the coating was starting to flake. I decided to simply clean everything up and I will plan on re coating the valley sometime this summer.

Now I'm onto my next challenge. Upgrading the suspension!