Hi,

Ive just had my TH (3.5 L v6) develop a fast coolant leak (noticed a large puddle in the morning.) After inspection it appears to be comming from between the water pump and left-hand underside of the engine (there is a gap between them) however its fairly cramped under there so i cant be certain exactly where its from. My guess is its a water pump leak, however i had the timing kit & water pump done at the 200,000k service 10 weeks ago, which would suggest the seals of the water pump should be fine!

Extra info: the leak stops when the car is idling - when the engine stops it starts pouring out again.

My first question is, is there anything else that could cause a large leak like this besides the water pump? (Some hose on the left/back of the engine?) and if not, what should i make of the water pump failing so soon after the major service (where i specifically asked to have the moving part of the pump & seals replaced.)

My second question is, what is a TH worth sold to the wreckers? It has a new battery, the engine runs well, LPG system works well, the transmission doesnt hunt.

Kind regards

Possibly the "O" ring at the back of the water pump, or the pipe in the engine valley has corroded through.
Take it back to whoever did the job and ask them their opinion. They may fix it cheaply.

Standard wreckers pay is $300, unless they already have rows of Magnas and don't want another.

Sounds pump replated.
Could be the pump they put in had a defective seal. Or they put it in wrong.
Was the work warrantied?

You say LHS of the motor, in third gen cars the motor is on the RH side of the motor (ie drivers side)

If the leak is on the RHS of the motor (ie drivers side) then is most likely the pump, doubt is the o ring but either way the pump needs to be removed to fix

Best thing to do is get it pressure tested with the timing belt covers removed and this will tell you immediately where the leak is

Selling to a wrecker will generally get you between $150 and $250, they dont care what you have replaced as most of it goes for next to nothing these days thanks to ebay and a lot of the car will end up crushed anyway. Shame to throw out a perfectly good car for a coolant leak

Shame to throw out a perfectly good car for a coolant leak
+1 on this.

Sorry for the confusing description, by LHS i meant drivers side (LHS when looking under the bonnet) so you suggest the most likely cause is the water pump which was my guess too. Thanks for the advice guys.

I dont want to sell it to the wreckers but ive had problem after problem with this car (only owned it 6 months) so im reluctant to keep dumping money on it, and i dont like the idea of pawning off a lemon onto others, so its a hard decision.

There is pretty much only 1 water source on the drivers side of the engine - the water pump, It's a bit of a bugger to fix as the cam belt drives it but if you can find a garage that regularly deals with these repairs the pump and seals are fairly cheap it's just the labor to get the belt off and back on properly.