Coolant leak from where?

[The_big_dill]

Hi all,

I am usually in the protege section of the forum, but my buddy is having issues with his 2007 Mazda 3 (2.0L) and thought I would help.

There is a steady coolant leak, but not when idling.

Seems like its getting all over the accessory belt, which may have fried his alternator (battery is at 31V )

When he revs the engine, I can see some splashing happening around the water pump area, but its really hard to tell since everything is already wet. None of the pipes are leaking from our inspection.

I am thinking it the water pump O-ring, what do you guys think?

Thanks,

Phil.

 

[mapa19]

hey. you might get more help if you post what yr, engine size, and previous repairs.
on that note:
clean everything. you can't properly diag an oil/coolant leak with the engine covered in grime/dirt/coolant/oil. after that:
check the T-stat housing, those are known to have issues, also, the the t/y fitting right above/next to the belts has been known to leak. i've replaced 3 so far. including my own. lol. they're stupid expensive, at almost 100$ at the dealer, but i found "car quest" has one already pre-made for our cars, and while 55$ from them is still a bit much, it's hella betta than 100.

 

[The_big_dill]

hey. you might get more help if you post what yr, engine size, and previous repairs.
on that note:
clean everything. you can't properly diag an oil/coolant leak with the engine covered in grime/dirt/coolant/oil. after that:
check the T-stat housing, those are known to have issues, also, the the t/y fitting right above/next to the belts has been known to leak. i've replaced 3 so far. including my own. lol. they're stupid expensive, at almost 100$ at the dealer, but i found "car quest" has one already pre-made for our cars, and while 55$ from them is still a bit much, it's hella betta than 100.

Hey, thanks for the reply, I updated the original post.

I don't think any work has been done to this car since he owned the car, has been serving him well.

Those common problems is what I wanted to hear. He took it to the mechanic and they said it was the water pump, and that they had to replace the whole water pump or the seal will give out again if they just replaced the seal... Is that a load of crap or truth?

Also, is the voltage regulator internal to the alternator?

Any insight into this would be nice.

 

[The_big_dill]

Well, It was the water pump.

And my friend just checked with his busted multimeter, all is well.

 

[concept]

Keep in mind that if coolant isn't changed according to the maintenance schedule, parts that are exposed to coolant can fail prematurely.I wouldn't wait more than 5 years (if long-life coolant is used) before having the coolant drained and filled.