# Coolant leak near water pump? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** towncar, lincoln\ **Created:** [April 15, 2018, 5:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coolant-leak-near-water-pump/115696 "2018-04-15T05:07:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AllenR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9d8465/32.png) [@AllenR](https://community.cartalk.com/u/AllenR)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 5:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coolant-leak-near-water-pump/115696/1 "2018-04-15T05:07:33Z")
My 93’ Lincoln Town car is leaking coolant. Originally I thought it was the water pump. It appears however, that it’s leaking NEAR the pump. It doesn’t look like the pump itself is leaking. My question is, is there a hose that runs through or very near the water pump that could be leaking? I can see the leak while it’s running and it is a pretty good leak, but it doesn’t hit the ground and is “puddling” right under where it’s leaking. So it’s hard to tell where it’s coming from. How should I go about getting to the hose? I can’t afford a mechanic and need my car for work. I wanna figure out what it is before I go taking things apart. Unless I have to. I’m no mechanic and any advice/insight would be appreciated and helpful. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 5:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coolant-leak-near-water-pump/115696/2 "2018-04-15T05:17:16Z")
Water pumps have what are called weep holes. Here’s an example. ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/0/01b8f7396e918cb28035b98fae23a710214efa89.jpg) Make sure it’s not leaking from there. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Yosemite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/yosemite/32/643_2.png) [@Yosemite](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coolant-leak-near-water-pump/115696/3 "2018-04-15T14:40:36Z")
Other than the weep hole, I’ve seen very tiny streams from a hole in the radiator or a hose spray a foot away…fooling you as to where the leak is coming from. Look real close. Yosemite ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coolant-leak-near-water-pump/115696/4 "2018-04-15T14:49:05Z")
Looking from underneath may help. Don’t rely on the jack! Use ramps, or carefully placed jack stands, or run the front wheels up a curb. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coolant-leak-near-water-pump/115696/5 "2018-04-15T15:05:07Z")
A UV dye kit for finding coolant leaks can also help. The dye is added, the engine run, and a blacklight shown on the engine. The coolant leak path glow like a glowworm. My money is on the pump. There’s a seal around the pump shaft that eventually wears out and begins weeping. Fluids migrate, and can fool you into believing their source is other than where it actually is. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/coolant-leak-near-water-pump/115696/6 "2018-04-16T14:37:25Z")
I had a coolant leak I couldn’t find for a long time; it didn’t leak when it wasn’t running, didn’t leak quickly enough that I left a visible trail when I drove. I was really busy at the time so kept on adding coolant and stop-leak additives. When my situation finally settled I figured out it was a seal in the water pump, coolant leaking out the ‘weep’ hole. I have a longitudinally-mounted engine so it was easy to change the pump; a new one was $27 @ the Zone of Auto. If you’re unsure, you can try plugging them up as a diagnostic; don’t count on the plug to hold, just as a way to tell if it’s the problem.