Water Pump failure

[Crowd.Slayer]

I started noticing leaks under my car when I started it. They began small with a redish color to it. I just had my transmission fluid replaced at 63k (about 2 weeks prior to the leak starting) so I thought it was transmission fluid, maybe a bad plug screwed in wrong.

After the car warms up and driven, the leak would stop. Rinse and repeat for about another 2 weeks before I was able to get it back into where it was maintenanced. Turns out it wasn't transmission fluid at all, but a coolant leak. Apparently my water pump had failed along with a piece of the plumbing. It was covered and they replaced the water pump & piping and all is well. Car runs great, but I can't help but feel the possibility of damage done internally for driving it a few weeks with a dead/failing pump. No CEL's ever went off, temp guages were all at normal operating temps every drive and everything seems just fine... I never hammered it while the leak was there for obvious reasons.

My question is, is it possible losing that much coolant over the course of 2 weeks every startup do any longterm damage? Is there anything you recommend I should check?

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[JetGray_Mach1]

If the car did not overheat you have nothing to worry about. Even if it does overheat the car has some fail-safe programming built in to shut off cylinders and lastly shut the engine off when overheated (Although I would not fully trust it, if it overheats shut it down). Only concern would be debri in the system so I would just keep an eye out maybe flush the system to be sure.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

I started noticing leaks under my car when I started it. They began small with a redish color to it. I just had my transmission fluid replaced at 63k (about 2 weeks prior to the leak starting) so I thought it was transmission fluid, maybe a bad plug screwed in wrong.

After the car warms up and driven, the leak would stop. Rinse and repeat for about another 2 weeks before I was able to get it back into where it was maintenanced. Turns out it wasn't transmission fluid at all, but a coolant leak. Apparently my water pump had failed along with a piece of the plumbing. It was covered and they replaced the water pump & piping and all is well. Car runs great, but I can't help but feel the possibility of damage done internally for driving it a few weeks with a dead/failing pump. No CEL's ever went off, temp guages were all at normal operating temps every drive and everything seems just fine... I never hammered it while the leak was there for obvious reasons.

My question is, is it possible losing that much coolant over the course of 2 weeks every startup do any longterm damage? Is there anything you recommend I should check?

You are fine. All good.

 

[ice445]

100% fine, zero concern

 

[NTXChris]

Mine started leaking last week, and left a 6 foot by roughly 4 inch wide puddle on my garage floor. The coolant reservoir was only about an eighth inch below the minimum line when I noticed that. No harm done. I think you're safe.

Do you plan on replacing the pump yourself? If so, get a shorter M6 bolt for the steel crossover tube that bolts to the pump. Some replacement pumps aren't tapped as deeply as the stock pump, and the bolt bottoms out. I had to use a M6x1.0 25mm bolt in place of the stock bolt on the Duralast pump I put in my car.

 

[WItoTX]

Your good. I drove my truck two gallons low to the mechanic because I didn't have time to mess with it. Got a little warm on the highway, but even then, not a big deal.

 

[GTP]

Mine started leaking last week, and left a 6 foot by roughly 4 inch wide puddle on my garage floor. The coolant reservoir was only about an eighth inch below the minimum line when I noticed that. No harm done. I think you're safe.

Do you plan on replacing the pump yourself? If so, get a shorter M6 bolt for the steel crossover tube that bolts to the pump. Some replacement pumps aren't tapped as deeply as the stock pump, and the bolt bottoms out. I had to use a M6x1.0 25mm bolt in place of the stock bolt on the Duralast pump I put in my car.

By how much was it too shallow? Enough to notice during assembly?

 

[NTXChris]

By how much was it too shallow? Enough to notice during assembly?

Shallow enough that with the bolt tight, there was still a good 1/8th inch of movement. You could probably even go down to a 20mm long bolt. That's still plenty of thread engagement for that kind of bracket.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

By how much was it too shallow? Enough to notice during assembly?

Just get a ford pump and you're fine.

 

[ice445]

Just get a ford pump and you're fine.

Agreed. People are far too concerned about the metal vs plastic bs. I'd trust an OE pump any day over what crap autozone sells.

 

[80FoxCoupe]

Agreed. People are far too concerned about the metal vs plastic bs. I'd trust an OE pump any day over what crap autozone sells.

Or get the FP pump, even better. Higher volume and ceramic bearings with less drag.

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-8501-M52A

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