My mechanic said I have a very small coolant leak and that in the future I might need to replace it.He said I should keep an eye on my coolant level.Anyone like to comment on how how a quot;small leakmight develop into a quot;major leakthat needs to be urgently addressed?He also said that to replace my water pump, he would charge $400. Is this expensive?(I have a 1996 VW Jetta)
The water pump leaks to warn you that it is about to go bad, meaning that you will overheat. Keeping an eye on the coolant is a good temporary course of action but this needs to be fixed before you ruin the engine. I believe your water pump is driven by the timing belt and that is a complex job. $400 is about right, and have him change the timing belt and thermostat also.
most water pumps have a small port hole in the pump housing. when your internal seal and/or bearing begins to wear out, you will get a small amount of fluid seeping from this hole. CAUTION, this leak will get much worse, not better. address this problem promptly. the price of repair might be in line depending on parts availability and your location.many mechanics in my area charge up to $40 an hour labor plus materials.
water pumps will have a small leak when the seal or bearing is bad as they get worse the more it will leak or become noisy $ 400 is too much to replace a water pump.
i had a small leak on a 2000 corsa , it turned into a major problem with the car over heating alot , cost me about ?360 to replace water pump and this did sort everything out , prices vary on different cars so not sure if its expensive but sounds about right , my advise have the work done befor it really dose some damage
the water pump has a small weep hole on the bottom where it will leak small traces of coolant/water. this is an indicator that the seal inside the pump is going bad. it can go from a small leak to leaking like a cow pissing on a flat rock at anytime. if this happens the motor will overheat and you might find yourself stuck on the side of the road. the estimate sound reasonable and does it include the tax and everything?
