Cracked water pump but no overheating

[David]

Hi all

I am just about to finish up a quick coolant flush on my 2005 Ford Five Hundred and noticed a crack with some dark schmoo around it. I looked it up and it looks to be the water pump. It’d explain a slooooooowww coolant leak (warning light + top up twice a year) .

Do I need to worry about this crack, pictured below, or can I top up the coolant, throw some stop-leak in there and just go about my life until maybe a couple months from now when I have the time/money to replace it properly? Or am I in real trouble unless I get this replaced?

Symptoms:

• No overheating
• Slow coolant leak
• Strange smell in the car when the engine is at operating temperature but not overwhelming (baby due in couple months so maybe that’s dangerous….?)

[/li]

I’d appreciate any input on this. Thank you.

Attachments:

• crackedwaterpump.jpg

Topic

[James]

Hard to tell from picture if water pump is leaking or an o-ring at the tube is leaking. I would say fix it before you find yourself stranded with overheat if it is a water pump issue. Stay away from the stop-leak, it is crap. Fix the issue. Water pump or o-ring, gasket etc.

[James]

Also if your smelling in cab, check your floor boards and make sure not damp with coolant for possible heater core issue.

[Mike]

With a baby arriving soon, the last thing you want to have to worry about is your car breaking down.
Borrow a cooling system pressure tester from Autozone or Advanceauto or whichever big chain parts store lends tools in your area.
Unless you actually see a crack, the leak is more likely to be a $6 o ring than the few hundred dollars water pump.
It may be worthwhile to replace the hoses that attach to the water pump when you do the o ring or water pump.
The slight smell inside the car could be from a heater core leaking into the car or it could just be from the coolant boiling off the hot engine and those fumes getting into the fresh air intake of the heating/ac .

[Author]

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