Water pump Gone?
 

So a few days ago my 1.6 started overheating. I pulled over and had coolant misting everywhere. So I nursed it home and after it cooled down it looked like it was coming from the pipe where coolant exits the head and goes to the thermostat. So I finally was able to dig in tonight and take a look. When I got the cam gears off and the cover removed there is no coolant back there! However there was plenty of coolant under the cam cover so where is it coming from? My first thought is the water pump. What do you think?

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Maybe the o ring on the thermostat neck to head connection went by by. Or I had the bearing seal on my '97 start weeping on the water pump. Right where the shaft goes into the water pump. Happened right before I did my timing so lucky me, already had a new pump for it.

Also just to clarify. There is water behind the plastic covers right. Puddle under the crank pulley right around the oil pump/oil pan?

I'm assuming the red stuff is the dried coolant residue? Rust and/or that GM red coolant?

If so, then my vote is for the water pump, because there's no red stuff on the head where the thermostat neck O-ring goes. It's also possible you cracked the thermostat neck pipe, but that seems unlikely.

--Ian

There's an awful lot of moist coolant from that TB coolant line in the front there, but if not for that, my money is on the WP too. Not too hard to change, it looks like you're 90% of the way there already. How old is the water pump?

Thanks for the replys. I did have a small leak from the small hose under the thermostat, but that was not the primary problem. I did think about a cracked thermo tube, but it looks pretty solid. I will go forward with the water pump route.

How long has it been since you did a water pump? If it started leaking, you may have been overdue anyway. Good idea to change it if thats the case.