Antifreeze Leaking and Burning??

[HazMatt]

I have a 95 SHO ATX and somewhere I'm leaking antifreeze and its burning off the engine block. When I stop, my car makes a huge cloud of smoke and it looks like its on fire. Not only is this embarrassing, but it also makes me go through a gallon of antifreeze every 2-3 days.

I checked the main hoses on the radiator (top and bottom) as well as their respective destinations (engine block for top, water pump for the bottom). I'm not sure of the location of the freeze plugs on 3.2L SHOs, so I havent checked those thoroughly, but I dont think they are the problem.

I got under my car while it was running and radiator fluid was leaking out the bottom. It was coming off the exhaust so I followed it upward. From under the car, the right side (passenger side) of the engine near the pullys is saturated with antifreeze. The left side of the engine block is dry, top and bottom.

I followed the wetness located on the engine and traced the last known fluids to just below the water pump. This makes me think I might have a water pump leak, but it seems as though the water pump is encased within part of the engine block. I'm not saying its part of the engine, but it looks like itll be **** to get to.

Does anyone have any suggestions or have any ideas on how hard it is to replace your own water pump? I've done all the amateur work on my car myself (rotor swaps, brake jobs, suspension, starters, alternators, etc.) but i've never replaced a water pump.

Thanks in advance for any help and I've also included some pictures. The area with the light is where all of the saturation is, and the pictures were taken from under the passenger front wheel well. I believe the pully in the picture is my drive train pully with the water pump pully located directly above it, but ill have to check the diagram again. I dont recall off the top of my head.

(pictures taken with cell phone sorry for quality)

 

[HazMatt]

the links to the pics didnt show so:

http://img101.imageshack.us/i/img003ba.jpg/

http://img3.imageshack.us/i/img004xg.jpg/

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Waterpump

might as well do a front 60K

 

[HazMatt]

Hahaha so I take it you mean I'll be tied up for a while if I do that and might as well mess with everything else too?

 

[HazMatt]

Also I believe there was a 60k guide somewhere? Maybe it was on another SHO site but I cant find the link anywhere. I've been looking for it since I pulled the SHO out of the garage after winter, because I wanted to do the 60k considering I doubt anyone ever has and shes just hit 130k last week

 

[frosho]

You will probably want to go ahead and do the 60K mile maintenance for the front side of the engine. This includes water pump, crank sensor, front main seal, cam sensor, cam seals, and timing belt. You could also do your accessory belts and lower radiator hose while you're in there.

Here is a guide for the front 60K maintenance: http://www.shophoenixproject.com/lower60k/lower60k.htm

 

[HazMatt]

Thanks a lot guys. Hopefully its just the water pump and not a freeze plug because I dont have the capability to pull my engine and replace a $0.65 plug.

From what I've said thus far tho, it does sound like the water pump to you guys?

 

[silver93sho]

yup, sounds like the water pump for sure.

 

[rubydist]

Typical waterpump leak is on the shaft seal, so it drips onto the pulley and/or down the pump housing. If you don't fix it soon, it can result in damage to the crank sensor - and that causes undesired engine shutdown.

 

[HazMatt]

I don't think its that, because the car has done this for a very long time, it was just never as bad of a problem as it is now. It just drinks water like its, well, water. My engine doesnt shut down but its funny you should say that because now that I think of it, sometimes when I start my car it sputters and dies with the battery light slowly fading from not visible to barely visible. I thought it was an electrical problem and it goes away if I rev the engine, but unless its something like that, I dont think thats the problem. Ima pull the pump today tho and see what the deal is.