HELP - coolant leak at waterpump extension

[slant6billy]

OK, maybe a slight panic on the dance floor. A week or so ago I saw a shotglass puddle in the driveway. Not sure which car it came from, so I watched fir it. Today, I rolled out the F coupe and sure enough, I found Mr leaky. It seems the gasket at the front of the block is loosing coolant. To describe it this way, that section between the block and the waterpump. I believe the timing chain is housed in there? The fuel pump is on the piece too. BTW, this is an 85 318 out of an AHB. So, why did this start to leak? Is it common? IS it a simple pull of the belts and pull the water pump and replace the gaskets. Could coolant get into the timing case and is that common? As soon as the engine got up to op temp, she seemed to stop leaking. Any pitfalls or advice or heads up I'm instore for?

 

[80 Lebaron Coupe]

Thats your timing cover, and you will have to pull the parts you mentioned and the harmonic balancer.
I had one leak like that on 90 360, it never leaked inside the engine.
Nows the time to change the timing chain, if never done before.
and if its been awhile since the WP has been done, do that too.
That way its all taken care of at one time.

And if you do change the timing chain, go back with a double roller.
Not much more and Twice the life of a single chain, unless abused.

 

[slant6billy]

Good points- thanks. Yep, I get the "while I'm there, I might as well change it.." Water pump- unknown, so it is on the list and the chain. I thought perhaps a fluid damper harmonic balance, but need to research them for the return on power investment. The fun never ends. I never saw that kind of leak before. As I look at this "LA" block and my 97 magnum block, I wonder why now the timing cover on the magnums is smaller (thinner). I wonder if the LA timing case can be put on the magnum? simply for the reason to get the normal rotation water pump and the mech fuel pump. I'm just thinking and contemplating. Something tells me that there is possibility to crossbreed the two engines.

 

[brotherGood]

A cam snout extension on the magnum cam will allow for a mechanical fuel pump, and the rest of the v belt setup. Just can't mix the two belt drive/accessories because IIRC, the magnum spins the opposite way somehow.

 

[NoCar340]

The first thing you'll want to look at is the weep hole on the underside of the water pump snout. It's there to let you know the shaft seal is failing. That's where 95% of leaks occur, and no point in ripping everything apart if it's just the pump seal leaking out of that weep hole. Agreed on the timing chain, though... pop in a dual-roller timing set if you have to rip everything down. RockAuto has 'em for around $25.

Another possibility is that the timing cover is rotting, which is fsirly common when someone runs straight water rather than a coolant mix. Dorman sells a new replacement, #635-400 (635-401 fits the Magnum applications). The water pump on Magnum engines is reverse rotation because the flat side of the belt runs the pulley from the passenger side, the opposite of a V-belt setup. Otherwise, the remainder of the cooling system is the same, as is the rotation of the accessories.