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Middle of nowhere in Brecon Beacons & water pump leaking on car

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 Andy Mountains 23 Aug 2012
I am away on a family holiday 3 miles up a single track road, and 12 miles from a town, and I think the water pump on my 2.2 vectra diesel has gone. There is a very steady drip when the engine gets hot. Should I try radweld as a temp fix to get us home on sat?
Is the bottom pulley the water pump?
Advice from any mechanics would be most welcome.
 Dave Williams 23 Aug 2012
In reply to Andy Mountains:

I'm no mechanic but it sounds like a perfectly reasonable plan to me but I'd definitely use Radweld Plus rather than normal Radweld for a water pump leak. Normal Radweld is only specified for radiator leaks.

HTH

Dave
 EeeByGum 23 Aug 2012
In reply to Andy Mountains: Also make sure you have a load of bottles of water so that you can limp to civilisation if things start to escalate. Good luck!
 Ridge 23 Aug 2012
In reply to Andy Mountains:
You could also try loosening the radiator filler cap, (but make sure you don't lose it!). This will stop the system pressurising and slow the leak on the pump. However take it very slow and keep an eye on the temp gauge and warning lights.
 Ridge 23 Aug 2012
In reply to Ridge:
Just re-read the OP. How far is 'home'? Loosening the cap is fine for shortish journeys, but you risk losing a lot by evaporation over long distances.
 ross 23 Aug 2012
In reply to Andy Mountains: Hi Andy, I'm wary of radweld as it can block your matrix. Also I think it probably works by exposure to air so against a moving water pump shaft it might not be so good. Also if the bearing on your pump goes, the cam belt could jump...
I'm no mechanic, so hopefully someone will say I'm wrong and radweld will make it all better.
Good luck, Ross.
 Dave Williams 23 Aug 2012
In reply to ross:
> ... I'm wary of radweld as it can block your matrix. Also I think it probably works by exposure to air so against a moving water pump shaft it might not be so good....

I'll say it again. Use Radweld PLUS, not ordinary Radweld. Radweld Plus has been designed for sealing large leaks in engine blocks, cylinder heads etc. It successfully stopped a severe water pump leak on my Land Rover.

Dave
 redsulike 23 Aug 2012
In reply to Andy Mountains: Join the AA online?
 Rick Graham 23 Aug 2012
Drive with the radiator cap off and the heater on full blast. Top up the water if neccessary. If the heater stops blowing hot, the water level is low ! Stop the car.

Check the cambelt tension, If the water pump shears, the cambelt comes off, goodbye engine.

Hope this helps
 MJ 23 Aug 2012
In reply to Andy Mountains:

Travel at night, when it's colder and less traffic.
In reply to Andy Mountains:

Bit of an update. Home is 100 miles away on winding A roads. Managed to get some Radweld but not Plus.
Its chain not cam belt driven.
Already got breakdown cover, so plan is to attempt the drive home, and phone for recovery if we have a problem.
 Jim Fraser 24 Aug 2012
In reply to Andy Mountains:

Not all water pump problems behave the same. It might get worse at higher revs and it might get better.

100 miles planned in small easy steps may not be a problem and will be less of a problem if planned for say 120 miles of easier roads with no hills.

The idea of leaving the cap off might work well but there are some variables. Some systems will cope better than others and this depends on both system layout and antifreeze type.

 gethin_allen 24 Aug 2012
In reply to Andy Mountains:
I wouldn't bother with radweld, it's probably a shaft seal that's gone not a fitting gasket. You may be able to check this if you can get to it.
So all was well on the journey home. Used standard radweld (all that was available at local shop) and it seems to have done the trick for time being.
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