While performing an engine oil change I noticed that my machine is dripping coolant. It appears to be originating from a plug (weep hole?) on the water pump housing. I pulled the radiator cap; the level was a touch low, and I found some small rubber pieces on top of the veins/fins. The machine sees maybe 20 hours of runtime per year. What is causing the leak? What are the little rubber chunks from? What is the solution (new water pump)? And, is it a problem if I put another hour of runtime on the machine before fixing? If anyone has shop manuals or wisdom on how to perform the appropriate repair, I would appreciate any guidance.
The weep hole is your telltale that the water pump is leaking and needs replacement. There’s no issues running it as long as you keep track of the coolant level......the rubber bits are likely seal bits tha are flushing out the weep hole.
Definitely the water pump will have to be replaced, the internal seal is worn out. I would also grab the fan with 2 hands, if possible and rock side to side, to see how much movement you can feel. Many times the bearing becomes worn, and then the seal fails. If there is no movement in bearing, then you could run machine a bit more, but you have to really watch your coolant level. As far as rubber bits, look at the rad cap, possibly the rubber seal is dried up.
Thank you, great idea to check the bearing. Cap seals are in good shape, my guess is the rubber is seal chunks being flushed through the upper hose.
Thank you. I found the rubber bits in the top of the radiator, my guess is they are chunks of an internal seal that is failing and got flushed through the upper radiator hose.