[shuaige]

Hi all, hoping someone can help me with this.

I have a fluid leak on center-passenger side of engine bay:

(1) fluid leak is dripping but light after stopping car; fluid looks primarily to be coolant/water with oil definitely in it (based on touch and sheen) and potentially a greenish fluid in it as well

(2) low coolant warning started a week ago (no critical level warning though) and I had previously topped off my coolant with ~2L mix a few months ago

(3) Water pump was replaced within last 3 years and 10k miles

(4) OFHG never replaced

Any thoughts on where I can take a quick look before I take to mechanic? I also want to be able to push back if they just tell me to replace the water pump again.

[E93Dude]

Can you be a little more specific where the leak is? A picture might be helpful. While you are doing that, open the oil fill cap on top of the engine and look at your oil? Does it have a milky colour to it? It would be a bad thing if an internal gasket had failed and coolant was leaking into your oil supply. However, it's very possible you just have a coolant leak on the outside, that is getting contaminated with oil already on the outside of the engine.

[shuaige]

Originally Posted by E93Dude

Can you be a little more specific where the leak is? A picture might be helpful. While you are doing that, open the oil fill cap on top of the engine and look at your oil? Does it have a milky colour to it? It would be a bad thing if an internal gasket had failed and coolant was leaking into your oil supply. However, it's very possible you just have a coolant leak on the outside, that is getting contaminated with oil already on the outside of the engine.

Thank you for your help!

I checked the car this morning and it had the low coolant warning again with some semi-evaporated ground residue. Then I refilled and waited a hour and half, and moved car to different location. No leak, which seems to suggest that the coolant leak is only when the engine area is hot.

I don't know where the leak is, which is the problem, as I don't have a lift or ramps here; all I know is that the drip is from the back of the under-tray and not explicitly visible from the top.

Actual oil isn't visible from the engine fill cap (console says I'm half-way between min and max engine oil), but the oil on the cap itself looks normal.

[shuaige]

I took it to the mechanic; there's a hairline crack in the water pump. Apparently, the previous shop ordered the standard OEM part instead of the upgraded pump.