water pump?

[jbling]

i have a 94 4.0 ranger. there is a massive leak coming from somewhere. i thought it was the the lower radiator hose so i changed that and now water/coolant drips down from the bottom of the motor. a lot of it. could this be the water pump or would it be something else? thank you

 

[engdept]

Sounds like your water pump is telling you it needs changed. There is a weep hole on the bottom side of the water pump that tells you when the pump is bad.

 

[jbling]

i was also reading that it could be the freeze plugs. any idea how to check if these go bad or where they are located?

 

[Big Jim M]

Ive got an idea... Get yourself under there with a light and FIND THE LEAK!! Nobody here can do it for ya.
Big JIm

 

[JoeCanada]

I've been down this road too...

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18882

...that might help.

 

[almostclueless]

Ive got an idea... Get yourself under there with a light and FIND THE LEAK!! Nobody here can do it for ya.
Big JIm

bingo. requests for remote troubleshooting are kinda grating on the nerves.

 

[woodyedmiston]

Relax

Hey guys - jbling just joined this month - he has not read all the stuff you have. If he goes to the local Autozone they will sell him stuff till it stops leaking or he runs out of money. Mister Oaks started this thing so we could help each other out.

That being said, there is no substitute for getting under the truck and looking - as long as you are being safe.

There are only six "freeze plugs" three per side of the engine block. One each is in the back of the cylinder heads. If they are creating a massive leak, you should be able to look and feel that the plug is not in place, rotted away, etc. The main reason freeze plugs go bad is lack of the proper ratio of water to coolant. If you just got the truck, maybe the previous owner was not so good about that.

Other than that - the previous advice about hoses and the water pump is good stuff.