Hello, all Volvo gurus and enthusiasts!

I need an advice on how to cope with the following problem... The water pump on my car is leaking thru the upper seal (O-ring) at the place where the pump meets the engine head. The pump itself is relatively "young" - some 2-3 years old, not leaking and working fine. The main seal and the seal at the return pipe are fine too. Actually, when on the run and the engine is hot, the pump is not leaking, but when the car is left overnight and the temperature falls below zero, every morning I see a little puddle of coolant on the pump surface, just near the upper seal.
Now, the question… Is it possible simply to unbolt the pump slightly and then pry it up to tighten the upper seal, or I’ll have to replace all the seals? Maybe there is some sealant that could be put over the upper seal?
Any advice is thankfully accepted.

Sincerely,
Dmitriy.

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240DL 1987 silver-blue wagon, >240K miles.

I had exactly the same problem on my 1980 five years ago. I added some "Alumaseal" radiator sealant--half the bottle, or half the recommended amount, thinking maybe the Volvo system was smaller capacity than some and I didn't want to plug up anything else.

Stopped the leak. Not the same day but over a period of maybe a week or so. It's never leaked again. I haven't put many miles on it since the spring of 2001 but there isn't any o-ring leak.

I have no financial interest that I know of in "Alumaseal" or whatever company makes it.

Good luck.

Doug Harvey

Sorry 'bout the blank msg.
What they said. The longer it leaks, the more likely it is going to corrode the the sealing surface on the head. Lots of fun fixing that. later rcs

Replace the pump or replace the seals. See www.fcpgroton.com for great prices. I think the last seal kit I bought was $3. Waterpump $40 or so.

Take it off, replace seals, put it back on. Pretty simple job. You'll need a 10mm wrench for the fan and 10mm sockets for the WP nuts. Don't miss the bolt to the pipe on the bottom rear or you won't get it apart!

Very very common leak on these engines. Usual cause is oil from leaking cam seals, running down and attacking the rubber waterpump seals.

I also grease my top seal and pipe o-ring before installing. Makes them slide in without folding an edge over.

Good luck!
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 234K, '82 245T/M46-182K, '84 242DL/AW70-100K, '89 244DL/AW70- 212K and I miss my: 86 244DL 215K, 87 244DL 239K, 88 744GLE 233K, 88 244GL 147K, 91 244 183K

My turbowagon has been doing the same thing for two years. Every few weeks, I put a splash of antifreeze in the reservoir. That's how I cope with it.
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Volvo Farmer:

20 Volvos '58-'91

I think we all know what can happen if an unsuspecting animal were to decide to take a drink of that little puddle on the driveway...
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If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as 'Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!'

My 240's water pump has been leaking for a year+ now. Top it up!!!

It's going to wait until I'm ready to do a new timing belt. Probably spring now that the snow and cold has arrived!

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90 244DL about 1/4 million miles - original engine/drivetrain :)

I usually place silicon on top and bottom of the seal and use a pry bar to press up on the pump with a prybar when bolting it in place. This puts enough pressure on the o-ring to keep it from leaking.

The FAQ has a very good step by step water replacement pump procedure.

http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/WaterPumpChange.htm
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90 744ti, Airbox, K/N, Cold air, G-Valve, Dual boost control, VDO, Modified exhaust. 88 745 gle.

When Cold Seal Contracts And Thus Leaks. When Hot Expands And Is Tight Enough. You Can Try To Pry/Wedge It Up To Get It Tighter. May Work. However If Seal Itself Is Bad Then It Wouldn't Work. Best To Just Replace Seals. Kit Of Seals Is Cheap($5). Better Yet For About $50 Replace Pump Too While You're At It. Last Time I Put On A Water Pump It Only Took About 2X Hours. Best Of Luck.