From the paperwork I have from the previous owner, the water pump was replaced last Dec (2012) - about 10,000 miles ago. It now looks to be leaking a bit right around that top round seal. I cleaned it up real good with brushes and so I can see what is going on and drove it for a while. With a mirror, I can see some little bubbles forming around that gasket and there is a little puddle on the pump where the fins are that stick out toward the fan attachment.

I've read that water pumps are usually gone after about 15,000 miles. Is that because the fan is hooked to it and I guess it wiggles the pump loose? Is it possible that this existing pump is already shot? Or can I simply smear some gasket silicone around the round top and seal it up some more? I'm not so confident that I can take this whole thing apart and would rather not sink more money into the car right now to have someone else do it for me, especially if the pump itself is not actually bad yet.

If it is leaking like this, will I need to replace it or can I do some sort of quick fix to just try to block the leak from the top?

Thanks!
Rob