Winterization Time

[Mike_O]

Greetings, I live in a climate where it gets to -40 in winter, so I decided to winterize my car.

I plan on doing the following:
- replace battery with 1000CCA unit
- flush antifreeze
- check block heater
- oil change to 5W30

I was worried the water pump gasket might leak, so should I have it replaced (the gasket), or just replace the pump entirely?

Thanks.

[gadget73]

replace the pump. If you have to unbolt it, do not put it back on. They're very inexpensive. Honestly though, if that gasket isn't leaking or giving you some indication that its a problem, let it be. They almost never just start leaking on their own for no particular reason. When water shows up back there, its often the back plate to the water pump rotting through if its not a hose failing.

[Mike_O]

I'll just replace the pump then, and have the hoses inspected.

[mercurygm88]

I'll just replace the pump then, and have the hoses inspected.

my water pump started leaking from the weep hole saturday i just picked up a reman motorcraft pump for $14.99 plus a $3.00 core today. Im also pretty sure its still the original thats on there so i guess i dont blame it for goin out after 23 years and 90,000 miles.

[Mike_O]

What causes it to leak so soon after installation?

[johnunit]

basically a gasket not being put on/sealed properly.

I totally agree, if it aint broke don't fix it.

It's a cheap part, but the job is a bit of a hassle, especially if you're dealing with bolts that haven't moved in decades.

[Mike_O]

Thanks for the advice.

[mercurygm88]

What causes it to leak so soon after installation?

if you were talking about mine what i meant was that the old one started leaking last week and i just bought a new one today but havent got around to putting it on yet. Sorry about that it was my fault for making it sound confusing but i edited it so it should be easier to understand now.

[Mike_O]

Yeah that's what I'm afraid of - it being the middle of winter, the water pump gasket finally giving out and then running the engine with no antifreeze in it.

I hate winter in Canada. I really, really do.

[mercurygm88]

well i guess the best thing to do is just check all your fluids every week or so like i do. If i were one of those ppl (they are out there) who never check/ and or change any fluids. Then i probably would have run out of coolant and fried my motor. But luckily i caught it. BTW mine is leaking from the weep hole on the wp shaft not the gasket so it seems its the seal for the shaft that has gone on mine. While ive only been to canada in the summer (august in niagara falls twice now) I can tell you ohio winters suck lots of snow and temps slightly below 0 degrees farenheit, so i can only imagine what it must be like up there.

[Mike_O]

Oh, around late January we get 2-3 weeks of -40 degree cold weather.

It's lousy.

[johnunit]

from what I've seen and heard, waterpumps don't really give out catastrophically, in terms of leakage. If it's not leaking now, 99.5% it won't be leaking enough to be a risk of anything in the near future.

Also, if you run out of antifreeze it's not a problem in terms of engine damage, unless the car was run for a while with significantly low antifreeze. The damage from freezing temps "without" antifreeze is only when the ratio of water to antifreeze in the engine is too low, and the mostly-water mix freezes. Then the water does to your engine block what it does to sidewalks, roads, water bottles, etc. as it turns to ice.

If you lost enough antifreeze overnight to do serious harm when running it, you'd likely see a pretty large puddle under and around the car. You can lose easily 3 or 4 litres of the stuff and be allright, not that I'd recommend running it low. 3-4 litres of bright green stuff that melts snow will be noticed.

[79lincolnlover]

I hate winter in Canada. I really, really do.

Don't we all...That's why I store my cars each winter.

[Southern_Pride]

If its that cold and you have a lopo, it probably won't overheat with a dry block as long as your moving.

[Mike_O]

If its that cold and you have a lopo, it probably won't overheat with a dry block as long as your moving.

What is a "lopo"?


And I can't realistically store the car for the winter because it's the only vehicle I own.