Leaking water pump. How long before it dies completely?

[ganda1f]

'94 Corolla where the water pump is leaking slightly through the weep hole. I don't think it leaks in the timing belt area, just through the weep hole. When it sits overnight there are 3-4 drops of coolant under the car. No noticeable change in the coolant level otherwise. No weird sounds coming from the pump either.
The pump has 140k miles/230k kms on it.
My question is, how many kms do I have left before the pump seizes or starts to leak heavily?
It is freezing cold outside right now so I'd rather not have to change it immediately. The timing belt is due in 10000km anyhow (previous one done at 140k kms) so I will be doing that too. Obviously I don't plan to wait that long, more like 500-1000kms.

Any thoughts?

[Bitter]

which horse will win tomorrows race?

[PhatRoyale]

There is no predetermined length in this case.

You pretty much have a ticking time bomb on your hands.

Treat it accordingly.

[ganda1f]

hehe, I understand it is not possible to guess exactly what and when it will happen. I mean, things can break down without a warning whatsoever as well.
Perhaps I should have asked if these pumps are known for leaking a few drops and then failing rather quickly and totally.
Allright, thanks.

[topnotch]

well ganda1f if your pump last till its time to change the timing belt have it change the same time however moniter your water pump, if it starts to leak severly before it time to change the timing belt change it and the timing belt same time that way you wont have to take down that part of the engine twice.

[ganda1f]

I will definitely change the pump and timing belt at the same time, taking off the valve cover just for the heck of it is not my idea of fun so I'd rather do it once not twice. And preferably not in blistering cold. I just want the temperature to be above freezing, not sure how the RTV sealant would respond if applied in cold. It is supposed to handle temps down to -55C but that is once it cures. Does not say anything about temp during application.

[shabb]

Funny how I think every water pump failure I've ever had was in the winter when I lived up north. And I hear you about the blistering cold. I don't mind the cold but when that wind starts blowin' and my ears start to hurt and ring and I can't feel my hands I really start thinking about bringing the car in. One time I used pepboys in a freezing NY winter with 2 feet of snow and my master cylinder took a dump in my Monte SS. I took it to pep boys down the block, got lucky and the took the car that day and did a great job for $200. I hate paying for someone else to fix my vehicles but they did an excellent job and wound up doing a lot of work for just 2 bills.Never paid for service since though. I don't mind paying for work, but down here in Fl, the incompetence and thievery are out of control. I have been to Firestone twice, and they are the biggest thieves i have ever seen. In fact the last time i was there for a an oil change, me the service tech and the manager almost came to blows because of the shit they were trying to pull.I made it clear that I was a mechanic and they are full of shit and they still tried to play games. I really enjoyed how the manager and tech were talking smack about me in spanish right in front of my face because they thought i was just another white guy. I have not experienced much "southern hospitality" since moving to Florida. I guess that's why they call it the"Dirty south".Seriously though, it's time for you to do timing belt,tensioner, waterpump. Your due.

[ganda1f]

So I bit the bullet and changed the water pump. Don't particularly like ticking time bombs It turned out that the old one had a bit of play on the bearings. The plug which allows to drain coolant from the engine block looked like it would break as soon as I even thought about removing it. I figured I'd rather wipe the coolant off the engine than fight the plug, so I just drained the radiator and let the coolant from the pump and the head leak out when I disconnected the pump A bit messy, but not too bad. The old O-ring (between pump and the block) was a bit difficult to remove, after 230k kms it looked nothing like rubber, more wood. After poking it for a while with a small screwdriver it would eventually come out, but access is a little awkward. Cleaned the groove, new O-ring, this is a must, reusing the old one is really begging for trouble. I reused the gasket between the water neck and the head though. It looked allright and seems to be holding so far.
New timing belt, tensioner and she purrs like a kitten.

It is quite tricky to actually remove the water pump assembly from the vehicle because power steering pump is in the way. I had to unbolt the PS pump completely, except for the hoses fortunately. This allowed to move the PS pump towards the firewall and push it down a little, so that the water pump could come out along with the neck.