kjr11mjr

hi guys,

heres the summary of the problem...when the engine is running...water drips from the area around the timing belt region...when the car shuts off....the water slowly stops dripping..it isnt the hose pipe or radiator or coolant reserve box...

i have a 93 es300.....can some one please identify what the problem could be..its definitely water and not oil...and therefore its the water from the radiator (not AC because i dont use the ac these days at all)

eagerly waiting for your answers/advice/fixes

MikeLex

I think that your water pump is in need of replacement.

KLF

If by "water" you mean "coolant", then yes you need a new water pump.

If you are running straight water in your cooling system, then you probably need a new engine as it froze and cracked the block.

zppeacock

If you have the climate control set on auto it will run the ac no matter what temp is wanted.

edarte

Yes, just to expand on what zppeacock posted; the air conditioner causes the water vapor to condense and drip below the car. Make sure the AC is off (it comes on automatically when AUTO is selected) drive the car for a few miles then come back and park in a dry area. Then check to see if you still have drips. Hopefully mystery solved.

sphillips

Could be the condensate drain for the a/c system. Not sure where the drain is but probably just aft of the firewall near the evaporator. If the water is coming from the area of the timing belt and it is coolant, then you need a water pump as previously mentioned.

kjr11mjr

yeah its not the ac, because i keep it off (december/winter and all), and i think ive narrowed it down to either water pump leak or water jacket leak..

thanks alot guys

edarte

Well, in your first post you said "water" and if you really are seeing water then there are not many places for water to come from. As KLF pointed out what you would normally expect from the radiator or water pump is "coolant" and it is usually coloured (i.e., red, orange, blue, etc. depending on brand and type). So is it water or some other liquid?

If it is water than I can't think of many other sources but the AC. Unless you really do have water as coolant which is very unlikely and not very wise, especially if you are in NY this time of year. One other possibility is the windshield washer fluid container but it too usually is not clear like water. And you say it stops when the car is turned off implies it is related to some running process - not the windshield washer.

Just an FYI - the AC is useful, even in the winter, as it helps a lot to clear the windshield from condensation. That is why Lexus (and most manufacturers) have it come on, even in winter, when the auto setting is selected.

BoostedE21

Oreilly's sells a coolant system pressure tester for about $40. You take off your radiator cap, pump it up to, say, 10 psi, and leave it. Come back in an hour and see if any pressure has bled off. If so, you have a leak in your coolant system. You can repeat the process to see if you can visibly see where it's coming from, without burning yourself on a running engine.

L's TLS

iTrader: (1)

My ES drips water even when I run the heat. Hopefully thats your cause. Car doesnt have much pure water in it, if any at all.

avspecguy

I think water pump leaks can come and go with changes in engine temperature. My 93 ES300 (230K miles) is now leaking coolant in the same area, and after removing the tire and plastic cover inside the fender well I could see the water (coolant) trail on the end of the block just above the oil pan. It doesn't always leak though and I haven't been able to get it to leak while I'm looking. I plan to replace the water pump in mine this coming week and put a new timing belt in at the same time. I have no idea when any belt or hoses have been replaced on the car so I'm also going to put in new radiator, heater, and bypass hoses at the same time while the coolant has been drained. The pump was only $47 at Auto Zone and the total for all the hoses and belts and pump was about $120.

Good luck!

KLF

That $47 "lifetime warranty" water pump will not be much of a bargain when you have to replace it in a year. BTDT, I learned my lesson.

How long did the original one last? 230K miles? 17 years? Sounds like a good deal to me. Go OEM, it's not that much more.