# Water Pump Leak



## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

So I have been losing a very slight amount of coolant continuously since I bought. Faint coolant smell in garage.

Brand New - Coolant Well Above Max Line

5k miles - Noticed coolant slightly below Max Line

9k miles - Halfway between Max and Min. Approx 7oz of coolant added to get back to Max.

14k miles - Level halfway between Max and Min. 

Opened the hood and noticed the below dried coolant appears to be slinging from serpentine belt.

This cant be head gasket right?











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Picture of water pump with dried up coolant on pulley.











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

Andre VW said:


> Picture of water pump with dried up coolant on pulley.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It most likely is the pump gasket it self. If it is the head gasket you would get a lot of smoke and your oil would be contaminated. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Hfqkhal said:


> It most likely is the pump gasket it self. If it is the head gasket you would get a lot of smoke and your oil would be contaminated.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thats what I was thinking. Been monitoring this since new and wanted to make sure it wasnt just normal initial expansion of plumbing and volume for a new vehicle that was making the level drop. 

The head gasket concern was recent only after seeing some have gone through for that, but that issue seems like coolant loss is sudden and major.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

Well you can say sudden. But it seems to be a slow leak to take that many miles to get less. But before it gets any worse take it in and have them pressure test and fix 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Hfqkhal said:


> Well you can say sudden. But it seems to be a slow leak to take that many miles to get less. But before it gets any worse take it in and have them pressure test and fix
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sorry I meant all the latest talks of head gasket failures concerned me but with my low rate of change of coolant and finding the slinging coolant off the belt, def glad its not the head gasket.

Taking it to service this week. Will see what they say. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

That was what I thought you meant. Keep
Us updated 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Dealer confirmed tiny small leak from water pump. I do not know if its a faulty pump or gasket. Either way, pump and drive belt are being changed since drive belt gets wet when pump is removed. Will have more details when I get the car and see the service notes.

Glad to finally put an end to the constant monitoring of coolant I had to do to see if this was a new car coolant burp thing or actual coolant leak. 




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## big_hot_tamale (Dec 20, 2003)

Andre VW said:


> Dealer confirmed tiny small leak from water pump. I do not know if its a faulty pump or gasket. Either way, pump and drive belt are being changed since drive belt gets wet when pump is removed. Will have more details when I get the car and see the service notes.
> 
> Glad to finally put an end to the constant monitoring of coolant I had to do to see if this was a new car coolant burp thing or actual coolant leak.
> 
> ...


same issue here at 33k...

A year ago saw a small puddle (1 tbsp) of coolant and have been smelling coolant for the year. Took it to dealership back then, said there was no problem because they pressure tested it.
I knew they were fking morons because I know the smell of VW coolant after owning 20+ over 35 years. But whatever it's under warranty, I did my duty of bringing it in and got it noted on service records.

Now a year later, 1/4 cup puddle under the car after every use but no low coolant light yet. Getting appointment for them to fix is a 2 to 5 day out schedule and no loaner car. bah.


----------



## formula14 (Jul 5, 2010)

Just had water pump replaced on my 2018 with 60k miles. I've had gradual coolant loss since new but it started leaking faster and had spots under the car, I initially thought it was an oil leak but it ended up being the water pump. Now I'm paying more attention to the reservoir to see if the gradual leak has been fixed with the new pump or if it continues and I need to think about head gasket issues.


----------



## dsquared15 (Jan 8, 2015)

Just had the same issue on my wife’s 2018 with 58k, dealer replaced it under warranty.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## walksonair (Aug 29, 2017)

Had the same issue on my 2018 with 60k, dealer replaced it under warranty. No new belt though.


----------



## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

2018 3.6 - water pump leak repaired under warranty at 37K miles. Was always losing coolant slowly but it finally started to leak enough to visually see/leaving a puddle. Fixed no-drama at dealer.


----------



## shadytheatlas (Jul 5, 2018)

Where does the pump leak? Are there any aftermarket pumps that eliminate the issue?


----------



## mackopes (Apr 17, 2015)

Had my 2018 Atlas water pump replaced as well under warranty at 48k… guy at the dealership said this is a common problem and they replace a few of these a week.


----------



## mhjett (Oct 16, 2000)

I'm at 41k mi on my 2018 3.6 Atlas and have had to add a little coolant (a cup or two) about 2 or 3 times since about 27-28k mi. Just last week the low coolant light came on. I noticed there's coolant on the water pump pulley and some coolant has been flung onto the AC lines and radiator end cap, consistent with what's shown in *Andre VW's *photos, above. I topped off the coolant and the light went off.

Since I noticed this, I've driven the car half a dozen times on shorter trips and the coolant level hasn't yet gone down again. But clearly, the water pump needs replacing. Odd that the water pump leak seems inconsistent (temperature dependent?). Anyway, I'm actually relieved it's just the water pump, not the head gasket (the other known 3.6 coolant consumption issue), as the water pump is a cheap and easy fix. 

I noticed that the water pump for this car has a part number supecession. Current number is 03H-121-008-M; the prior number is 03H-121-008-K. I have no knowledge beyond that, but it makes me wonder if there was a known issue that was addressed with the -K part number. I don't know when the part was superceeded and also don't know if the leaking pump on my car has a -K or an -M part number, but will update this thread if/when I find out. 

By the way, here's a DIY for anyone looking or needing to replace the pump yourself: 

Water pump DIY?


----------



## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

I had my 2019 Atlas pump changed under warranty due to leaking


----------

