Water Pump Weep 3406E

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by JimmyWells, Jul 21, 2017.

  1. JimmyWells

    JimmyWells Road Train Member

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    Water pump is beginning to weep on a 3406e. Seems to be a very small leak but it's enough to catch my attention. Is this the beginning of the end? If so, how much longer do they usually last?
     
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  3. buddyd157

    buddyd157 Road Train Member

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    no one can predict the lifespan of a water pump. go get it fixed ASAP
     
  4. Alaska76

    Alaska76 Road Train Member

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    ^^^^^^:yes2557:^^^^^^
     
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  5. baha

    baha Road Train Member

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    Dont think about plugging the drain hole?
     
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  6. GrapeApe

    GrapeApe Road Train Member

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    A wet stain is no big deal, a little weep is normal in a weep hole. They'll usually leak more when cold and seal up when hot. If at any time it leaks enough to run down and drip, schedule some downtime to change the pump. It's always better to schedule it to be replaced yourself or a at trusted shop than to take your chances breaking down the road. who knows what kind of service or bill you'll get stuck with.
     
  7. buddyd157

    buddyd157 Road Train Member

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    not entirely true, the weep hole has a purpose. and not at all, what you claim.

    WEEP HOLES
    Water pumps all come with a hole in them. The hole is called the “weep hole”. It’s not that water pumps are naturally sad or anything. They need the weep hole to warn you when seals are about to fail in the pump. The weep hole is intended to allow extra lubricant from the pump bearings to drip out of the water pump housing. Without this hole, the oil would be forced past the water pump seal and get into the engine coolant. The hole also allows coolant to escape the pump housing instead of being forced past the oil seals to contaminate the bearings.

    SEAL FAILURE
    The way you can tell if a seal if about to fail is by checking the weep hole to see what is coming out If oil comes out of the weep hole, it means you have a blown or failing oil seal. If, instead, water or anti-freeze leaks out of the weep hole, then you have a leaking internal water pump seal in the case. Small amounts of moisture or oil around the weep hole is probably not a problem, but if there is significant leakage of water or oil, it’s time to replace the water pump.


    Why Is There a Small Hole in a Water Pump?
     
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  8. GrapeApe

    GrapeApe Road Train Member

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    Read the paperwork that comes with a Cat pump. Minor seepage that makes s stain is totally normal and no reason to change the pump. It should not be soaked or dripping, but it is very common to get a little seepage. I don't see where anything you posted differs from what I said.

    Id you're referring to the sealing up when hot, I am not saying that it means that it's OK. What I meant was that you should check it cold to really see how bad it is. If you only check it hot, you can miss the early signs of leakage.
     
  9. SAR

    SAR Road Train Member

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    I am confused also, what he had posted, you had already said.

    All of my CAT engines leak out the weep hole. I even talked to my cat mechanic because I was concerned also, but he said they're designed to do that to lubricate the seals.

    But there comes a point where if it's dripping while running or leave a puddle after the engines off, then it's probably getting time.
     
  10. Scottyboy

    Scottyboy Light Load Member

    Thats interesting SAR- what your CAT mechanic said.
    Both my Cat engines do not leak/seep out the hole.I'll have to ask around about that.
    I wouldn't like my hole to be weeping(water pump).
     
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  11. SAR

    SAR Road Train Member

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    Mine don't leak a lot, it's just a little bit around the weep hole where dirt and grime stick to it. I have one cat engine where they have a little piece of foam in the hole, I suppose that's designed to catch fluid before it comes out or it doesn't allow dirt to get in there.

    I'm not sure about other engine designs, but that's what my mechanic told me about the CAT and I haven't had trouble yet.
     
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