Q: My car needs a new water pump but what else should be replaced?

If the car is overheating or the rate of coolant loss is so high that it will likely overheat, you should not drive it because overheating will damage the engine. The most common related services accompanying water pump replacement are cooling system flush, testing the radiator cap, and possibly flow testing of your radiator to make sure that the radiator is not clogged.

The cooling system thermostat should be replaced at the same time as the water pump particularly on a 20 year old car and particularly if the thermostat has never been replaced. Finally, all rubber coolant hoses, including heater hoses, should be carefully inspected for any rot, weakness, cuts, oil saturation or other damage. It would be a shame to do all this work and then have a 20 year old $10 hose blow out on the freeway. Carefully check the hoses! Good luck with this and YourMechanic can surely help diagnose the issue with your leak and make the repairs that are necessary.