Q: Water leak on driver's side of engine.

asked by on January 13, 2016

I have a water leak somewhere around the driver's side of the engine. I don't know if it needs a hose, plastic connector, or something else replaced.

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Hi there. The most common area of leakage on this engine that occurs towards the front of the engine is the water pump. When it begins to fail it will slowly leak coolant from the water pump shaft seal and you will get the coolant puddling around the front of the engine. The best way to find a leak is by either performing a pressure test on the cooling system or adding dye to it. A dye kit can be purchased from most auto parts stores that you can add directly to the coolant. Allow it to circulate and then use the supplied glasses and light to find the source of the leak. If you are not comfortable with this you should enlist the help of a certified mechanic, like one from YourMechanic, who can properly perform a pressure test on the cooling system to find the leak.

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