Rep Power: 0

I went to a oil change and during oil change the mechanic told that the water pump is leaking and it needs to be changed which would cost $450 for the pump alone , if I replace the timing belt it would take $700.

But I havent seen the car over heating or the gauge moving to H on the dashboard nor have seen any trail of liquid in my parking spot. How else could I be sure that water pump is leaking? Also where can I get the actual cost of water pump?

Thanks,
CivicUser

 
Rep Power: 518

Year of the car? (I'm assuming 7th gen.)
Model?
Not a hybrid?


Are you in the USA or somewhere else? Google "Honda parts catalog".
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/
OE, dealer MSRP in the US is about $85.


Is this a reputable shop, or some JizzyLube oil change joint?
Is the person that told you you need all this capable of completing the work without causing even more problems? Crap gets expensive in a hurry when a timing belt goes wrong.


Get under the car and look.
Is there fresh liquid? What color?
Look at the weep hole on the water pump.
Is there fresh liquid?
Is there only a crusty green trail?
Is the car losing antifreeze from the reservoir? From the radiator?

Is it going to be due for a timing belt soon? Can it wait until then?



Second opinions can be invaluable.

At strictly face value as written, this is a rip IMO.

Unless you are in a major metro area, 700 sounds awful high for a BASIC timing belt job.....Maybe they are adding other things to that job? Got an itemized breakdown of the prices? Too many variables are possible, not enough info from you.

I'd expect quite a bit lower estimate for a simple timing belt + water pump job in my area. Unless it needs more than you are telling.

GUESSES:
T-belt $25
2 belts 50
pump 85
coolant 30
Labor value for a water pump job (includes all parts listed above): roughly 3.5 hours x posted labor rate.
Ours is $110/hour, and this is the basic parts list you would get at around 100,000 miles.
Stop.
Add some for tax.
Far less than 700, right?
And I work at a dealer.



If you add more gaskets and seals, the price goes up. Got oil leaks that need addressed while the timing belt is off? Front shaft seals? Valve cover gasket set?

How many miles are on it? If over 150k, I'd be recommending a tensioner pulley for the timing belt too. Add another $100 or so.

You might be nearing 700 now, but it is also much more complete than a basic water pump job now too.


HTH

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks very much for your reply
Here are some of the details about the car

The car's make is 2001 EX

This is Quality tune up in Dublin, CA

I will give a fresh look in the morning once again

How do I do this? Please provide me some link with a image or youtube video.

But my doubt still is can the water pump leak be visually inspected (that is while doing a oil change) how to be sure this isn't a rip off? I will go for a second opinion but its just that i don't want to ripped off there as well.

Thanks,
CivicUser

 
Rep Power: 186

Open your radiator cap when the car is cold. Make sure the fluid is filled close to the lip of the radiator.

Next to the radiator is a white overflow/reserve tank for coolant. Make sure it has fluid in it and make sure it's not filled all the way to the top where the cap is.

If your radiator is not full and the white reserve tank is filled to the top, let us know and we can talk more about what your problem may be.

 
Rep Power: 209

dont jump to any conclusions over one opinion, if your car is not getting abnormally hot or overheating then there is no reason to panic or hurry,

just monitor your coolant level closely for the next 2-3 weeks, if your not losing any, there is no leak, common sense,

 
Rep Power: 518

Mileage?
With a name like that, I'd guess they are struggling to survive. "Tune up" shops here in my town closed up and disappeared back in the 1980s or so. The name is from a time way back when cars needed a tune up or adjustment every 6000 miles (prior to the 1970s), and they could make a killing back then on that business model.
Technology and 100,000 mile tune ups killed that business off.

Now that I wrote that out, I just Googled the name: "Ever since 1976, we've been the....." Figured.

And it is a chain store. Uhhhhh....Reviews? Uhhhhh.....looks like split love/hate. http://www.yelp.com/biz/quality-tune..._desc&start=40

The "Mike" dude seems to be loved by many, but the hired help--not so much.

Absolutely it can. Very easy to see if one knows where to look. Especially noticeable if it drips on your head while changing the oil.

Plus, whomever is under the car SHOULD be inspecting for problems and letting you know about them. 99.99% of car owners don't/won't/can't.

You know that thick book that comes in the glovebox of every new car?
Most people have never ever opened it.
Time to get it out.
RTFM. It's full of handy information.
Sedan? Page 204, 209-210



There seems to be a fine line between losing a little bit of liquid (cooling capacity) and "suddenly it's overheating!!!!" with these cars.
Under some conditions, a quart low in the radiator is enough loss to cause an overheat.

Plus, the gauge is not a true indicator of engine temp. It's more of a glorified idiot light in that the needle stays in the same spot over about a 50 degree range. Once you notice it reading hotter than usual, it's really freeking hot.


OP needs to check these things, yes.
OP should have been doing that with the normal underhood checks every time the car gets filled with fuel. (Page 203 in the Sedan owners manual.) One that is observant should be able to spot a trend, even if they cannot see where it is going.

Weep/seep is much less significant than a leak. Weep or seep can wait under most circumstances, but you have to keep the fluids filled. A leak may need addressed ASAP.Unless you know and trust them implicitly.
As stated, second opinions can be invaluable.

Something else to consider: Any straight-up shop should have no problem showing you exactly what they saw wrong with your car if you want to see for yourself. Go ask them about it.

"I'm from Missouri. Show me."

 
Rep Power: 0

I opened up the radiator and found that liquid the radiator is bit low and in the reserver tank is way too low (actually couldn't see it at all and found that cap and top region of the tank very dry infact) . I looked around the engine but could not find any leakage or could not find and puddle or traces on the ground.

I bought this vehicle around 9 months back, could it be it was never filled at all ? I made trips to tahoe and yosemite last 3 weeks and didn't find any overheating of the engine.

Can I fill the reserve tank and observe over few days/week and check if there is a leakage. What is the best fluid I can use for this purpose?

 
Rep Power: 209

use nothing but honda OEM "blue" coolant,

remove radiator cap when the engine is COLD,

top up the radiator until it is full,

next fill the overflow bottle to the "min" line or slightly above,

monitor the coolant level for the next 2-3 weeks, topping up as nessessary, but only check the levels when the engine is cold, first thing in the morning is best

 
Rep Power: 518

OP: Consistency is key here, because the level visible in the reservoir may vary as the engine temperature changes.

 
Rep Power: 209

yeah, thats why i said keep checking it when cold

 
Rep Power: 0

Should I bleed it before I fill it ? I am not sure as to what coolant was used before I purchased it.

 
Rep Power: 518

How low is the level inside the radiator?

If it is within an inch or so of the top, then you just fill it, jiggle the car and squeeze the top radiator hose to get the small air bubbles out.


If it takes a half gallon to refill, then it might need "burped".

 
Rep Power: 0

The radiator got filled for about 1/3rd of gallon, and I filled the reserve tank below the the cap level.(about 2 inches below). I had it parked for about 2-3 hours i did not find any leakage or puddle on the ground. I will observe the fluid levels for next few days.

Is there any other way to check for the leakage?

 
Rep Power: 186

Wow, that's pretty low if you had to put that much in.

That's way over filled. You need to shine a flashlight down at the bottom of the reserve tank. There's a MIN/MAX marking on it. It should be filled to the MAX line when the engine is cold. If it's as full as you say it is, it will likely spray out the reserve cap as the engine warms up. You should really figure a way to siphon some of that fluid out of the reserve tank and then bleed the air from the system.

 
Rep Power: 518

^^^This.

 
Rep Power: 518

Here's the problem: You have no idea when the cooling system was last at its proper level. It MIGHT have taken years to lose that much antifreeze, it MIGHT have taken a week. You don't know for sure.

Filling to some proper level gives a "known good" starting point.
Monitoring its level and charting the loss will now give an indication of how rapidly it loses coolant (monitored over the next several weeks, if necessary).


Leaks don't always have to drip on the ground while parked. There are MANY ways to lose coolant.

Leaks can happen at other times/conditions, like "only while running", "only while hot", "only when cold", "only under pressure", etc..
Or it may leak slowly enough that the drips evaporate before they make a noticeable puddle for you to find. This is common, and may leave a colored trail of evidence originating at the leak point.
An engine could consume the antifreeze and send steam directly out of the exhaust.



One more thing: Your oil changer (IMHO) should have topped up all the important fluids. It is very common for these cars to need the coolant reservoirs topped up from time to time. Ignore this for a few oil changes and you COULD end up with a rather low level in the system due to simple evaporation or (average?) seepage.

HTH