My water pump is leaking from the weep hole
Water Pumps and Cooling
The weep hole is a designed drain path behind the pump seal. A drip on first startup can be normal residue. A steady leak means the seal has failed.
Overview
Short Answer
A constant weep hole leak means the internal shaft seal has failed and the pump needs to be replaced. Send us photos, and make sure the pump is registered at cvfracing.com/warranty. Registration is required for warranty coverage.
What the weep hole is telling you
Every mechanical water pump has a weep hole below the shaft. Its job is to give coolant somewhere to go if the shaft seal starts to pass, rather than letting it into the bearing. So coolant coming steadily out of the weep hole is the pump reporting a failed seal. It is not a gasket issue and it is not something you can seal from outside.
Once a shaft seal has failed, the pump gets replaced. There is no adjustment or resealing that corrects it.
The weep hole is the small opening in the casting below the shaft. Coolant showing here is the internal seal, not a gasket.
Confirm where the leak is actually coming from
Before we can process anything, we need to know which of these two places the coolant is coming from, because they are different problems with different fixes:
| Where it’s leaking | What it means |
|---|---|
| The weep hole, below the shaft | The internal shaft seal has failed. The pump is replaced. |
| The gasket surface, where the pump meets the block | A sealing or torque issue at installation. Usually corrected in place. |
Clean the area, run the engine up to temperature, and photograph where the coolant is actually originating. A wet engine bay tells us nothing on its own.
How to get a replacement moving
Register the pump at cvfracing.com/warranty if you have not already. Registration within 90 days of purchase, including the VIN of the vehicle, is a condition of the limited warranty.
Email us photos or a short video showing the leak point, with your order number.
We will review it and set up a replacement pump and gasket.
Ford 302/351W shorty pump
If your leak is at the base of a Ford 302/351W shorty pump rather than the weep hole, that is a different situation with a specific assembly procedure. See our shorty water pump installation article.
Still need help? Our tech support team can get you pointed in the right direction.
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