It looks like my water pump is dripping coolent...difficult to tell without removing inner fender to view but i believe that's what's leaking coolant....that being said, i am wondering what i might expect to pay for r and r the water pump? Not much room down in there and just not feeling the love to do it myself. Probably have the cam belt replaced while it's removed to access the water pump. Is there anything else i should consider when sizing up this work?

 

No, you do understand. Water pumps can leak for months before failure. I had one that leaked a little for about 4 to 6 months before I changed it because of my idler roller.

Have whoever changes it to check the ilder and tensioner roller and replace them while it's off. I guess the real question is, how old is the belt and things?

 

Best bet is to call a local shop and get an estimate. That way you have an idea of what it will cost in your area. You can add your location to your profile so someone local might be able to give you an independant shop that has a good reputation in your area.

 

ahhhh the perils of online discussion! gentlemen...while i appreciate your comments above,neither of you managed to provide an answer to my question...my water pump appears to be leaking...i am getting a drip [sometimes a lot and other times just a drip,drip] from the passenger side underneath the car...there is no noise or whine or anything else that would indicate a pump issue...if a pump can leak coolant for months, what is the solution but to replace it? put a 500 gallon tank in the back and just have an automatic refill assmbly? i think i'll choose to replace the pump! both the tensioner and other parts of the belt assmby seem to be working...and i am making the inquiry about what i might expect to pay for this work BEFORE i make the rounds of making the same inquiry locally...doing some background research might provide me with some relative context to the job and some insight on flat rate book allowances and specific things to avoid.

 

No, I did answer your question and asked one. I said that you DO UNDERSTAND because you do. You DO understand that if you have the pump replaced the timing belt would have to come off. Do you know how much it cost to change the timing belt? If so, use that cost and add the $60 the pump cost and 1 hour to change the pump.

So, if you answer my question as to if the belt needs to be changed, I can add those cost to my estimate. If the belt is older than 50,000 miles, go ahead and add the cost of a belt, idler, tensioner roller, and tensioner. If all that stuff was replaced within the past 30,000, I'd only do the pump.

So, if you simply want an answer, here you go... It will cost $425 to have that water pump replaced. Here is another good answer... It will cost $800 at an indi shop and $1,200 at the Volvo stealership.

You see, it does matter if other things needs to be replaced. By the way, if a GOOD mechanic pulls the belt, to replace the water pump, and the spins a roller and can hear the bearings (which you likely can not hear now), the mechanic will likely replace the roller and add it to the cost. If a GOOD mechanic compresses the tensioner, and it leaks, the mechanice will likely replace that $100 part as well. So, I had a valid question that you decided not to answer.

Now I have decided to ammend my answer, my new answer is, "It will likely cost under $1,200". Besides that, lets hope the pump is leaking if you take it to a mechanic and tell them it is. Because they may agree with you and fake a $1,200 job, fix the crack in the coolant tank (because it is also in that area) and send you on your way. Before you dismiss my last statement, remember you wrote that YOU THINK AND HAD NOT CONFIRMED that your water pump was leaking. You just seen some coolant in that area.

To confirm that your water pump is leaking, all you need to do is pull your timing belt cover. It has one 12mm bolt holding it on. You will have full view of the pump from the top of the cover and the bottom of the area with your wheel cranked left.

The water pump that I had which was leaking was loosing about 1 cup of coolant a month. Two ounces of coolant can leave a spot on the ground that is as big as a softball.

You're welcome!!!

 

Well answered!! You forgot something RSPI if he does it himself, he can save twice that price lol.. Definetely my next timing belt will be done by me.

 

I just did mine a week ago. Hard to find the marks on the cams so I filed new ones on them.

 

RSPI pretty much said it all but just for my two cents worth:

Why ask us what it might cost you when you can phone someone at your convenience and find out what it will cost ?? Get a couple estimates, compare and then post to see if "we" think it's reasonable, outrageous or you "scored" with a great price? Wouldn't it be better to know what someone you would be taking it to would charge you personally for the job instead of what one of us paid someone you'll never go to charged us a year or two or three ago ??

It's like the guy who asked how much a number of different repairs and improvements might cost and then says he isn't considering doing them for at least seven years when he's out of school ?? What does it matter what it costs now if you're not going to consider doing them for seven years? Will you even still have the car in seven years?

I'm sorry, I'm not good with "what if" or "just for fun" because people use it daily on me to suck up my time for nothing.

So yes there are "perils of online discussion" in asking for, receiving and in giving what you think is good advice to someone you think will appreciate that you even bothered to read their problem and tried to help out with.

Like RSPI said about added items, ie the idler rollers, tensioner (he missed cam seals) it's not always a black and white answer. I just got chewed out and apologized to (the next day) because I tried to help out a guy with a cooling temp sensor issue and he did have a coolant temp issue but physically had the two knock sensors as temp sensors in his brain. He chewed me a little for not telling him how to narrow it down to one or the other of the two when I had already given him the location of the actual temp sensor. The bad thing was I wasn't at home and didn't have access to my photo album with a photo of it's location. That might have made it so much easier.

In the end we are trying to give you the best advise we can. I did my own timing belt, water pump, tensioner and rollers but not the cam seals. I did them all at once and only because the car was new to me with 260K on it and no history since 60K. Some people call it unnecessary, I call it reliability.