Fluid Leak...Not Sure What This Is

Jason, that is either a fuel pump, or water pump leak. Has to be one or the other.
Here's a LIVE LINK to the vid.

That's a good leak, if it is fuel you would smell it for sure. You said you changed the lower hose, check the fit of the hose at the water pump and make sure it's not leaking. It looks like it's coming from that area. Good luck.

Ah yes, water pump.  I bet that's what it is...but wouldn't the leaking fluid have been green?  I use 50/50, not water.  Isn't the "water" being pumped actually the antifreeze?

I Googled replacing fuel pump on a C3 and it looks pretty involved.  Is it something a novice can do?  Any tricks or pit falls to watch out for?

Thanks, guys!

Before you start tearing into it, you really need to determine exactly WHERE that drip is coming from. You're going to have to get the car in the air somehow, and get under there with it running, and find the source. True, a fuel leak that large should smell like fuel, and a coolant leak should have a color to it. Assuming your coolant is the green stuff, then what is dripping on the floor should also be green. The ONLY other possibility in that area is a trans cooler line leak....which would give you a redish color fluid on the floor.

Get someone that can smell.  Coolant smells and feels like coolant.  Unmistakable. Gas smells, feels, and spreads out on the floor like, well, gas. 

As we get older, we lose our sense of smell...


|UPDATED|8/18/2015 8:22:59 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

Thanks guys for the feedback. I will have a chance tomorrow to get her up in the air and look for leaks while running. Can I assume that if it is the water pump it will continue to leak as long as there is coolant in the car? Because I'll tell ya, I started the car periodically this week (5 minutes here 10 minutes there) and I have not seen a leak and I know radiator is full and coolant is flowing. Been watching lower rad hose at water pump and its dry. Will update my findings tomorrow

I watched the video and that is a pretty good leak! Running five or ten minutes might not be long enough. I would duplicate what you did before when it leaked. If you took it for a twenty minute drive and it leaked, then do it again. It might need to get hotter to make hoses expand to cause the leak. Not fun working around a hot engine!! Like you mentioned early fluid travels to the low spot. So don't just focus on where it is dripping search everywhere. Keep us posted and hope you find the leak. Good luck!! To answer the original question if it will keep leaking if there is coolant in the system. It will has long has it doesn't get to low or run out.

Thank you Redwoman.  Are you a Game of Thrones fan?  I just got into it and got up to "The Red Wedding"!  Unbelievable!  Just got all the books for my Kindle as well.  

Anyway, good advice trying to replicate what I did when I noticed the bad leak.  I just ran the car hard.  Just about 30 mins like I did last time.  Jacked her up and noticed very minimal dripping this time, I mean hardly at all.  I am beginning to wonder if I corrected the issue when I replaced that radiator overflow hose?  The water pump area seemed dry.  The rad hose where it meets water pump seemed dry.  Gods be kind!

I did notice one area under the car that had a few drips forming.  I apologize, but I am not sure what this item is.  I circled the areas forming drips in the pics below.  I hope the pic is identifiable. 

Thanks again for your advice!  For Winterfell!

I forgot to mention: Checked the power steering fluid as well.  It is definitely at the ADD line.  Could that leak have been PS fluid?  Going on that, I called my local GM dealer and they said regular old PS fluid is fine to add.  Is that true? 


Thank you!

Automatic trans fluid will work in the PS system, unless you just wanna buy a power steering fluid. There is nothing power steering related on that side of the car, so your drip-drip is NOT from the power steering.

The top circle in the pic is the fuel pump line. The lower circle I'm not really sure, but it could be the fuel spraying from the pump to the frame. Imma betting your fuel pump is leaking out the "weep' hole.



|UPDATED|8/21/2015 5:01:51 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|