Water Pump Fitting Leak

[BrdWAtti2d]

OK guys here's a good one. My water pump has developed a leak right where the heater hose fitting connects to the water pump. Seems like I remember a post for this but I searched and couldn't find it. The fitting is leaking right where it mates up to the pump. Anyone have an innovative fix for this other than a new water pump? I circled the leaking fitting in the pic below. Thanks for any suggestions.


Edit: I got the fitting out of the pump and there's a tiny hole in the bottom of the fitting. How the heck a hole works it's way into a non-wear part is beyond me. Anyway, I'm thinking of tapping out the hole where the fitting was and screwing in a nipple. Thoughts?

Edit #2: Got the pump out and the bearings are marginal at best. So, looks like a new water pump is in my future. Thanks for allowing me to think this out aloud, lol. Maybe that tiny hole was a godsend, saved the pump from spilling all over the opti.
Here's a pic of the hole, sorry about the quality but, wth? How does this happen?

[Joe 1320]

It's possible the metal was thin at that point. Corrosion, heat and pressure probably just took it's toll on the fitting. I would also suggest a modification to the new pump. Screw a small elbow fitting into the weep hole and add a 8" length of tubing to route it around the optispark. This way if the pump starts to leak via the weep hole, the drainage gets diverted away from the distributer.

[BrdWAtti2d]

Thanks Joe, I did do the weep hole mod. I should have known something was up, the temp has always run pretty much spot on, it's been creeping up a little lately. We are back on the road and good to go. Thanks again.