Water Pump Leak Visible Without Taking Front Apart?

[dadman]

Is there any way to actually see that a water pump is leaking without taking the whole front apart? Does just the top of the timing cover come off or can you pry it open enough to see the pump? I don't want to take the whole thing apart because the car is Grandfathered in for a free timing belt service that I paid for when I bought the car, they extended the mileage that the belt gets changed at but in that year it was covered under Audi Care. There is coolant dripping down from the front and I don't want the dealer to take it all apart and then charge me for a much bigger job. If I can be sure that it is the pump I can just let them add it to the timing belt job. I'm sure that they'll charge me for "extra" parts on the belt job and the labor for the water pump should not be that high with the front disassembled, just don't want to give them the job if it's leaking from somewhere else, like the head gasket so I need to be sure...

[billyhoyle]

I would start by poking your head under the front of the car and seeing if you can pinpoint where exactly the coolant is leaking from. It could be one of the hoses connected to the rad. I'm not sure that you can see the water pump without pulling the bumper and moving the rad, but someone else might chime in.

Regardless, I would add the water pump to the service. They fail eventually and it's waaaay cheaper to get it done while they're in there than doing it as a separate job.

[Scott Andrews]

there is no way to really see it unless you have a scope you can send down in there.... But if it coming from behind plastics its 99.9% your water pump..... head gaskets are rare unless your boosting high. head gaskets leaking externally are even more rare