What a way to start the week (possible blown head gasket?)

[Matt Devo]

on my way back from working out this AM, ran into an Evo IX on the highway, and it was clear he wanted to play so I started to give chase. All of the sudden my coolant light is on, temp gauge is at 3/4, and there's a large cloud of white smoke exiting the rear of the car. No odd sounds or loss of power that I'm aware of though.

So I pull over and pop the hood, and the lower driver's side of the engine bay is covered in coolant, but there's no sign of a leak. Car is back at the house now, and idles at normal temp, but driving down the street or even just raising the RPMs a bit moves the temp gauge back towards 3/4.

I'm thinking it sounds like a blown head gasket, but I'm not sure where to go from a diagnostic standpoint. Suggestions?

[Cort]

Sorry to hear that matt, sounds like a water pump failure. Take it to Collin. Unless you know how to change one yourself, which I think I recall you saying you did most of your work...

[secnd2no1]

on my way back from working out this AM, ran into an Evo IX on the highway, and it was clear he wanted to play so I started to give chase. All of the sudden my coolant light is on, temp gauge is at 3/4, and there's a large cloud of white smoke exiting the rear of the car. No odd sounds or loss of power that I'm aware of though.

So I pull over and pop the hood, and the lower driver's side of the engine bay is covered in coolant, but there's no sign of a leak. Car is back at the house now, and idles at normal temp, but driving down the street or even just raising the RPMs a bit moves the temp gauge back towards 3/4.

I'm thinking it sounds like a blown head gasket, but I'm not sure where to go from a diagnostic standpoint. Suggestions?

So with your K04 u wanted to play with an EVO. ..... thats not playing thats plain Rough play ..... He'd own u before u would even begin to shift

Theres Def a leak somewhere in your coolant line... could need new coolant sensor..

[Matt Devo]

yeah I've done plenty of TB jobs on B5/B6 1.8Ts, I can prolly do it blindfolded. I did the TB back around 80k, and replaced the WP again around 100k b/c the first one had a bad o-ring. But it is the upgraded model with the metal impeller, so I'd think if it stopped working that it would lock the gear and take out the TB as well - unless the shaft is spinning freely

[Matt Devo]

figured I'd post an update here. Turns out the water pump impeller had indeed separated from the shaft (and cracked/broken too). I swore that I had used a metal impeller model when I had changed it last time, but apparently not. I was due for a TB change in another 10k anyway, so this just accelerated the timetable slightly. And I decided to go ahead and throw a Fluidampr on, to help negate some of vibration I'm getting from my LWFW (which seems to be affecting me more than others being FWD). Plus, its diagnosticator approved, so hard to go wrong.

[Cort]

figured I'd post an update here. Turns out the water pump impeller had indeed separated from the shaft (and cracked/broken too).

Hmph. Imagine that.

I love it when I'm right. :D