Hi everyone,

Over the past few months I've noticed on the odd occasion that there is sometimes a little pool of coolant under the car (near the front of the engine). Just recently (the last 4 times I've started the car) the temperature gauge has sat under the C mark (where it normally sits when cold) for about the first 5-10mins of driving, then suddenly will move up quickly to the middle of the gauge where it normally sits. Usually the engine comes up to temperature slowly as is usual in all cars.

Is the gauge shooting up fast a bad thing?? Is it associated with my off and on leak sometimes? Is a new water pump in order??

My car has done 165,000 k's, doesn't get hot (always stays in the middle of the gauge).

Fixxxer

if it hasnt had a water pump change then do it anyway, i'd get your thermostat changed too.. it should warm up gradually.

check for leaks on the bottom of the water pump, its where they usually leak. if you run your finger under there and find some residue then its time for a pump change.

for less than $100 in parts its worth doing as Joe said..

I agree with Joe.

I'm fairly sure that a pool of water, if not from hoses is the sign of a worn out water pump. Nissan makes it this way. It wears past a seal or something sacrificial, can't remember exactly how it works, but it is telling you that it will soon fail. It drips out from a small hole in the housing of the water pump (I think) you might be able to see it. This is what happened with my mates car.

If you do need to change it and haven't done your timing belt yet then you may want to change it at the same time also and save labour costs later on.

Good Luck

It may also be worthwhile having your radiator pressure tested.

Two weeks ago I had a similar problem with our other car. It was dripping fluid reasonably slowly but left a pool of coolant when I stopped (after first noticing).

I pulled the radiator out - the hoses were in good shape so I had the radiator tested. One of the end tanks had a hairline crack and coolant was leaking out. Bizarrely, it wasn't doing it all the time either. Might be worth a look.

Have you checked your coolant level in the radiator (not the overflow reservoir) as the rapid temp rise may not be a faulty thermostat. If your coolant level is low, once the thermostat begins to open, there may such a low volume of coolant in the block/radiator that it heats very quickly, yet there is enough to maintain safe operating temp.

Think about how quickly the kettle boils when there is only a little water inside compared to when it is full. Assume the engine is the kettle element - it is a constant source of heat and the smaller volume means it will heat quicker.

I'm not saying it is one way or the other, but thought it was something to consider.