[JohnD]

I have a 2002 Cambio Coupe which I bought about a year ago with 2700 miles on it. I had the car serviced several months ago, and the water pump was replaced. Apparently when the car went in for service, the coolant tank was empty. Now, after I drive the car and it cools down, coolant leaks out. A local (Bugatti, etc.) mechanic looked at it while the engine was running, and couldn't find anything wrong. He said that if there was a water pump problem, it would be spraying coolant all around in the engine compartment (which it isn't). He surmised that the coolant was simply "finding its level" and discarding what it didn't need. The closest Maserati dealer to me is about 3 hours away. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Sunburn]

The only way I know of that the coolant can "find it's own level" is through the expansion tank pressure relief valve in the cap. If the coolant is coming from the overflow hose there's a good chance the system was overfilled when it was cold and the expansion when hot is forcing coolant out of the pressure cap. If it's not coming from the overflow hose you have a problem that should be looked into by a qualified mechanic.

 

[Frankie P]

My '02 has had 3 water pump replacements, the third of which while the car was still at the dealer for the initial fix. Apparently, there was a bad batch of water pumps. I too had a few drops of coolant on the garage each night, somewhat lined up with the front/leading edge of the engine. Since the 3rd pump and 7500 miles later, I've had no leak. Let the service department sort it out.

 

[JohnD]

Thanks for your responses. I'll let you know once it's determined what the leak is (although I'm assuming it's the pump).

 

[JohnD]

It was the pump. Apparently there was a batch of bad pumps, and as luck would have it, mine was in that batch.