So I came home from work and decided to check out my oil level, and when I opened my hood I saw that there was random Pinkish paint on the lower radiator hose ,on the actual pulley by the alternator and some on the radiator. I checked to see what it could have been but not luck. Nothing was wet or leaking. When i touched the pinkish stuff it felt powdery. The car is running fine. Idk if I should be concerned about this. any input??

 

That is dried coolant...from the picture it looks like someone opened the radiator cap and it spilled out.

 

Yeah thats what I thought but the cap is on real good..

 

Check coolant level, fill if needed, wipe off spilled coolant, continue periodically checking to see if leak continues.

 

The coolant is at level, But def keep an eye to see if it continues..thnx for the input.

 

That looks like your water pump is leaking, and the pulley is spraying it. Its on the inside of the hoses, toward the pump not on the radiator cap side. Time for a water pump.

 

yep that would be the waterpump. if you jack up the car and get underneath it you will see it was leaking at the bottom "weep hole"

 

I second the water pump theory. I had to have mine replaced for the same reason. If it's under 60,000 miles it should be covered under warranty.

 

That looks like mine when my water pump was leaking. The coolant levels will fool you. Sometimes more coolant will be in the reservoir than at other times. I wasn't sure if I was having a leak cause I didn't see the pink stuff at first but my coolant levels seemed to get lower then all of a sudden when I looked under the hood before I had to take a 1000 mile trip, you could only see coolant in the reservoir all the way at the bottom.

The waterpump is an easy install, so if you have basic tools, you should he able to do it yourself. You could even go to a place like autozone that has a lifetime guarantee so you could always swap out for a new one If it goes bad again.

 

hmm..I have 74k Miles on my car..so idk if its still in the warranty?? So what other signs are there to determine its the water pump? The car runs fine no issues..How long can I ride like this and How much is it to replace a water pump?

 

The coolant leaks out of a weep hole that lets you know that the bearing has worn out, the water pump will still work but this is kind of an early indication of what would be, a complete water pump failure. Other signs would be play in the water pump pulley or a metal-on-metal grinding sound. I suggest you get this replaced as soon as possible in order to avoid overheating.

 

So what exactly do I replace?? the water pump it self?

 

Yeah, FWIK it's a single unit.

 

Ok so What are some good name brands for water pumps..I looked online for some but none of the names sound familiar. Is it better to just go to autozone and get theirs? I am kinda paranoid driving my car around..=/

 

You should see if you could get it under warranty at the dealership, it's worth a shot. As for name brands, I wouldn't know, I'd probably buy the part at the dealer and install it myself for the sake of keeping it Toyota. But that's just me.

 

Well Idk if I have warranty since I have 74k Miles so..I have been driving my car around with the A/C blasting and No leak..could it stopped leaking? I am taking it to a mechanic to see what he tells me. I want to put in the 3 NST Pulleys at the same time since it on the same side..Hate driving paranoid.. -.-

 

Unless you bought an extended warranty, it won't be covered.

 

Aisin makes the OEM water pump. Beck Arnley, Duralast, and all others are pretty much Autozone and Advance Auto brands but they do come with decent warranty's. Just not sure of their quality or fit and finish. Take more pics during install.

 

if you pm me your vin # i could search if you purchased ex warranty from work

 

I think I got the duralast from autozone. Lifetime warranty and perfect fit. It hasn't leaked on me yet and I did it this last winter break. It is a super easy install. You can basically do it all yourself but a helping hand would be good for getting the belt back on at the very end. Doesn't take long at all as long as you make sure you have enough coolant. 2 of the containers from Toyota should do. I think Your Scion tC has a DIY for it. The SST is not necessary.