Anyone have a leaky water pump on their ST?

[samcrac]

OK so cliff notes version here:

-Rebuilt Front end collision Fiesta ST 2015, under 9k miles, Cobb Tuned

-Replaced a few of the damaged coolant lines

-Once car was all done, went out on a test drive with straight water in the system

-Car overheated 2-3 miles into 4.5 mile drive (immediately went into limp mode)

-The second the hot light came on I pulled over and let the car sit 5-10 minutes

-Drove/coasted it last mile back home.

-Forgot to bleed system originally (DOH!)

-Bled system, all is good/no overheating

-Went out for another 4.5 mile drive, no apparent issues

-The second I pull into my driveway and shut the car off water (coolant) starts seeping on the ground (usually when system is most pressurized)

-Rented cooling system pressure tester and it is clearly leaking water from behind/around the water pump area (even when car is cold and off, consistent drip)

I read about some Escape 1.6L cars having faulty water pumps from the factory, but is there anything else I should check before tearing the pump off the car?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this!

 

[OffTheWall503]

With a rebuilt car, it really could be anything. But judging from what you noted, seems like it could be the water pump.

 

[Sekred]

It may be leaking past the seal and out of the Tell Tale hole rather than the mounting O ring or gasket. Water pumps use a mechanical type seal. These seals fail very quickly if they run dry.
It is possible this happened when you did not bleed the cooling system correctly or it just could be because the vehicle has been sitting around for a length of time with a dry cooling system.

http://www.cyclepedia.com/manuals/online/free/engine/water-pump/

 

[samcrac]

Not only did the car sit for a good few months, it did overheat. Thank you for the information! Should a complete water pump replacement with gasket repair my issue? Thanks!

 

[Sekred]

Without seeing it myself and from what you described, replacing the water pump and mounting seal should fix your leak.
At any stage of your repair, did you replace the thermostat?.

 

[samcrac]

I did replace the front part of the thermostat housing with a brand new one from ford that plugs into an electrical connector. It was a black and blue cylinder. I however did not replace the thermostat itself.