As Dennis said  this usually indicates bad bearings in the pump, not
head gasket leak.  This might be a warranty claim, unless your belt was
too tight and caused the pump bearings to fail.

Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com

Edward Morrell wrote:

>The archives say that a dripping water pump weep hole is a potential early
>sign of head gasket or other head problems causing excessive pressure in
>the cooling system.  My saga is a bit of a twist.  I replaced the heads on
>my '90 Carat with 125K miles with rebuilt AMC's including new valves,
>guides, seals, and of course, gaskets.  I have owned the van for 60K miles,
>and the motor is now quieter and stronger than ever.  When I did the heads,
>I replace the water pump.  No particular reason, other than it may have bee
>the original.  I have driven about 8K miles since the work, and there is
>now a steady drip from the weep hole on the water pump when the van is
>running, probably about 30 drips per minute frequency.  I started digging
>down to the water pump for potential replacement, and what I discovered is
>that coolant drips from the weep hold when I turn the pulley on the pump by
>hand!  It does not drip when stationary.
>
>My question is, does this sound like a defective pump?  When the weep hole
>starts to leak, should one expect it will do so even with hand spinning of
>the pulley?  Has anyone else had a brand new water pump do this?
>
>I am sure I have to get a new pump, but if I really need to start thinking
>about pulling one or both the heads, I want to make sure that is the right
>approach before I give away another weekend!
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Ed Morrell
>90 Carat 133K
>91 Carat 52K
>and more......
>
>
>