leaking coolant

[flyingsled]

My 1998 Dodge Dakota 318 (5.2L) has started to leak coolant. I noticed coolant on the ground and checked inside the engine and the crank pully and belt were soaked in coolant.

The top coolant line was dry and the rad seems dry as well. Is this the water pump leaking? Now if I turn on the truck for just a few minutes and stop, a large amount of coolant ends up on the ground. I think I caught this in time, since I haven't had it overheat yet.

If it is the water pump, is it advisable to attempt to replace it myself? I'm worried about getting the fan assembly off.
If not, any ideas of what the problem could be?

[69DodgeCharger]

It sounds like the water pump to me. To get the fan of all you need is a big ajustable wrench or they make a tool just for that. The only other thing that is some what hard to do is puting the bypass hose back on the new water pump. After that its not to bad at all.

[Buzzbass]

check the bypass hose. It goes from the waterpump to the intake manifold and is a known trouble spot. Also check the t-stat housing gasket, also know to go bad. Don't just swap out the water pump, it may not solve your problem and is a bitch to do besides.