Water pouring out from the water pump area?

1998 MAZDA 626
245,000 MILES • AUTOMATIC
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FRAZIER88
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Car was kicking codes for a misfire and bad O2 as well as faulty catalytic converter. So fixed the miss changed O2 both and changed the catalytic converter because it definitely was clogged. Discovered all this because it started to over heat. I'm assuming to much back pressure. Anyway since I did all this now that's it's all back together I have water pouring out from the water pump area. Which is behind the timing cover smh absolutely hate this design of motor it makes no sense to me why they would want to make things more complicated instead of simplifying then. So if you could save me a whole lot of time trouble and headache could you please throw me a breakdown of this process and add any tips or tricks you may have for making this smoother?
Jun 10, 2026 at 8:13 PM
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STRAILER
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Yep, it can be frustrating the way they design things but we have to live with it. You need to remove the timing cover to get started, you might as well replace the timing belt too. Start by disconnecting the battery and draining the coolant. It is important not to install the timing belt too tight or too loose. If it is to tight it will make a whining noise while running, and too loose will make the belt fail. Here are the timing marks and the water pump replacement instructions. Check out the images (below). Let me know how it goes
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Jun 11, 2026 at 2:23 PM
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FRAZIER88
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Ok as you can see in the pic my 2.0 inline 4 is deferent then the diagram you sent. And I can't find the timing marks so if you have a different diagram I could look at. Because this timing belt only has 1 idler pulley 1 auto tensioner then the harmonic balancer/crank pulley and the 2 on top
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Jun 13, 2026 at 7:26 PM
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FRAZIER88
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Also there are 2 plugs to the left one is a single red wire and it is not connected to anything do you know what it is by chance
Jun 13, 2026 at 7:27 PM
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FRAZIER88
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The one I'm holding
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Jun 13, 2026 at 7:28 PM
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STRAILER
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Yep, I didn't know the engine size, sorry about that. Here are the diagrams you needed. Also, I dont know what the wires go to but I would think they are from a sensor like a crankshaft sensor, but If I can see the color of the wires better I can look them up for you. Check out the images (below). Please let me know what happens.
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Jun 14, 2026 at 2:11 AM
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FRAZIER88
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Ok I got that together or started ran about 5 seconds then sounded like it gained a miss so she it off now it won't start. Noticed it jumped a tooth so lined it back up now it just cranks but won't fire. Pulled a plug and cranked it just to see and it's not getting any fire at all. Checked it's still in time but won't hit now. What happened? And those 2 plugs I asked about one has 4 wires it's connected the other has a single white wire going to the plug then a red wire in a black sleeve coming out the other side and it's not connected to anything.
Jun 14, 2026 at 12:10 PM
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FRAZIER88
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Also that diagram I noticed "R" is a gasket on the back of the water pump but it has 2 more that I don't have anywhere? Are they absolutely necessary and if so how would I obtain them because AutoZone has no idea what I'm talking about.
Jun 14, 2026 at 12:13 PM
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STRAILER
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Can you please upload a video of the engine cranking so I can hear it? I can tell you if the engine has compression or not. The crankshaft sensor is in the front of the engine so that can be the wiring issue you are talking about.
Jun 15, 2026 at 2:04 PM
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FRAZIER88
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If you listen close there's like a hollow thud I'm not real sure how to describe it.
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Jul 19, 2026 at 11:00 PM
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STRAILER
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Yep, that is a bummer, the engine has no compression so the timing marks must be off or the camshafts are not running while you crank the engine over.
Jul 20, 2026 at 2:32 PM
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