Water pumps on a vehicle can fail without leaking especially if the bearing in the water pump fails.
But most times a water pump will start squealing as it goes bad or sometimes it may just leak coolant out either a little bit at a time or at full force from the weep hole.
If coolant is leaking from the water pumps weep hole then the water pump is bad and needs replaced.
Most water pumps should last 100,000 to 200,000 miles before they fail but that's no guarantee as some water pumps may fail much sooner.
You could drive a car with a leaking water pump but it's not a good idea to do so.
The water pump usually leaks from the weep hole when it's failing and eventually you're gonna lose all your coolant and your engine will overheat and be damaged.
If the coolant is leaking from the rear seals just slightly then it may be okay to continue driving the car if it's just a slight leak.
Or if a hose is leaking slightly but you should still fix the issue.
The weep hole on a water pump is usually located on the bottom of the water pump.
There may also be a hole on the top of the water pump but the coolant usually leaks out of the bottom of the water pump from the weep hole once the water pump seals fail.
If a water pump is leaking from the seals on the back of the water pump or the hoses then you could replace the hoses or seals on the back of the water pump to stop it from leaking.
But if the water pump is leaking from the weep hole then it cannot be fixed and needs replaced.
As a temporary solution you could put a bolt or some JB weld over the hole to stop the leak from the weep hole but only as a temporary solution to get you home.
If the water pump is leaking out the weep hole then it cannot be fixed.
You would have to remove the old water pump and replace the leaking water pump with a new one.
The weep hole is made into the water pump so that when the seals in the water pump go bad it starts leaking to alert you to a bad water pump.
So when you have the water pump leaking from the weep hole it needs replaced.
When a water pump starts leaking it's a sign that the water pump is failing and is in need of replacement within a few miles.
Once the water pump starts leaking you should get it fixed if it's leaking out the weep hole because when water pumps leak out the weep hole it's a sign that the water pump is bad.
So it needs replaced right away.
If you plug the weep hole on a water pump the water pump will stop leaking and can get you down the road in an emergency.
However the weep hole leaking on the water pump is a sign that the water pump seals are going out or have gone out and the water pump needs replaced.
I have had to plug the weep hole on the water pump before on my truck to get down the road when it started slightly leaking.
However I got a new water pump as soon as I got to a shop the same day and then replaced the water pump before I drove any further except to get home.
Water pumps start leaking out of the weep hole for a good purpose and they should never be plugged and you continue driving.
The weep hole leaking coolant on a vehicles water pump means the water pump is failing or has failed.