Failure mode - Cummins 6.7L ISB (Ram HD)

Water pump failure

Reliability tier: verified - verify before ordering, see /disclosure/

Symptoms

coolant weep from the weep hole / front cover area
coolant smell, occasional low-coolant warnings
bearing noise from the front of the engine; overheating if run low

Root cause

Conventional wear item - seal and bearing life. Abrasive coolant (never-serviced or wrong coolant) accelerates the seal. Leaks found early are a repair; a seized pump thrown at highway speed also chews the belt and can overheat the engine.

Diagnosis

trace the leak to the weep hole with a UV dye / clean-and-observe
spin/listen for bearing play at service intervals
check coolant condition and service history - abrasive coolant tells you the replacement needs a flush too

Fixes

replace the water pump; flush and refill with spec coolant while open ()

water-pump (part category - specific model not chosen)
coolant (part category - specific model not chosen)

Prevalence

common