hey all

spot of car trouble today. going along the motorway and both the 'engine' light and the 'multifunction' warning light came on. the oil temperature gauge was into the red. i pulled over straight away, which fortunately was next to a service station.

checking under the bonnet the coolant level was right down, so i topped it up with water just to get me home. fortunately i made it back home driving very carefully, warning lights still on, but temperature back down to normal

i checked the coolant level again when i got home (about 30 mins later) and it was nearly all gone. while the engine was still hot, i noticed fluid seeping out (not gushing) from the side of the engine block.

these photos show where it was coming out. it was not, as far as i could see, coming from underneath the cylinder head. i hope this rules out the head gasket!

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x229/pete_from_earth/

car anatomy is not my strong point but is this the water pump? this is the only place i noticed any liquid coming out, and now the engine has cooled, it seems to have stopped. i've topped it up again since parking the car, and there is no dripping or puddle underneath the car

i'm now wondering whether my car is safe to drive a reasonable distance, or if i might do more damage. my preferred garage is close to my work, which is 30 miles away so probably risky

any advice would be really appreciated. i need to get this fixed quick

cheers

Pete