Rich posted that he found leaks in belt driven coolant pumps. It reminded me of the advantage of gear driven pumps: no belt tension to add bearing wear. On my last boat, I had a gear driven pump develop a salt water leak.... it dribbled down the engine and sprayed about the engine...caused rust before I found it... which required cleaning and repainting. My current boat had the same condition on one engine when I bought it. Depending on the pump style, you can add a "cover" over the top of any pump case opening to contain water spraying from the shaft. A piece of inner tube rubber or gasket material can be easily affixed with plastic ties. My prior 6V53 pumps were open on top, my current 71 series pumps are enclosed, so don't spray even if leaking. Aluminum sheet will work for perhaps a year before it corrodes...foil only a few months at most. Beneath the pump, an opening is present to allow a salt water to drip off. Here you can install a container under the pump that will fit; I used a plastic food storage plastic container (with no cover). I drilled a hole and inserted clear 1/2" plastic tubing and glued it in place...sometimes tricky to get a glue to adhere. The tube bypasses the engine into the bilge. Any salt water leak will leave a salt residue and perhaps liquid in the container, so during routine engine checks it's easy to spot effects of a leak before your engine is rusted.... As a double check, or if your pump is out of sight,you can also place the lower end of the tube in the bilge in a can or other shallow container for easy visual check for liquid.... Cheers, Rob Brueckner 1972 Hatteras Yachtfisherman