Cooling system

[Jamescraig]

Hi all, I have a problem! I have been slowly losing coolant and the level in my expansion resivoir is very slowly but surely dropping. I had a good look with a torch today and can see with difficulty the bottom front of the engine and part of the plastic floor pan have coolant on them. Oh dear! I'm now wandering if the gasket of the coolant pump has gone or the pump itself. Come to think about it, about a month ago there was a few days where every now and then I could hear a metallic whining sound but because it dissappeared as quickly as it came on, I never found a fault. Could this be the pump bearing failing? I never had any fault lights on the dash so the car hasn't overheated. I assume if the water pump fails I would be informed one way or another by the car, either warning me of low coolant pressure or overheating or perhaps even a direct warning of pump failure? Can anyone shed any light? Perhaps you have had the same problem? By the way, my car is a 09' plate 5.0 s/c v8 with 49,000 miles on the clock. Thanks in advance! James.