Hyundai Repair: 2000 Hyundai Elantra, hyundai elantra, 2000 hyundai elantra

Question
Hello,

Thank you in advance for answering my questions.  My 2000 Hyundai Elantra overheated today.  Smoke (steam) was coming out of the hood and I noticed that the temperature gauge was up to HOT.  I pulled over and opened the hood and found that antifreeze was sprayed throughout the engine inside.  I checked the antifreeze level and it was where it was just one week ago when I added antifreeze to it.  When the engine cooled down I opened the radiator cap and noticed antifreeze in the intake tube....not sure WHAT it's actually supposed to look like but it looked normal?  

I limped the car (if the thermostat went slightly above the center I pulled over and let it cool down) to AutoZone.  The guy at the desk said it sounded like either my water pump needed replaced or there was a leak somewhere.  

My questions (finally...lol) are these; How difficult is it to replace a water pump on a 2000 Hyundai Elantra? Can someone who is knowledgeable about cars do it easily or is it one of the cars that are more "involved" to repair? And finally...does this sound like it could be the problem to you???

Answer
It's doubtful this would be caused by your water pump.  More likely the leak is elsewhere.  The fact that you have coolant sprayed all over the engine suggests a leak that occurs under pressure and sprays the coolant around.  Water pump leaks tend not to spray; in addition, your water pump is located mostly behind the timing cover, making it all that much more likely that if it did leak, you wouldn't have coolant all over the place.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "intake tube," so it's not clear to me whether the radiator itself is full of coolant.

You'll need to check the system for leaks.  If you do not see one, you should take your car to a reputable shop to have it checked.  They should have a tool with which they can pressurize the radiator to inspect for leaks, if necessary.

If you do need to replace the water pump, it'll be necessary to remove the timing belt to do so.  If you're not comfortable with doing that yourself, you should by all means have a shop do it for you.  If the timing belt is reinstalled incorrectly, it could cause engine damage.