Curren St206 3s-ge Water Temp Off The Scale!

[fritzkrackers]

howdy peeps,

bad times, my '96 curren st206 with 3sge has developed a nasty problem. the water temp guage has went off the scale and, unusually, the climate controlled heating passes no warm air at all. i checked the coolant level to find it below the minimum level indicator. after topping it up and restarting/running the car. the engine water temp, again, shot up and still no warm air from the heater.

on both occasions the radiator fan did not kick in when water temp rose and any remaining coolant in the resevoir was brown and rusty looking. the coolant has not been changed since purchasing car 7 years ago.

i suspect the water pump to have failed as i heard a slight whining from the area below the alternator but i'd like some advice from members to help me along. also does anyone know how much this repair may cost? (uk dealer price).

many thanks.

fritz. :(