Coolant leak

[Blizzard242]

Re: Coolant leak

Well, start tearing it down.

[EarlR]

Re: Coolant leak

Hey guys - I was searching old threads for some clues to help with the coolant leak I've just recently started having ('02 3.8), and found this thread and had a question for those of you who have had the lower intake leak; when the problem first started was the leak barely (or not) visable? I started having a coolant loss a couple of weeks ago (it started running hot), and while I can smell the coolant I can't see any leak anywhere.

Granted, I was looking at the hoses, water pump, and radiator, and not the intake area, so I could have missed it. I put the car on ramps today and ran it at fast idle for 15-20 mins, and never saw any leaking or dripping, but it will lose about a quart of coolant every 100 miles or so (which a round trip to work for me). Is the lower intake the most likely culprit?

[cam98aro]

Re: Coolant leak

Hey guys - I was searching old threads for some clues to help with the coolant leak I've just recently started having ('02 3.8), and found this thread and had a question for those of you who have had the lower intake leak; when the problem first started was the leak barely (or not) visable? I started having a coolant loss a couple of weeks ago (it started running hot), and while I can smell the coolant I can't see any leak anywhere.

Granted, I was looking at the hoses, water pump, and radiator, and not the intake area, so I could have missed it. I put the car on ramps today and ran it at fast idle for 15-20 mins, and never saw any leaking or dripping, but it will lose about a quart of coolant every 100 miles or so (which a round trip to work for me). Is the lower intake the most likely culprit?

coolant will be more likely to drip after you shut the engine off, since the coolant temp will rise 10-15*F after it is shut off.

first you need to make sure that you are leaking it and not burning it. its not as common for the gaskets to go bad in the 3.8's as it is the 3.4's

[EarlR]

Re: Coolant leak

Follow-up; I finally caught it leaking today - after a couple of attempts (the last one was yesterday) at running the car at fast idle in the driveway for 15-20 mins and watching for leaks, I went out to move the car at work this morning (work in DC...parking is such a joy) and thought to check when I got out and saw fluid dripping from the cross-member.

After re-starting the car I did some looking and saw that the drip originates from somewhere high on the front of the engine. The closest point I could find to the origin was a steady drip from the bottom of the belt tensioner where it attaches to the engine. Does this sound like the dreaded lower intake leak? What else is in that area that could be leaking? Throttle body? Any hoses/lines back there? I was hoping for something simple...looks like that was hoping for too much.

Thanks in advance guys for the help.

[techsan23]

Re: Coolant leak

Its more likely the infamous plastic coolant elbow just below the lower intake manifold, or the o-ring that goes on the back of the belt tensioner assembly.

[cam98aro]

Re: Coolant leak

water pump seals may have went bad and coolant is coming from the weep hole

[EarlR]

Re: Coolant leak

Its more likely the infamous plastic coolant elbow just below the lower intake manifold, or the o-ring that goes on the back of the belt tensioner assembly.

Ok, from the parts diagram I see there are two elbows - I could only see the one when I was looking earlier. It sounds like there is a really good chance that's what it is. I'll pull the tensioner today or tomorrow and see if I can tell. Thanks.

[EarlR]

Re: Coolant leak

Just wanted to follow up, and say thanks to you guys who offered help. Turns out it was the plastic elbow(s) - in fact when I pulled them apart both ends of both elbows had broken off, right where the o-ring groove was. What a cheesy way to handle that fitting...

[jkelley]

Re: Coolant leak

replacing the upper/lower intake manifold gasket and a new water pump solved the problem