3.4l coolant leak, help

[notsonic]

so im goin to ****in mcdonalds of all places the other day and they have a pretty steep entrance.

i took it at an angle but i still scraped pretty hard. i dont know if this is related but im assuimg it is since the leak showed up right after.

now the radiator is perfectly fine.

the leak appears to be coming from the bottom of the engine around the middle, and puddling on the kmember, and then running down to the passenger side.

the hoses looked fine at the engine side.:cry:

waterpump? cracked block?

it should also be noted that this dex-cool crap is probably getting all sludgey too as its caked on my coolant dipstick.

im at 168k.

[BLLDOGG]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

well look for yourself. how can we find leaks for you?

[notsonic]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

because i have finals and dont have time to be under my car. :o

ive been told it could be a freeze plug. i was just wondering if maybe there were some problem areas i should look for. it doesnt appear to be the water pump as the coolant is too far to the drivers side and the front of the pump looks fine.

im guessing its a dirvers side freeze plug. anyone know where it is exactly? or how hard it is to replace?

[nascar24jd]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

You need to figure out where it is coming from. We cannot diagnose a coolant leak via the internet. Somehow you need to get under there and look, or take it to a shop.

The freeze plugs are in the sides of the block. Not really hard to change, but sometimes hard to get to.

[BLLDOGG]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

ding ding ding

[Jesticle]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

Check the timing chain cover. They like to leak around there.

[Barbadian Camaro]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

Well if it is the one at the side of the engine,you have it easy mine was between the engine and gearbox.

[notsonic]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

its the water pump. (unless coolant can leak from behind the crank pulley?)

any suggestions on getting the power steering pump pulley off without a puller?

[BLLDOGG]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

go buy a puller

[3.4 slow to go]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

go buy a puller

bahhh, do the rental tool thing and get that $$$$$$$$$$ bak.

if it's a freeze plug that's gone/leaking, it should be leaking pretty good & or overheating.

[notsonic]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

got a puller.

got the water pump off. just got bits of gasket left to scrape and it all goes back together tomorrow.

it was comin out the weep hole like crazy.

[BLLDOGG]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

cool. I know my answers are short and come across rude but you would have damaged multiple things trying to remove it otherwise and the replacement parts would have been far more expensive than a cheap puller/installer at a local store.

[notsonic]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

nah np. i just didnt have a car to get to the store so i was wondering if there was a safe way to do it without a puller.

any tips on removing the gasket? is there a way to dissolve it? i scraped the crap out of it but theres still stuff left.

[BLLDOGG]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

there is a spray product that dissolves the gasket material pretty well and quick. makes it easier to scrap off. I'm sure places like autozone have it. make sure you do not gouge the surface though. :)

[notsonic]

Re: 3.4l coolant leak, help

all done!

how do you bleed the coolant to get all the air out? thats my only problem :<

i guess i should list some hints and tips for anyone else that might undertake this job.



i had my car up on jack stands. this way i didnt break my back bending over and basically leaned across the front of the car laying on it. i did the majority of the work from the top with the exception of pulling the bottom hose and the drain plug.

take off the throttle body (and of course your intake.) its like 3 bolts and makes everything easier.

you only have to take off the 1-4 coil pack. (closest to the passenger side)

remember to get a power steering pump pulley puller/pusher. you need to remove the power steering pump bracket and its a lot easier to remove the bracket from the pump than to try to get at the nuts behind the pump and remove them together.

loosen up the left bolt on the tensioner and remove the right one to let it swing out of the way for some more room.

have plenty of buckets.

buy a spare drain plug if youre going to use that to drain your coolant. its plastic, old, and crappy. itll break on you. better yet, just pull a hose. youre going to anyway.

remember the torque specs for the bolts are in INCH pounds (in the haynes manual.) ;)

get a good gasket scraper and gasket remover. this is the hardest/most tedious part of the job.

i put rtv gasket maker on both the pump and the engine (haynes manual said to.)

properly bleed your coolant system when youre all done.