coolant problem

[IbanezPlayer]

My car is leaking coolant somewhere and the car starts smoking, i smell coolant, but i don't see any dripping, i hear a dripping internally it sounds like. i checked the oil and it didnt have coolant in it. intake manifold gasket?

[CDNFB]

Re: coolant problem

It could be intake manifold or head gasket. Not all head gasket failures put coolant in the oil. It depends on the severity of the failure.

And that dripping sound, probably engine oil draining from the top end into the pan. I've heard that a million times on many engines just after shut down, and depending on the engine type and the temperature of the oil, the dripping sound can last quite a while!

[jsdomino]

Re: coolant problem

Since you didn't mention what engine you have it is hard to guess. If it is a 3.8L it is most likely the intake manifold. I just went through this with mine and after pulling it all apart the you could tell the intake was leaking. I continued to pull it apart and found the head gaskets were fine (a lot of work for nothing).

I spoke with a few mechanics and they all said that the 3.1 and 3.4s have head gasket problems but the 3.8s seldom have head gasket troubles.

Changing the intake manifold gasket is easy and inexpensive. I would definately start there. You will be able to tell if the intake manifold gasket is bad once you get it apart. If it is bad, stop there, and count your blessings.

[IbanezPlayer]

Re: coolant problem

lucky for me i actually routed the problem to a hose leak. but i cant find the leak. i know the hose. and it sprays out coolant, and then the coolant drips onto the head causing the smoke, and smell. problem with that is it's one of the hoses that seems to go into the firewall.