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LQ1 LIM Coolant Leak---again?!


Galaxie500XL
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Will your car run without the MAF installed? I've never tried to run a car with the MAF and hose entirely off, so I duuno. If you can though, it should give you enough of a view to see where the leak is. Thats how I spotted mine; it was clear as day with the airbox and intake hose removed.

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Well, I've got the plenum off, I'm seeing coolant dripping from around the bolts that hold the corners down on the firewall side of the intake! Not sure why it would be leaking like that, but now that the plenum is out of the way, it's easy to see.

 

Looks like the lower intake will be coming back out this afternoon...is there supposed to be thread sealant on those bolts that hold the LIM down?

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Intake is off...strange. I very carefully torqued the bolts to spec, and used the two pilot bolts, just like the Factory Service manual called for. I even torqued the bolts in thirds...finger tight, then to 10 foot-pounds, then to 20 foot pounds working in a circle. Yet, when I went to remove them, the right-hand corner bolts were unbelievably tight. The gasket covering the far right hand water passage was mashed very flat, not surprising, since the bolts were so tight...

 

This makes no sense--is there something wrong with the method I used to torque the LIM bolts?

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I'm checking everything, the only thing I wonder about now are the rubber guides the LIM bolts go through...they don't look really fresh, there's a break all the way around them about 2/3 of the way down, is this normal? Should I replace them, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

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I think I've found the problem...I decided since I had the cooling system opened for the 4th time in less than a year that it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to replace the water pump, since I have no idea how old it is.

 

Found one of those crummy pumps with the stamped steel impellers, only 6 blades!

 

I've been told that these pumps are absolutely insufficient on the 3.4...hoping that's true. The replacement is a cast impeller, just like the one the car had on it when new.

 

I'm theorizing that the pump wasn't moving water very well, leading to localized heat issues, which damaged the silicone seals on the LIM gasket.

 

Is this possible?

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Well, now one of the bolts that holds the pulley on the water pump has disappeared...I'm assuming they're the same on the 3.1...lots of those in the junkyard!

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I had the same issue also. I did not use new intake bolts and I suspect the old bolts lost their ability to hold a good torque being torqued in the past who knows how many time. In my case, I recleaned the threads and applied red (not blue as before) Locktite. So far, so good.

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Experience? Like what?

 

 

Just from changing over 50 intake gaskets on 3400 and 3800 motors in the past 5 yrs. Probably a bas assumtion but could the dex eat away at the gasket? mind you the gaskets are crap to begin with.:think:

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More fun and games...went to the junkyard, waited 45 minutes in the rain, got my pulley bolt, which put me two hours back on time. Got everything cleaned, no burrs or gouges anywhere on the mating surfaces, just like last time..hoping it was the crummy water pump causing heat issues...

 

Then, I discovered stripped threads in one of the center LIM bolt holes...back off comes the LIM, and helicoil installed in the cylinder head...then reinstalled the LIM. Did the torque in 3 steps, 5, 10, then 20 pounds, working from the center of the manifold, out to each end..

 

Water pump is on, but with mid/upper 90's, things went slow. Got about and hour's work left to get it back together (again)...:P

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Umm dude, the cast impeller is the design you DONT wantt. Thats the old design. The stamped steel impeller is the redesign that is better. Greater flow and much much less cavatation.

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Umm dude, the cast impeller is the design you DONT wantt. Thats the old design. The stamped steel impeller is the redesign that is better. Greater flow and much much less cavatation.

 

Really? In the Fiero crowd, the opposite seems to be true; the stamped impeller pumps fail, and everyone wants the cast. Learnin' somethin' every day! :thumbsup:

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I was unaware of that...my information seemed to follow what the Fiero guys were saying, that the cast impeller was the way to go...

 

I got it running Thursday night, so far, I've not seen any real difference in temperatures, but the old water pump was making some noise...now the only noise I'm hearing under the hood is the serpentine belt rolling over the power steering pump pulley.

 

And the best news of all, no leaks!

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  • 7 years later...

Seeing just a little bit of coolant starting to accumulate on the cap as well and figured this is how to do a proper thread bump. I'm looking at head gasket sets and they have a Mahle brand available with a different material than the Felpro. Ive not heard anything about Malhe other than a google search, are they worth it over the Felpro?

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If you take apart the heads on that LQ1, you're gonna have a bitch of a time putting everything back together. lol

 

Just get the felpro gaskets, and fix the oil pump drive while you're all taken apart.

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Keep in mind, I did that repair 7 years, and probably about 50,000 miles ago, so if all you can get are Fel-Pro, you're probably good for a bunch more years.

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If you take apart the heads on that LQ1, you're gonna have a bitch of a time putting everything back together. lol

 

Just get the felpro gaskets, and fix the oil pump drive while you're all taken apart.

I'm pretty much in agreement with Nas...I wouldn't pull the cam carriers and heads off of that LQ1 unless it became absolutely necessary.  There's way too much to deal with there, and a ton of genuine Unobtanium parts, unless there's a serious underlying problem, like a blown head gasket.

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There's the issue of internally leaking oil causing the smoke on start up you told me about before I got the car. I'd like to get that fixed but if the parts aren't available for it then the engines life is pretty much as long as the current timing belt lasts. I keep forgetting the intricacies of the DOHC engine and went to look at the FSMs and Ive thought of a better solution.

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There's the issue of internally leaking oil causing the smoke on start up you told me about before I got the car. I'd like to get that fixed but if the parts aren't available for it then the engines life is pretty much as long as the current timing belt lasts. I keep forgetting the intricacies of the DOHC engine and went to look at the FSMs and Ive thought of a better solution.

I’m pretty sure the oil consumption issue is worn valve guides. It could potentially run for decades, as long as the consumption problem doesn’t get excessive.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Guys!

 

I'm having a coolant leak too and I can´t find the source! I´ve replaced the LIM gasket and all hoses and I´ve checked everything twice. For two weeks I have not had any leaks but on Saturday again!! It´s not the LIM gaskets, the O ring or hoses. I know that the leak it´s between the engine and the transmission. Is there any freeze plug between them? Or maybe a head gasket failure?

 

Thanks!

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^ You've had the intake assembly off then you've noticed that the valley area has a depression that can hold fluid (approx 2 teacups worth) before it will overflow the ends of the block casting.

Have another close look in there to make sure that you're not leaking from one of the coolant crossover ports that's pooling then flowing over the rear casting boss.

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Didn't we have this discussion last year and he thought I was being pessimistic for saying it could be the piston rings?

We very well may have as I`m determined to keep the Vert in as best condition as possible. That means eventually having to address anything wrong with the engine and I was going on the info the previous owner provided. Whether its to the piston rings or bad valves in the heads I have emissions testing here in Davidson Co TN and I would like to not have to weasel the vert through the inspection with a new cat converter, guaranteed to pass additive and unplugging the pcv valve. Galaxie500 took very good car of the car when it was his, im only trying to do the same thing.

 

https://goo.gl/images/qzC2qN

Edited by rich_e777
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I completely agree. Are emissions for your county for the life.of the car or until it reaches a certain age?

 

Virginia allows them to not be tested after 25 years of age but Maryland requires them to be tested as long as they exist or until they're tagged "historic". That's why I ask.

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