EviLette Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 Hey folks! I thought I had Precious up and running on DD duty again, but she had other plans. I took my daughter to a doctor's appointment this morning, and when I came out there was a decent puddle of coolant on the ground. I started the car to see how severe, and it was a decently steady stream. I limped her to a QT to grab a bottle of straight coolant/antifreeze then after filling the overflow back up to a friend's house very nearby and called Jeremy for a rescue. So far as either of us can tell, the coolant seems to be dripping from the front side of the engine and not from any hoses. There is also a very loud tap-tap-tap going on which when visually comparing to the car running appears to be the topmost pulley on the serpentine, or possibly the one on the water pump. Any ideas what this leak could be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 the coolant seems to be dripping from the front side of the engine and not from any hoses. There is also a very loud tap-tap-tap going on which when visually comparing to the car running appears to be the topmost pulley on the serpentine, or possibly the one on the water pump. Any ideas what this leak could be? First guess: water pump. Other guesses: Core plug, Hose leak(s) that aren't obvious, including hose cold-flow underneath a hose clamp. (hose squeezes out from under the clamp, clamp no longer has any pressure on the hose.) Defective gasket including head gasket or water-pump gasket. Cracked head casting or block casting. A pressure test and close observation will pinpoint the source of the leak. Pressure testing is best done with a pump installed in place of the radiator cap while the engine is cold. It can also be done using the natural pressure of the heated coolant and the rad cap--but you'll have to be more careful to not get burned as you hunt for the leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Bah. So in other words: Take it to a shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 olds vert Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 I had a coolant leak I thought was comming from the water pump. The coolant was actually coming from the Headgasket. Talk about a pain, but after doing 3.1l headgaskets it wasn't too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regalman Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 pressure test and look close..going through same thing on my 3800 thought it was LIM but it is timing chain cover, water flows through it to the water pump..if it looks like it is coming from BEHIND the pump that is what it is, needed LIM as they where seeping but changing gasket to fix this weekend...mean time run with cap loose to keep pressure down so it does not leak so much...whatch temp gauge though... let me know. u might be hearing timing chain or belt beating on the cover, seen that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EviLette Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Temp gauge is dead. Has been for years. Thanks for the input, guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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