Antifreeze Leak Solved - Timing Cover Gasket

Last weekend I took our 1999 Montana van to the store. It had sat for two days, was stone cold when I floored it to get out of the way of an oncoming car that switched lanes on me while I was turning right. Heard this loud pop sound and then everything seemed fine. When I rolled up to the next traffic light I could smell antifreeze, but no clouds and no appreciable difference on the temp gauge. When I got to the store I started to park in one spot, but decided to back into another. Not thinking too much more about it, I went in and did my shopping and came out. On the ground ahead of the van and now underneath it on the right hand side was a trail of coolant and a puddle right under the van's right front corner.

Got home and checked it and at first thought the coolant might have been from another vehicle. Started it up and there was this steamy mist coming from the right lower side of the engine toward the firewall. Since it was possibly a head gasket or a LIM, I decided to take it in to the shop and let them look at it. A pressure test confirmed that there was no leaking head gasket or intake gasket, BUT that there was a leak at the timing cover just above where it joins the oil pan. The gasket had popped out.

And when I think back, the van had a leak in this area about 5 or 6 years ago. At the time it was thought to possibly be a head gasket and I added two GM coolant tabs and the leak stopped. Guess the timing cover was trying to tell me it was time for a repair back then.

Shop did a much better job than I could have, since I don't have the right tools to pull the harmonic damper and if it was more than a timing cover then I'd be in too much 'hot coolant' to fix it properly.

Something to consider next time you see antifreeze leaking but can't tell exactly where it is coming from.