1989 LeSabre Intake Manifold Coolant Leak

I have an 89 LeSabre with 204,500 miles on it. The only problem I have is a big coolant leak. Coolant leaks out overnight and in the morning the reserve is empty. After work the tank is empty again and I’m leaving huge puddles everywhere. I took it to the mechanic and they said the main leak is the intake manifold. They say it will cost $600 minimum to fix it. Any advice?? How difficult is it to install a new gasket? Does anyone have a guide I could follow? Is there an additive that could be added to the coolant that may help? There’s really nothing else wrong with this car…I hate to get rid of it. Thanks for the help!

Matt

No quick fix here, there are decent instructions at autozone.com/repairinfo.

Great guide…Thanks!
I sure hope this fixes the problem if I go through with it. It looks like a halfway big job. No body else I’ve talked to has heard of coolant leaking from the intake manifold. Does it seem possible that ½ to ¾ gallon of coolant could leak onto the ground from the intake manifold while the car sits and cools in an 8 hr period? I can confirm it’s not the radiator, water pump, hoses, or coolant bypass tube.


Matt

Stop right here till you diagnose this, get a pressure tester on it and really see what's what, watch the w'pump and/or hoses fittings also. The lim gaskets were not normally an issue with this engine.

Stop right here till you diagnose this, get a pressure tester on it and really see what's what, watch the w'pump and/or hoses fittings also. The lim gaskets were not normally an issue with this engine.

Here's a link to Autozone's step-by-step instructions.

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/15/df/ac/0900823d8015dfac/repairInfoPages.htm

I'd want to see for myself where the problem is leaking.

Thanks guys.
Yeah, I wish I had a pressure tester. I called all around and no one rents those. They would sell me one for $150 - $450. I can see coolant drip constantly off the engine near the AC compressor, even with the engine off. I was able to check the water pump, and I removed the alt and checked the by-pass tube…. both were fine. I was stumped….so I took the car to Midas. They degreased the engine and I assume they used their pressure testers etc. They determined that the main leak was the intake manifold, which would cost about $600. I told them 'No Thanks' and that’s where I am right now. I figured I’d just go on their diagnoses and fix the intake manifold but now I’m realizing that this is an uncommon place to have a leak like this. It would be nice to test it myself somehow.

I have a 1994 Lesabre and just recently found out that I had the same issue. Not only did the shop that I took it to, but the local parts shop person explain how common of a problem this is. They started making the parts cheaper and eventually went to a plastic intake manifold instead of an aluminum one. Talking with a resident "Car guy" at my job, he told me that in the old days when they had the aluminum manifolds, that all the heat and cold that they were exposed to on a daily basis, the engine block itself would crack before the intake manifold ever would. Now that they make them from plastic, they crack and wear all the time. It's just how they put the car together and skimped on the parts, that's all. I have to deal with it too, and it seems like such a huge undertaking to me, but it will save me $300 in labor and $150 in parts. Trust me, doing it myself gives me much more satisfaction that just whipping out a credit card and having someone else do it. I will just have to buckle down, tell my wife to watch the kids all weekend while I am out in the garage freezing my butt off and do it. I would also tell you how lucky you are to not have this problem until your car was at 200k, mine just got to the 100 mark a few months ago. Lastly, I love the fact that it gives me such good excuses to build up my collection of Craftsman tools as well......

Surprised that Autozone doesn't have one for rent in their Loan A Tool program or Checkers. I agree with maxwedge and use a pressure tester to pinpoint the leak before just replacing parts.

Find another private shop that will do the test with a pressure tester and ask to be shown where it leaks while under pressure.

Harborfreight.com has a tester for $80.00.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Try this place for a Stant Radiator pressure tester. It sells for about $68.

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/sta12270.html

I have a 2002, 3.8 and had to replace the plastic bypass tube on passenger side of engine. I probably should have taken off the heater transfer case on the side of the engine, but I ended up going after it by taking off the intake. Anyway, it looks like a big deal, which it is, but it is just a bunch of parts, including the fuel rail, injectors, upper and lower intake manifolds, and a bunch of gaskets. Anyway I was able to replace the tube and put back and all works fine, although the bypass tube leaked for a few weeks, but eventually stopped.

I also got estimates for replacing the intake manifold gaskets and it ranged from $600 - $900. The higher price was from a dealer.

good luck.