1997 Skylark with coolant leak

[jasonguidry]

Hello all,

Hopefully someone can help me with this.

I just bought a second hand 1997 Buick Skylark Custom with 2.4L 4-cyl. engine. It Has just over 58000 on it now. About a week after purchasing it, I noticed a coolant leak. Fluid is leaking and finding its final destination about 12 inches inside the front passenger wheel. I've searched for a source to the leak, but have been unable to locate it beyond saying it is somewhere under the engine where I can't see it (at least not without putting it on a lift). I check the fluid level when the engine is cold, it is actually a bit high still. So, here is my question. Is the high coolant level the cause of the leak? Is the excess coolant being release somewhere when the pressure gets to high? Should I be in a panic about an expensive repair on a car I just bought (ha,ah)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

TIA,
Jason

[ghostguy6]

it may be to much coolant in the resaivour but it may also be a leak from the water pump.

[tman]

I'm not well versed in the 2.4 liter engine, but look for a bypass hose under the alternator.

[jasonguidry]

One other thing I should have mentioned. Before I bought it, I noticed the belt was worn out, so they replaced it for me. Could something have happened when they replaced to belt to have caused this behavior?

[jasonguidry]

Turns out it was the water pump. It had a slow leak that would only start after driving for about 15 or 20 minutes.

[akinkanju]

Greetings,

This morning after coming into work, I noticed the familiar smell of coolant leaking from my car. After parking I check under my car and literally watched the coolant leak from my 97 buick skylark in a water faucet like fashion. Needless to say my car is not with out coolant. It is an external leak. Does anyone know if there is a way I can fix the leak or is there any kind of bandaid I can give it until i can get it into a shop. Please help.

-Ak

[tman]

Tell us WHERE specifically its leaking from, and we'll help you.

[ps27]

I had the same type of problem with the antifreeze leaking out of my 96 2.4l it was leaking through the t-stat housing. The t-stat went bad and blew the gasket out of place. It is now fixed.