Won't Start / Mysterious Coolant Leak

[wintboy]

First off i want to apologize for the long story im about to make but i want to explain it in depth with what i know........ first off the won't start problem...... one day i was going to drive the car to work and i had noticed that when i started it, it idled a little rough, i let it sit for a couple of minutes and it went away. After work i started the car it did the same thing except when i put it in gear and gave it gas it seemed to have no compression and i couldnt accelerate, the check engine light is not on at this point, i decided that i could not drive the car this way and decided to pull over in a parking lot and check it out. I shut the car off and i checked plugs and wires thinking a plug was lose. I checked it all out and went to start the car again but now it wont start, it hasnt started since, i changed the fuel filter thinking gas wasnt getting to the engine because when i pushed the relief valve very little came out and i thought it was maybe a fuel pump, at this point i notice the check engine light on but i dont have a code reader, i checked to see if i could hear the whir noise of the fuel pump and it comes on, after changing the filter gas flies out of the relief, i have tried changing plugs and wires, im about to try coil pack and ignition......

the coolant leak, this is shorter i promise..... the car was recently in a accident in the front end, i had no coolant leak before the accident although the plenum does leak a little bit of oil around the gasket, were not sure if its cracked or just the gasket but since it is a small amount its been put on the back burner, but lately i have noticed coolant keeps mysteriously disappearing, i fill it, its fine for a week then poof its gone, theres no moisture in the tail pipe, no coolant in the oil, and i havent noticed any leaks on the ground

again i apologize for the long story but i wanted to tell you exactly what the car was doing, thanks for your help

[1987ss]

coolant?? just guess but on my bonnie it was leaking little by little out of the inlet on intake and it would evaperate.. its above water pump and below altanator is a little hose that goes from water pump tp intake.. the threaded inlet or what ever was leakin i know some one eles knows proper terms for it... just a thought

[wintboy]

Are you talking of the plastic elbow above the water pump? if so i have replaced that already because the old one was corroded and broke in half, from what i can see is there is no leaking around the engine, i checked the plugs also to see if i was burning it but no luck

[jdq]

What year and trim,first thing I would do is check code.It might take out the guessing.

[wintboy]

1995 Bonneville SSE, I dont have a code reader and i cant drive it anywhere to get it read, the car will fire but wont stay running

[maxwedge]

Originally Posted by wintboy

1995 Bonneville SSE, I dont have a code reader and i cant drive it anywhere to get it read, the car will fire but wont stay running

Check fuel pressure or spray carb cleaner in the intake see if it stays running.

[jdq]

Ok start over check fuel pressure, check spark, check amps.Is it turning over fine.Secondly that is alot of coolant being lost to eveporate in a short time.

[richtazz]

Is the 8th digit of your vin the letter L or K? Also, look on the emisions certification label under the hood to see if your car is OBD-I or OBD-II. The 95 model year is the changeover year and it will make a difference on how to pull the codes as well as which engine vin as to where to look for your mysterious coolant loss.

[wintboy]

The 8th letter is a K and as for whether or not its OBD-I or OBD-II im not sure, the car was in a front end accident and that sticker is gone

[wafrederick]

Probally needs the upper intake replaced,common problem with the series 2 3800s.It starts at the egr port and puts a hole in thereThen it fills up with water and antifreeze and will cause it not to start.It will not hurt the engine at all.I have seen this happen.

[wintboy]

your right a gasket does need to be replaced, i found out that coolant is leaking in somewhere to cause it not to start but i have to figure out where, funny thing is though is it wasnt showing up in the oil, could it also be from the plenum? but then it would show up in the oil wouldnt it?

[wafrederick]

Replace the upper intake,it is made out of plastic and most auto parts stores stock them.remove the spark plus also and turn the engine over to get the water out by cranking it over.The antifreeze does not get in the oil,but change the oil anyway.

[wintboy]

I will do, im gonna take it to the guy down the street and see if he can do it, he has a shop out of his house and does this kind of thing for cheep, hopefully its nothing more than that, Thanks for the help i dont think i could have figured this out on my own

[bonedavid]

good luck...and keep us informed.

[richtazz]

For anyone else reading this thread about the mysterious coolant leak, read on. Hopefully, the coolant leak doesn't get so bad your engine hydrolocks. If too much coolant starts to leak, the cylinder nearest the leak will suck in the coolant filling the combustion chamber. Coolant cannot be compressed like air, so as the piston reaches TDC, it bends the connecting rod or blows a head gasket. If yours has progressed to this point, your motor is shot. Do not delay in fixing this issue. Dorman makes a nice replacement unit that is reinforced in the area that the OEM fails, plus it comes with the new injector o-rings, upper plenum gaskets and PCV valve. It runs about $150 give or take a few. With a repair manual and a torque wrench calibrated in inch pounds, a DIY can do this job easily. It only takes about 2 hours or less for a mechanically inclined person. I have done a few, and have it down to just over an hour.