2002 Grand Prix GTP coolant leak

[RamboGTP]

It appears that we have a coolant leak somewhere but we are not seeing it. From what I've seen online and my husband has heard its common that it leaks into the super changer. (Forgive me if I'm not using technical terms, just a wife trying to figure this out.) Is there a way to check this without taking everything apart? And if we do have to take everything apart is there a step by step guide? I've looked on the forum but have not found anything for a 3800 engine.

I really appreciate any ones help. We have to do this ourselves.

Thanks!!!

[GTP Dad]

Welcome to AF!!

I am moving your thread to the open forum from tips and maintenance so that more members will see it so they can respond. The 3.8 has several areas to check for coolant leaks. First check the elbows on the front of the engine. They can crack or be damaged and cause a leak. If the leak is showing up on the intake manifold then the issue is probably a leaking lower intake manifold gasket but you should also see water in the oil. If you have large plumes of white smoke from the exhaust you probably have a leaking head gasket. If your husband is afraid of getting coolant into the supercharger one place to look is the throttle body. It has coolant running under the throttle body and could be leaking there. If you have pictures please post them so it will give us an idea of what items to suggest.

[RamboGTP]

I checked the oil last week and it wasn't milky so I'm assuming there no leak there. I haven't noticed any smoke. My husband took the car today so I can't double check those.

It has been losing coolant for at least a month or so but we can't see it leaking from anywhere. There's no puddle under the car and we haven't noticed anything around the engine. Of course its been 100+ degrees here so it probably is evaporating. Now the low coolant light is coming on and staying on where before it would come on, we add coolant and it would go off. Also my husband said the temp was running hot when he was driving it this morning.

I'll have him check those things you suggested when he gets home. Is there anything else we could check?

[RamboGTP]

He made it home with a very hot GTP. We took pictures from where it was leaking. see below. It appear to be coming from that L shaped hose but I'm not sure if its coming from the gasket below that also or if its just catching the fluid from the leaking hose.
What's this part called and how can we fix it? This is our only car that has AC so I really need to get this fixed this weekend.

Thanks for any help given!

[olopezm]

Hi! Welcome to the forum!!

Those are the heater coolant elbows and they are a common problem with the 3.8 engine, you can order them from the dealer of most autoparts stores.

There is an article about it in the Tips and maintenance subforum. I don't fully remember but I think you only need to remove the belt tensioner assembly in order to be able to replace them.

Oscar.

EDIT: here's the direct link I was talkin about. Thanks to Bob (BNaylor) for the guide.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=663401

[GTP Dad]

Based on your picture the elbow is probably the culprit. I agree with Olopezm that this is the issue. The guide that was posted will help you replace the elbow with minimal problems. Tell your husband that he risks destroying his engine if he keeps driving it at high temps and leaking coolant.

[RamboGTP]

Yeah he knows. It's been parked since then. He just needed to get it home. He plans on working on this this weekend. How long do you think it will take? He's use to working on BMW's.

Oh! And thank you for the responses!

[GTP Dad]

Depending on his mechanical ability and whether he runs into other issues it shouldn't take more than an hour or two to replace the elbow. That is probably an exaggeration but I don't want to give you a low estimate only to have it take longer.

[RamboGTP]

Well its taking him more then a few hours and he's fairly mechanical. He's putting together everything right now but is having issues with the belts. Is there a diagram anywhere that shows how all the belts go on? I'll start looking but I know he wants to get this done so if someone can send me where to look or a link it would be much appreciated.

[RamboGTP]

Well he got it all put together and its still leaking. Looks like from that same area because I'm soaking up the coolant and take the rags away and it pools up in the same area. Also when he took the hose off it looked like there was some kind of sealant around it. Any ideas??? Please!

[gmtech79]

On each end of the elbow was there o-rings? Someone at some point may have used silicone to help them seal. Are the tube bores clean and free of nicks and burrs?

Sent from my Droid X. Typos probable.