How bad is this news? Radiator leak

[Donnerpartier]

My 1999 Grand Voyager (3.3) has been "randomly" overheating and then cooling off. I don't see my fans running, even when it is as hot as it can register. Today, my brother added water to the radiator (it was low) and it just kept "filling". Then I saw it: Water was leaking from the back of the engine. Yesterday, when I stopped to let it cool down a bit, the only thing I could hear was hissing coming from the back of the engine compartment. I drove off with it still hot. I about 10 miles it started to cool off and got to normal temperature as I got home (about a 30 minute ride). I am between a rock and a hard place, here, and could use some good news. But, the honest appraisal will work, too. Thanks.

[tempfixit]

If coolant was leaking from the firewalll side of the engine it could be a head gasket or cracked head but it could also be a coolant hose going to the heater core that has began to leak. If you drove it hot for a amount of time like you say a new engine might be in the future. Not a good thing to drive a hot engine, warps the heads, blows the gaskets and could crack the heads or engine block. Check the hoses and lets us know if that is whats leaking.

[b1lk1]

99 3.3L engine will have a tube going into the backside of the waterpump housing that has an o-ring that can develope a leak. You'd be best off getting someone that has some advanced knowledge to help fix it since this is not an easy area to reach or an easy repair to make.