Radiator Fluid Leak????

[dwbailey]

Well I'm befuddled! My 2000 Alero 3.4 (same engine I understand that is in the Grand Am) with 200,000+ on her sprung a leak. I could have sworn it was the water pump laying down and just went ahead and changed it. NOT! After a closer examination, it looks like it is dripping off of the block between the crank pulley and the a/c pulley but closer to the a/c pulley. And it leaks pretty bad. Yesterday I pull up in the driveway and quite a bit leaked out. Just filled the reservoir back up after the pump change and it started dripping out almost immediately. Anybody ever experience anything like this in this area before? Can't imagine where it is coming from. Any ideas/experience sharing will be greatly appreciated gents. Thanks.

[dwbailey]

Additional info. I think I recall somebody once telling me that they had a similar leak and had chased it to an o-ring that apparently goes around the timing chain cover where the engine routes the radiator fluid as part of the cooling system. Sound familiar to anybody? If so, how difficult to do-it-yourself? Thanks again.

[thephantom1492]

DIY is not a metric to say how hard something is. changing the brakes is easy, yet some would find it very hard... heck... some pay to have a brake light replaced! (pull the carpet, turn the cap, turn the connector, pull, push-turn-pull the bulb... repeat in reverse to reinstall) I saw that canadian tire charge 15$ for a bulb replacement... for that easy...

Back on your question: I don'T know which gasket or oring is leaking, but it's usually a big job. If it leaked to the oil too.... then it can get very expensive... coolant in oil == very bad...

I would advice AGAINST those stop leak stuff, it tend to block some passages....

[dwbailey]

Originally Posted by thephantom1492

DIY is not a metric to say how hard something is. changing the brakes is easy, yet some would find it very hard... heck... some pay to have a brake light replaced! (pull the carpet, turn the cap, turn the connector, pull, push-turn-pull the bulb... repeat in reverse to reinstall) I saw that canadian tire charge 15$ for a bulb replacement... for that easy...

Back on your question: I don'T know which gasket or oring is leaking, but it's usually a big job. If it leaked to the oil too.... then it can get very expensive... coolant in oil == very bad...

I would advice AGAINST those stop leak stuff, it tend to block some passages....

Yeah I agree with what you say about folks paying for easy stuff but I guess some folks don't know how to change the toilet paper roll out. I had the upper, I think, intake gaskets changed prolly 100,000+ miles ago with GMs new and improved ones so maybe they've given up again. I recall the first time they died the leak was hardly noticeable. This time it leaks bigtime in comparison to that. If I can't seem to trace it I guess its to the $80-$100 and hour shop. Thanks.

[dwbailey]

Got me one of those inspection mirrors and from the top started looking around trying to see if it was the infamous intake manifold gaskets but everything looks dry from the areas you can see at least. Hard to see much from up top. Would be tough and sticky with radiator fluid dripping out while its running to get under it and try and trace it that way unless somebody has a better idea.

[dwbailey]

Was talking to this guy and it looks like we narrowed it down to the accessory bracket/crossover pipe that holds the water pump and other accessories onto the engine which apparently has a crossover gasket made of metal. he said if that has a problem it will leak antifreeze. The leak is directly across from the idler pulley and is dripping down between the a/c bracket bolt and the block. Intake manifold gasket is dry from what I can see and the water pump is tight and not leaking so we think it has to be that. Will tow it to the shop tomorrow and we'll see.