1997 rodeo coolant leak

[kiddone1]

my daughters 97 rodeo is leaking coolant. i seems to be coming from around the center of the vehicle about the same distance back from front as the a/c drainage. i tinkered around with it at home but not confirm where it is coming from. my mechanic pressure checked the radiator and it was ok as were the hoses. but they said it went through a gallon of water fairly quickly. they also are considering the head gasket but there has been no evidence of water in the oil, or from the exaust and the truck runs fine. lastly he is going to look at the water pump which i had already thought of originally but it appears as though this unit is behind the timing covers and takes a while to get to.he doesnt want to do this unless he is certain that is where the problem lies. since my daughter had to have a car for work in let her use mine and i have the rodeo. the mechanic said to drive it locally and when it starts leaking to bring it in and he will find out from where it is coming. well, there you have it. if anyone else has had a problem like this i would greatly appreciate a reply. thank you.

dk

[rodeo02]

There is a coolant line or two that runs underneath the intake manifold . The only way to get at'em is pull the intake . This might be a good time to get the major maintenance items out of the way while you are in there: Timing belt, T-belt tensioner, water pump, new OEM thermostat. You really should do atleast a yearly coolant dump & fill on these engines. Being all aluminum, they corrode easily & spring leaks on nasty coolant.
G/luck
Joel

[2eyefishclaw]

when replacing the o-rings on those bypass pipes smear some silicone on the o-rings it will make it easy to slide the pipes back into place and you will have a better seal

[johhnboy]

Had any luck? I have similar problem except that my 94 has water literally pouring out womwhere midway back. When leaking water drips down onto front crossmember. Just put new water pump, radiator, T-stat in, still had overheating problem.. Didn't start leaking until I replaced water pump.