coolant leak

kaspr · #1 02-23-2005, 06:31 PM

Hi,

I have a '97 DeVille, and I have a pretty severe coolant leak. It's coming from the area of the water pump. I replaced the water pump, and it didn't fix the problem, so I'm led to believe it's something else in that vicinity. Does anybody know what it could be? And what would it cost to fix?

Thanks,

kaspr

AngelOfNight 9 · #2 02-24-2005, 12:22 AM

You changed your water pump and gasket which I'll assume is tightened to spec, and it's still leaking in the same place? Hmm, Are you sure your hose isn't leaking? I hope your block isn't cracked. :/

kaspr · #3 02-24-2005, 12:51 AM

I know the hoses aren't leaking; I'm thinking it's something more serious.

caddydaddy · #4 03-02-2005, 12:51 PM

Check the waterpump crossover gaskets, they could be leaking.

kaspr · #5 03-02-2005, 07:50 PM

What are these crossover gaskets, and where in relation to the water pump are they located?

caddydaddy · #6 03-02-2005, 08:14 PM

They are at each end of the cylinder heads. The waterpump is inside the crossover. Are you sure the waterpump is in correctly, and that the gasket is sealing? Is the coolant coming from inside the waterpump housing?
I would clean the area up, start the car, and see where it is leaking from.

kaspr · #7 03-03-2005, 12:23 PM

Thanks, I'll try that out. I'm pretty sure that the leak is coming from that crossover you're talking about, but I just don't know which part of it is leaking.

caddydaddy · #8 03-03-2005, 12:34 PM

Well when it's pulled off, replace both gaskets on it, and you should be good to go!
Don't forget the coolant supplement tablets when refilling the cooling system.

kaspr · #9 03-04-2005, 06:21 PM

This crossover you're talking about goes around the whole left side of the engine, right? (the driver's side). I assume that it takes much more work than replacing the water pump did. I talked to GM dealer, and they quoted it as 5 hours to change the crossover, and $150 parts for the crossover. Does this sound right to you? And is this something that I could do by myself without any special tools (besides the water pump socket). What would be your time estimate?

Thanks so much for your help!

caddydaddy · #10 03-05-2005, 07:15 PM

Yes, it is the large part that the waterpump sits in, and goes across to the other cylinder bank. I've never changed one, but yes it's quite a bit more work to take off! If the GM estimate is 5 hours, I'd add at least an hour or so to your time, since you haven't done it before. I'm sure it'd take me that long as well! What's the $150 for parts? I wouldn't think it would need more than the gaskets, some coolant and supplement tablets.
Did you find out exactly where the leak is coming from?

kaspr · #11 03-08-2005, 01:04 PM

Thanks so much! I can't really tell where the leak is coming from. I'll probably have them run a test to find that out first. Hopefully it's just the gaskets, but I think the mechanic said that sometimes they crack, as well. So the $150 they charge is for a new crossover. Anyways, I'll let you know when I find out where the leak is coming from, and how it turns out.

kaspr

caddydaddy · #12 03-08-2005, 01:12 PM

Just to let you know, there's a used crossover from a 1996 with around 49k miles on eBay. The opening bid is $2.00! Much cheaper!

kaspr · #13 03-09-2005, 07:53 PM

Thanks! I'll keep my eye on it.

kaspr · #14 03-13-2005, 06:18 PM

Turns out that the thermostat gasket has been installed wrongly by previous owner. So I bought a new gasket and installed it - $1 fix. Pretty nice. Thanks for all the help, though. Anyone by chance know how to remove the dash panel to get to the radio?

caddydaddy · #15 03-14-2005, 02:29 PM

I'd get a factory service manual for that. They will tell you everything you need to fix anything on the car.

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