97 Grand Am/Quad 4 Coolant Leak HELP!!!

robcaryh · #1 06-18-2005, 10:50 PM

Howdy all
I am goign to get it up on ramps tomorrow to look at it but I wanted a head start if possible.

My 97 grand am tonight dumped most of it's coolant once i parked and sat for a few minutes before going into work. I looked under it with a flash light and the fluid is dripping from around a black plastic part on the drivers side of the car,the black plastic looks to wrap around the end of the transaxle on the side of the engine.

Any clue where this might be coming from from my description?

Any help is appreciated.
Rob

THE LATEST UPDATE

Well,everyone was wrong. The connector it was coming out of is the water outlet,on the top of the engine drivers side. I had a dealer tell me it was a water pump lol

So I took this thing off and the little part of it that has an o ring around it and goes against the engine basically fell apart and disintegrated when i took it off and touched it so this has to be where it is coming from. Off to the dealer to pick it up.

robcaryh · #2 06-19-2005, 12:34 PM

Well,I just got it up on the ramps and i absolutely cannot figure out where this leak is coming from. The tranny fluid or oil have no signs of water in them so i dont think it is the head gasket or tranny pan leaking.

The drip is coming from the front of the transmission pan near the oil drain plug. It is running down because i can wipe above the pan and get coolant. I just absolutely cannot see a line or anything where it could be leaking from. I guess I am just going to put some prestone radiator stop leak in it and hope for the best. I wont use the whole can maybe just a tablespoon or so to see if i can stop the leak,

Any suggestions?

robcaryh · #3 06-19-2005, 10:51 PM

Anyone here have any info for me?

If it were a head gasket,I would show fluid in the oil right?
Oil is totally brand new brown since i just changed it. No milk at all.

Is the thermostat on the driver side? I am hoping it's something stupid like that but with my luck it won't be. I am going to put some Bahrs stop leak in it tomorrow and see what happens.

sellncars · #4 06-19-2005, 11:12 PM

It could be an external leak.

Sellncars

Quote:

Originally Posted by robcaryh

Anyone here have any info for me?

If it were a head gasket,I would show fluid in the oil right?
Oil is totally brand new brown since i just changed it. No milk at all.

Is the thermostat on the driver side? I am hoping it's something stupid like that but with my luck it won't be. I am going to put some Bahrs stop leak in it tomorrow and see what happens.

robcaryh · #5 06-19-2005, 11:55 PM

Is there a way to tell if it is the head gasket? there is so much crap in the way that I cant see even where the head gasket is at. There has to be a way other than tearing everything out of it.

Hoags · #6 06-20-2005, 08:10 AM

Unfortunatly, with a head gasket there is no other way to tell if the the gasket is shot, because it is sandwiched between the heads and the block. It's like trying to find a torn page in a book without opening it. I think that it is something other than the head gasket, I say this because you have indicated that you lost a lot of coolant when you parked the car. if it was the head gasket it most likely wouldn't dump out coolant like that. It may be a loose rad hose or a thermostat gasket. If you can get a pressure tester you may be able to fill the system with pressure and then you may be able to hear the air escaping the system.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

sellncars · #7 06-20-2005, 10:56 AM

First thing i would do is run a pressure tester, if you cant find the leak, Then you can run a compression check. They also make a dye that you will need an inferred light with to find the leak. Hopefully this helps.

Good luck,
Sellncars

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoags

Unfortunatly, with a head gasket there is no other way to tell if the the gasket is shot, because it is sandwiched between the heads and the block. It's like trying to find a torn page in a book without opening it. I think that it is something other than the head gasket, I say this because you have indicated that you lost a lot of coolant when you parked the car. if it was the head gasket it most likely wouldn't dump out coolant like that. It may be a loose rad hose or a thermostat gasket. If you can get a pressure tester you may be able to fill the system with pressure and then you may be able to hear the air escaping the system.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

robcaryh · #8 06-20-2005, 11:03 AM

Thanks for the info guys. I'm, not sure where I can get a pressure tester at but I will look around.

It only drips slightly when the car is running but it com,es out when i park and turn it off. Like I said,mit is dripping out from the drivers side above the tranny pan, I just can't see where. I am going out right now to mess with it some more.

robcaryh · #9 06-20-2005, 11:39 AM

Well I just took a good look while running and the fluid seems to be coming from the thermostat gasket area. I dont see any other lines there and i see a good drip,plus when i run my finger along the top of it I get liquid. IO sure as hell hope this is it.

I didnt think that much fluid could come out of something that high up on the engine though.

robcaryh · #10 06-20-2005, 04:08 PM

Well,the part that was bad was the water outlet on the top of the engine. The dealer said that it is one of the most common parts he sells and that they sell out of them frequently. It was an adventure getting at the bolts and the hoses off,but about an hour later i was finished. The old one was literally falling to pieces inside.

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