help.........more coolant loss questions

[coneyman75]

I have what seems to be a recurring theme among 99 Grand Am owners. I have a mysterious coolant loss problem with my 2.4L. I have had the system pressure checked and was told to replace the water outlet on the drivers side if the block. After doing so The leak returned. I cannot see where the leak originates however, when looking underneath the vehicle I see drippige trailing from between the oil pan and tranny pan. I do not have any milky substance on the dipstick, so I'm leaning away from the head gasket. There is no fluid coming into the car (heater core) and the AC drain exhibits clean water. I have read on several occasions the possibility of the intake gasket being bad but my leak seem to be on the back side of the block.................HELP!!!!!

[gmack221]

Motor size determines if your intake even has coolant in it or not, quad 4 cars don't have coolant in the intake, v6 cars will have coolant in the intake. So if you have a quad 4 car like I suspect (since you say you replaced the coolant outlet on the drivers side of the motor). If im right about the it being a quad car you only have a few options it could be, there is a coolant line that runs along the back side of the block that is a steel line that plugs into the coolant outlet you changed and eventually becomes a rubber line running to the coolant resivor. check to make sure not only that line is sealed into the coolant outlet, but that it doesn't have a hole in the line.

If its a quad 4 car the water pump is on the passanger side back side of the motor, its ran off the timing chain, bolts to the back side of the timing chain cover and can be removed without messing with the timing chain cover. the thermostat is under the water pump in the hard line that runs between the motor and trans. there is also a heater core coolant line that runs off of the water pump. you name it and its back there, since you don't know what is leaking take off the exaust and exhaust manifold to see whats leaking (if you can't find it with it on).
Water pumps are known to go out on quad 4 cars, its a pretty big job, but easier if your remove the exhaust & exhaust manifold (but can be done without, if you want to waste the time).

The other option is a head gasket, before starting to tear it down I would start with removing the exhaust and exaust manifold, so you can see the back side of the head to look for traces of coolant leaks. (you can see it pretty good from under the car looking where the exaust runs to the head, if the exaust manifold is removed.

[coneyman75]

Originally Posted by gmack221

Motor size determines if your intake even has coolant in it or not, quad 4 cars don't have coolant in the intake, v6 cars will have coolant in the intake. So if you have a quad 4 car like I suspect (since you say you replaced the coolant outlet on the drivers side of the motor). If im right about the it being a quad car you only have a few options it could be, there is a coolant line that runs along the back side of the block that is a steel line that plugs into the coolant outlet you changed and eventually becomes a rubber line running to the coolant resivor. check to make sure not only that line is sealed into the coolant outlet, but that it doesn't have a hole in the line.

If its a quad 4 car the water pump is on the passanger side back side of the motor, its ran off the timing chain, bolts to the back side of the timing chain cover and can be removed without messing with the timing chain cover. the thermostat is under the water pump in the hard line that runs between the motor and trans. there is also a heater core coolant line that runs off of the water pump. you name it and its back there, since you don't know what is leaking take off the exaust and exhaust manifold to see whats leaking (if you can't find it with it on).
Water pumps are known to go out on quad 4 cars, its a pretty big job, but easier if your remove the exhaust & exhaust manifold (but can be done without, if you want to waste the time).

The other option is a head gasket, before starting to tear it down I would start with removing the exhaust and exaust manifold, so you can see the back side of the head to look for traces of coolant leaks. (you can see it pretty good from under the car looking where the exaust runs to the head, if the exaust manifold is removed.

Thank you for your input. What I discovered was that there is a quick connect fitting that joins the solid heater core line to a short rubber hose leading to the core itself, underneath the exhaust manifold. This quick connect has two o-rings and a teflon seal inside that became hardened over time. So for any other owners who begin to see coolant loss problems before assuming the most expensive repairs start with any and all joints and connections, as most of them have some sort of inner seals that will harden and crack. I fixed both of my problems with less than fifty dollars. THanks again.