96-98 chevy lumina coolant leak question

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
1,754
Location
north carolina
hey guys my lil brother who is going to school up in Buffalo, NY has a coolant leak and cant figure out what is going on. here is the story..

he is adding a resevoir's worth of anitfreeze (dexcool) every 3-5 days.. here in NC the leak was much less but up there since (what he thinks) is since he has to run the heat so much he is noticing it leaking more. he doesnt know squat about cars... i told him to look for it leaking on the ground and let me know something...

he says it really leaks when the defrost is on (when thermo is on hot) to me that doesnt make sense.. can anyone chime in on this? he is 12 hours away and he doesnt have time nor the $ to have someone look at it. thanks guys
 
btw he just had (before he left NC back in july of 2007) his radiator flushed and etc.. i double checked it when he left and all was well.
 
If it isn't leaking on the ground, it could be leaking internally. Is there a white cloud from the exhaust or is the oil way over full? That is a large leak if he is losing that much.
 
i was afaid of the intake manifold gaskets.. how much is that to fix??

he is going to get back to me about finding leaks under the car, there is snow on the ground so it should be obvious if it is leaking externally.
 
It'll cost between $500 to $800 depending. Make sure you purchase problem solver gaskets by fel pro.

Things to check: look under the oil cap fore signs of moisture - a white pinkish milky glop. Also, shine a flashlight into the oil filler and look at the oil on top of the head - it'll likely have that same moisture/antifreeze laden look (a reservoir's worth of coolant loss every week is a ton!). Also, they leak externally - shine a flashlight around the area under the thermostat housing - you'll likely see antifreeze.

Get it done ASAP! In fact, I wouldn't drive the car. That's a big leak and is likely to do damage to the motor.

Good luck!
 
If it really is related to heat and not just in his head, you could be looking at a leaking heater core. Usually accompanied by a wet carpet.
 
If it was leaking a couple pints a week through the heater core, it would stink of antifreeze in the cabin and the windows would be foggy I think.
 
Likely it's intake gaskets. +1 on everything Drew said.

Have him check for coolant in the oil. If there's any sign, he'd better quit driving it NOW. Coolant in the oil can take out bearings real quick.
 
Originally Posted By: Squishy
If it really is related to heat and not just in his head, you could be looking at a leaking heater core. Usually accompanied by a wet carpet.


thats not it, you would smell it too and i asked him about that and he said no
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
It'll cost between $500 to $800 depending. Make sure you purchase problem solver gaskets by fel pro.

Things to check: look under the oil cap fore signs of moisture - a white pinkish milky glop. Also, shine a flashlight into the oil filler and look at the oil on top of the head - it'll likely have that same moisture/antifreeze laden look (a reservoir's worth of coolant loss every week is a ton!). Also, they leak externally - shine a flashlight around the area under the thermostat housing - you'll likely see antifreeze.

Get it done ASAP! In fact, I wouldn't drive the car. That's a big leak and is likely to do damage to the motor.

Good luck!


thanks man i relayed the message to him but he is flying back here (NC) this evening and wont have time to check he car till next week when he goes back to Buffalo... ill get back to this when i find out more... here i thought that car was a good one.. leave it to american made vehicles to be [censored]. argh
 
chris, this is what i am hoping on. the upper and lower hose were supposed to have been replaced before leaving. along with the water pump. as a matter of fact ill call the chevy place that my parents used to work on his car before he left.

OH btw he said he knew when his coolant was geting low bc his gas mileage would start to suck.. if that helps any
 
Some GMs have three other hoses coming off the engine.
Heater hoses of course, but I've got a small hose as well
(bleed) that I replaced a while back.
The radiator itself could have a small leakage as well; only leaking when at speed. BTDT too.
 
the only thing that was done at the shop before he went to buffalo was a coolant flush and the upper and lower radiator hose replaced. thats it
 
update-- well my brother checked the oil and he said that it looked fine. the oil wasnt milky nor was it over the limit. he said it was dead on.. BUT he cannot find where its leaking by moving the car back and checking under it.. he says he sees nothing.. now he had a flush done in NC back in august right before he moved down.. his issues started in the dead cold of buffalo winter i believe...

to me it seems like there is a presure issue. when the car is hot and the pressure builds up, it leaks.. any guesses here guys?


thanks
 
I was told that it leaks OUT at the ends of the manifold where it's bolted to the heads.
The mechanic said usually the 'rear'-transmission end- drivers side.
Take a flashlight and look down in the valley between the heads, at either end.
My 2¢
 
how would that be fixed? maybe re torqueing the manifold bolts or what would be needed to be replaced? he never had an issue with this until the past month. hmm.. do those symptoms show up suddenly or something?? ill tell him about that thanks man
 
It's fixed by taking the intake manifold off and installing new gaskets. That's what we've been indicating all along. It's so common on these engines that I'd bet dollars to donuts that's what is wrong. Look at all the UOA results here from the 3.1L V6. Every single one shows antifreeze in the oil.

Listen to dwendt44. Shine a light down at the intake manifold on the drivers side, under the thermostat housing. That is where they tend to leak externally. When I had a Grand Am with the 3.4L (same basic engine as the 3.1L), there was a puddle of coolant on the lower intake manifold.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top