1. Home
  2. General Motors Forum
  3. Low Coolant Warning light on 1998 Ventre ( the dreaded intake gasket leak?)

Low Coolant Warning light on 1998 Ventre ( the dreaded intake gasket leak?)

I have one of these vans and it is closing in on 100,000 miles - my low coolant light came on a couple of days ago and I added a quart of dexcool and it has not reappeared so far - I looked under the very cramped engine compartement and felt around the hoses that I could access to see if I could find a leak but there is nothing obvious - note that I did have the intake manifold gasket replaced at 70,000 miles about a year and a half ago at a GM dealer - I am just wondering if the the problem is coming back - can the leak be seen or felt on any part of the engine from under the hood or is it mainly an internal leak? One of my main worries with this situation is that damage has gradually been done to the engine because this problem has probably existed for some time. Anyway I will probably be taking the van back to the dealer where I got it repaired the first time but just want to confirm that this is the problem if possible before I do that

Thanks for any assistance or advice

Reply to
Don
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
Paul

The most surefire way to check is to get an oil analysis of your used motor oil. Costs $20.

Many companies do these tests. I usually get mine by:

formatting link

There is a link on their website to have them send you a free sample taking kit. You then mail it back with some carefully taken used motor oil and they will do a basic chemical analysis, including checking for tell-tale signs of coolant in the oil.

IMO this should be a standard annual check for any vehicle with one of the intake manifold gasket leak prone engines, and is a good idea for ANY engine once a year.

John

Reply to
John Horner

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.