It looks like it's leaking near the middle to rear of the engine on the passenger side but I can't tell for sure.
Any way I can pinpoint the leak without expensive tools?
Any idea what repairs might cost for any of the possibilites?
Thanks for the help
I can't think of anything in this area that would leak coolant. It is probably leaking further forward and running back to this point to drip off. Unless you are seeing coolant pooling on top of the engine at this location.
Clean all the coolant and coolant traces (stains) off the engine, especially around the water pump. get the car up on ramps or a rack so you can see the top and bottom of the engine and radiator. Now start the engine and start looking. If you have lost a gallon of coolant in 3 days, you are not looking for a slow drip, it will probably be a fine spray or a very fast drip. Be sure to run it long enough for the thermostat to open. Check your radiator hoses, the radiator, water pump, etc. You should be able to find the leak pretty quickly. Personally, I don't think it is a heater core, because those usually manifest themselves inside the passenger compartment as wet carpets.
If you take it to a garage and can tell them exactly what is leaking or where the leak is, it will be a couple of hours of shop time plus parts. If you do the work yourself, it will be parts plus a few hours of your time, a case of beer and an ample supply of cuss words, especially if it is the radiator or water pump. I always manage to rip my knuckles to shreds when I work around the radiator. ((^:
Tom S.
Flashlight and a small mirror. Get it hot and look all around. GW
I had it running last night for awhile and still couldn't see anything from up top, so it's gotta be underneath or closer to the bottom of the engine somewhere. Checked the hoses from the radiator and it's not those, also check the overflow tank for a crack. So I'm guessing it's either some sort of hose underneath, the water pump or a gasket. I can't get underneath the car to tell so I'm gonna stop by a garage today on the way home and have them put it on the lift.
What would the cost of replacing the water pump or a gasket be?
Just took it to a garage, they say it's lower intake manifold gasket. About $455 plus tax to fix.
Does that sound reasonable?
sounds cheap to me. At my shop we'd replace all the hoses and the water pump too. At your car's age and mileage it's dumb not to. (unless of course all that was done already) GW
How much more do you think that would run? I'm gonna have them change plugs and wires already. They should flush and fill the radiator when doing that already right?
Couple hundred more.
depends on shop policy. We have a power flush machine. If we use it, it adds like $100 to the cost of a job. GW
Got a place to do it for about $650, new gasket, oil change, flush/fill radiator and new plugs and wires. Gonna leave the hoses and water pump as is for now. I'm only gonna drive this car another year so hopefully they hold out that long.
Got the car back yesterday. Runs like a champ. They replaced the gasket and plugs. Still ran rough and CES light on. Found out it had a clogged injector, they cleaned all the injectors and new fuel filter. This thing runs like a dream. Now I'm hoping it'll last another 2 years.
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