Repair Topics / Coolant Leak Water Pump and Head Gasket

Car Coolant Leaks, Water Pumps and Head Gaskets

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This category contains featured questions as examples. They relate to most vehicles.

Question: 1998 Ford Mustang mileage: 153,000.  Sometimes when I pull away from a stop and give my car gas and shift gears I smell coolant. There does not seem to be a problem with the performance of the car, nor do I hear any unusual noises coming from the car.  It does however seem to be using more coolant than usual.  I have looked for coolant leaks and cannot find any.  I am afraid to drive it.  Do you have any ideas about what could be causing this coolant smell?

Answer: Your coolant smell is probably from your radiator. Replace it and the problem should go away.

Question: 2002 Pontiac Bonneville mileage: 60,000.  My Bonneville has a coolant leak at a gasket under the throttle body assembly. I am told that the gasket and throttle body are a unit and have to be replaced as such costing approximately $350 parts and labor at a Pontiac dealership.  Is this a reasonable and correct diagnosis?

Answer:  Your coolant leak may be caused by a small by-pass hose under the throttle body.  Replacing it should fix your problem.  The throttle body should not have to be replaced.

Question: 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 mileage: 56,000.  I have a coolant leak in my car.  My mechanic says from water pump.  Told me I need a new water pump.  Can’t they just patch the leak? or install a new seal?

Answer: Once a water pump starts leaking there is little to do about it except replace it.

Question: 2002 Honda Civic mileage: 40,000.  The car has been running well but when it was in for its complimentary check up, they noted a slight head gasket leak.  There is now a more noticeable leak...am I in serious trouble that will cost mega bucks to repair?

Answer: The only fix for this repair is to replace the head gasket with new.

Question: 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan mileage: 76,000.  We have an coolant leak that drips in 3 small spots. We took it to our garage, he said that they could not see where it was leaking, and since it is such a small amount, we should not worry about it.  Also said that it is common in these types of engines.  I am not comfortable with this since every time you park the van it leaves oil stains.  Should we get another opinion or just leave well enough alone?   Thanks!

Answer: You should have your car re-inspected. It sounds like the water pump is just starting to leak or a radiator hose.

Question: 2001 Dodge 3500 mileage: 80,000.  My truck is leaking antifreeze everywhere and my heat is not working right.  I am broke so do you think this is serious. What are some of the things I can to stave off this problem until I have the funds to fix it? Is it safe to drive? It seems to be running okay.

Answer: The heater is not working because you are low on coolant. Check your truck for leaks to replace the failed component. Sometimes car coolant leaks can be costly, but it could be a simple as a hose.

Question: 2002 Chevrolet S-10 truck mileage: 55,000. My antifreeze is leaking from my car, but the radiator and hoses are not leaking. When I run my heater I smell the antifreeze and it fogs up the windshield. I think it might be the heater coil. What I would like to know is how do I change the heater coil and where is it located.

Answer: The heater core is located under the dash on the right side. The heater duct assembly must be removed and disassembled to remove the heater core.

Question: 2003 Honda Element, miles: 45,000. Hey guys, I recently had the transmission replaced to the tune of $2900. Within days after getting the van back from the shop, I noticed drips on my driveway that had not been there before. I immediately took the van back to the shop to have them check the source of the leak - suspecting that they overlooked something while doing the transmission. The mechanic says the leak is coming from the intake-manifold (whatever that is - please forgive my ignorance) and the gasket needs to be replaced. Estimate: $1500. My question, dumb as it sounds, is: Can this leak be a result of anything these guys did during the transmission work or are these two expensive repair jobs completely unrelated to each other? It just seems to be an incredible coincidence that the leak begins only after leaving their shop. I would really like to know if this could be an issue to discuss with them before we get the work done. Also, do you think $1500 sounds like a lot to get this work done? He says it's all labor costs.

Answer: It is difficult to say what happened. Mechanics have all kinds of tricks they can do. But we have seen coincidences similar to yours. This is why you need a honest mechanic you can trust.

Question: 1998 Chevrolet Camaro mileage: 76,500. Leaking coolant out backside, rear main? Put new heater hose. This car has been a battle for me since got it. I want to be sure of the rear freeze plugs before I tear it apart and leave a mess for days while waiting for the right part. Do you have info for what the process is for doing it? I never tackled this before.

Answer: This job isn't to bad, set aside a full day and you be able to get it done. Remove the failed freeze plugs and refill with coolant, recheck system.

Question:   2002 Chevrolet Lumina, mileage: 75,000. I have a coolant leak on top of the engine by the right hand side of the front valve cover but it does not seems to be coming from there. It seems to be coming from just behind where the block is flat. Is that where the intake manifold gasket is located?

Answer: The intake manifold gaskets on that car is common. Replace intake manifold gaskets with new.

Question: 2003 Toyota Camry 51,000 miles. My car will not hold antifreeze. I have discovered the leak, through a small hole behind the top pulley. Is the hole supposed to be there? In addition, how do I fix the leak?

Answer: We believe the small hole you described is the vent hole in the water pump. The purpose is to keep coolant out of the pump bearing if the seat fails. Your fix is to replace the water pump.

Question: 2001 Honda Civic, miles: 56,220. The car has a water leak behind motor mount on front of the motor. The top of the radiator is okay and the bypass hose is okay on intake.

Answer: Your coolant leak maybe caused by one or more of the following: (1). Intake manifold gasket, (2). "O" ring seal on back of the water pump housing, (3). Thermostat housing or gasket.

Question: 2002 Dodge Neon, miles: 76,320. Seems to run fine. However, on several occasions I have noticed a distinct sweet smell odor in passenger cabin. In a parking garage this week, I noted the smell while standing outside the car in front of the engine compartment. There aren't any leaks on my garage floor and car idles and runs smoothly.

Answer: It sounds like your radiator is leaking a little. The coolant gets on the radiator cooling fins and evaporates to give you a sweet pungent smell. Replace the radiator and your problem should go away.

Question: 2002 Honda Civic miles: 55,000.  Occasionally I will find some coolant under the car; it does not leak a lot. I checked all hoses and radiator but could not find any leak but I do see the timing belt cover is wet. Can you help me to solve this problem?

Answer: The water pump is under your timing cover, the coolant is all over the timing belt and pulleys. You need to replace the water pump and timing belt. (note: once a timing belt gets wet with coolant you should always replace it.)

Question:   2002 Dodge Stratus, miles: 67,000.  It started leaking coolant about a week ago. I put it on a lift and it looks like the thermostat housing is the problem. I know for sure that it is not the hose because it is dry all the around it.

Answer:   Remove the thermostat housing to replace gasket with new, refill with coolant, recheck system.

Repair Topics / Coolant Leak Water Pump and Head Gasket

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