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Repair Topics / Coolant
Leak Water Pump and Head
Gasket
Car Coolant Leaks, Water Pumps and Head
Gaskets Visit
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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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