2004 Pontiac Grand Am low coolant light

RIN012

MEMBER
2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
76,000 MILES

My low coolant light came on thursday night. I added coolant friday morning and now the light has come on again and I see fluid on the groud. It is mainly on the passenger side but the fluid on the ground does go across to the driver side. The fluid is towards the back (behind the engine). Does this involve the radiator or something else?

Monday, December 7th, 2009 AT 7:41 PM

5 Replies

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

Seems more like towards the water pump or thermostat location. If it was radiator fault then the coolant would be near the front of the car, not the rear. Do you hear any unusual noises with engine running? I.E. Squeeking, etc.

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Monday, December 7th, 2009 AT 9:39 PM

RIN012

MEMBER
3 POSTS

No. I haven't heard any squeeking. Now the windshield has had a lot of condenstion to where it seems the windshield defogger is working slow. It has been taking 10 -15 min to have a completely clear w/s.

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Monday, December 7th, 2009 AT 9:59 PM

BLUELIGHTNIN6

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16,542 POSTS

Okay, that is actually coolant being blown in. This is caused by a faulty heater core. You may also smell a light sweet smell when you first turn on the heat. You need to have the heater core inspected and most likely replaced.

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Monday, December 7th, 2009 AT 10:00 PM

RIN012

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3 POSTS

Would that also cause the coolant leaking?

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Monday, December 7th, 2009 AT 10:20 PM

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

Yes, it is leaking through the heater core and ending up as a filmy substance on your windows and also dripping down on the passenger side like you said and probably running elsewhere as well.

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Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 AT 7:38 PM