Coolant leak...

[LifeIsGood]

I know, I know, there are a million threads with this title, and I looked at them all...most relate to GEN I's. I had the beast out today and noticed that the temp guage was pegged on 250...I had been doing some spirited driving, but it still surprised me. I immediately pulled over to take a look at things, but I didn't notice anything under the hood. I have the ROE Fan Control Kit, so it was cycling on and off, but only a couple of times...after only 15 minutes, I checked the engine temp (temp guage in the dash) and it was 190-200ish. I was only a few miles from home, so I drove home without it getting anywhere close to 250. I pulled into the garage and did the usual...hooked up the trickle charger, raised the hood and the fan was cycling on and off to cool the engine. There was a slight coolant smell, but not overwhelming. I went back out to the garage an hour or so later to check and there were a couple of drops of coolant on the floor under the overfill tank. I looked closer and there was a coolant streak around the front right wheel well and a small amount on the side sill. I cleaned up the small amount that was on the paint and started this thread. My first assumption is that when the engine gets hot, the coolant isn't able to do it's job and the pressure in the 'closed' system looks for somewhere to blow. I'm also assuming that the overflow tank is where the failure occured and hopefully that is where it's supposed to blow.

Are my assumptions correct?

I haven't been able to get a closer look...I lent my floor jack, jack stands and crawler to a buddy. I know that I need to find out if the overflow bottle is dry and if it still has a cap on it.

Other info...the coolant reservoir under the hood looks fine and the coolant level is right on. I checked the coolant level in the overflow bottle a couple of months ago and it was about 1/3 full according to the indicator inside the wheel well.

Here are some pictures...

Coolant drops on the floor...

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Front of the wheel well...

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Top of the wheel well...

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Rear of the wheel well...

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Thanks for any help and information that you can provide!

 

[Joseph Dell]

That is your overflow bottle on the other side of that panel (well, really close to it). Remove the fog-light rubber cover to get access.

But that is overflowing because your water pump is broke. coolant leaking is the symptom. Water pump is the problem. do a search and you'll see tons of posts about the creampuff waterpumps. Replace with an AC Delco and be happy.

good luck!

 

[GTS1997]

First things first, make sure the cap is on as tight as you can get it. If it is even a little bit lose, you can have a mess in the same areas as you pictures show.

 

[Tom Sessions]

Your car looks like a 01 RT so i would look into a water pump if you have not had it replaced yet.The 01s would let the impeller spin on the hub under hard driving and over heat.This could push coolant back into the overflow jug and leak out of the nose as yours is.Under normal driving the pump would work correctly and not over heat.

 

[plumcrazy]

what JD and tom said

 

[dave6666]

The circumstances you describe sound nearly identical to the problem Tony (Viper Tony) had on his '01. Overheated at elevated speed, performed normally at more moderate speeds. It was his water pump. Get a new cap while you're doing the work. Minor additional cost, as there is a very slight chance it could be weak given your problem.

Great description of your problem BTW. I love the posts that go:

"I saw this drop on the floor."

"What fluid is it and where did it come from?"

 

[Detlef]

Ken, I just had the water pump replaced on my '01 a few weeks ago. Similar symptoms as what you describe. And once pulled it was bad for sure. Got my replacement unit from Chuck Tator (914) 763-3136.

 

[LifeIsGood]

Thanks for the replies...I'll research the water pump and get a new cap.

 

[dave6666]

Thanks for the replies...I'll research the water pump and get a new cap.

And upgrade your paint to red while you're waitin' for the parts.

 

[LifeIsGood]

Yeller haters...you gotta luv'em...but not too much .

 

[Next Phase]

Great post LifeIsGood!

Exact thing happened to me yesterday. I did a little spirited driving and noticed the temps pegged at 250 - fortunately I was getting off at the exit. It got hotter the faster the car went, but low speeds and idle were in the 190 - 200 range.

 

[LifeIsGood]

I just pulled my water pump and here is the proof that it was bad...

Here are the old and new water pumps...

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Close-up of the impeller...

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[plumcrazy]

good follow up.

most guys never finish the thread with what they found or how they fixed it.

 

[eucharistos]

your follow up pics are worth a thousand words

thanks for posting them

 

[ViperTony]

Ken THANK YOU for posting the follow up pics. That garbage you show on the impellar is what ended up getting trapped in rear coolant passages on my block. I'm doing headwork and when I pulled the heads I found the two rear coolant passages filled with a greyish substance and I was trying to figure how the hell it got there. This explains it. My water pump went back in October.