Chevy & GMC Vans

I've been slowly losing coolant for over a week now and have no idea where it's going. i don't see a puddle in my driveway, i don't smell anything sweet in my engine bay and my exhaust doesn't seem to have the burning coolant plume. I took the dog house off just now to track down my vent problem and there is a little puddle(not sure of what engine still too hot to touch) on the rear of the engine behind the distributer also there is a bolt that looks like it has a gasket under it which is clearly wet

photo of said bolt

photo of puddle (off topic is that line in middle of picture the vacume one that dries out and cracks it has a green cap on it)

I added coolant dye to the system,cleaned up the specked area and with a blue LED light,I could clearly see where the leak was.You can pick up a kit from your local parts store.From what you are describing,sure sounds like a intake manifold leak.

Get to it Pierre!
I'd get a new intake set on as quickly as you can.
How many miles on the engine?

gary: i was thinking about it today but i figured it was probably the usual problem so didn't buy one. i'm still hopping your wrong lol

Dunedog: i don't wanna (curls up in the corner) i'm going to have to go check out zams post on the job

edit: i forgot to mention the whole passenger side of the engine looks like the area under the bolt in the first picture also my coolant was mostly water all summer

Had the same problem with mine. Took 4 litres of coolant to travel 10 miles! Turned out, there was a thumbnail sized divot missing from the intake manifold! Sent my wallet into cardiac arrest after all was said and done -- $1400!

i would have a heart attack

I went for a test drive after some work on the van and it looks like the coolant is coming over the valve cover and at WOT it actually spays, some managed to get into the drivers compartment with teh dog house partially open

I didn't ask and should have.Do you have rear heat in your van........??.Could it be the coolant line going to the rear heater??.

nope no rear heat I'm pretty sold on the intake gasket after the test drive going to poke around today after work to pinpoint the leak before i dive in

so i have my manifold off and it has been off before apparently the EGR tube was hacked up. Anyways i think the first picture is my primary problem the rest looked pretty clean, also make sense that it would only spray at WOT. oh and i managed to snap one of the water outlet bolts i know someone else had a broken one how did you remove it just drill it and put a screw remove in it?
nice little crack i have, now what...... is it repairable?


and out of curiosity this isn't normally is it i think it was cut

yes, the crack can be repaired .
You need to go to a good engine shop.
They can weld and "Oven Bake" it......
or you should find a used one ......

hmmm i wonder if i should just go get a new one from work today

Pierre, I broke off one of the t-stat bolts and used several products to try to remove the broken bolt. The product you want to use if you have any decent length of bolt sticking out is the Craftsman Power bolt out mine came in a little red case, this particular devices goes OVER the bolt and digs in as its turned, don't waste your time drilling into a hardened bolt and using the type that are supposed to bite by screwing into the bolt.

Pics compliments of me from our tech gallery

the bolt is close to flush with manifold maybe 1mm of thread visible not enough to even put a vice grip on it lol

Cobra wrote:the bolt is close to flush with manifold maybe 1mm of thread visible not enough to even up a vice grip on it lol

That sucks big time! good luck with the drill and screw method brother, let us know how it turns out ( or doesn't )

I advise a repair & recondition. It's not needed to replace it. All should be good to go when said and done.

TIP: My dad is a recent retired GM employee. He says all new cars get a few Barr's tablets in each coolant system as an extra measure. Whenever he or I open a system, we always add a few tablets when through, just as te factory does. Cheap and easy insurance.