3.4 DOHC leaking coolant.

[nequamminor]

I just did the water pump about 2 months ago, however the car has just recently started leaking coolant. It looks like the coolant is coming out of a little housing on the front of the engine. I remember taking the housing off when I first got the car because it looked like a thermostat housing. Its very possible I didn't put it back on tight enough, or the gasket went. There are two hoses going into it, and it bolts down to the engine with 2 bolts. It drips pretty quickly straight down on a wire by the A/C compressor when the car is up to temp. I've been told its the water outlet, and I have replaced the gasket but now the leak is worse, or at least just as bad. Should I have RTV'd this gasket? The ground under the engine is covered in coolant, probably 3 foot across and 2 foot long. Could that still be the only problem? I've heard about cam carrier gaskets and such, and I don't want to keep putting effort into the water outlet gasket if taht's not the issue.

[series8217]

Are you referring to the aluminum piece with the two-bolt flange and paper gasket? Thats the water inlet for the water pump. I generally just clean up the surfaces and cut a new gasket by hand to use there. You can get gasket material from almost any auto parts store.
It's possible that its dripping from one of those hoses as well. If they're the original hoses you should probably replace them.

[nequamminor]

I've considered that it could be hoses, the only thing that's got me thinking otherwise is the fact that the top of the water outlet piece is always wet too. Like the coolant is coming out of the top of the water outlet or something. I'm sure it could be hoses, but could the hoses do that?

[series8217]

Yeah if the leak is small it could turn into a spray when the motor is running.

[nequamminor]

Here's a picture of the problem area.

[nequamminor]

Turns out that the cast aluminum piece in between the two hoses is cracked. It bolts into the water pump housing is. Does anyone know the part number and/or name for this piece? I've looked at gmpartsdirect.com and I don't know where else to look.

[1994KlrWhaleOlds]

from GMpartsdirect

Item Number MSRP Price
10130907 $19.37 $11.48

INLET-WAT

[nequamminor]

How did you find that part? I'm not the most experienced at that website but I looked everywhere for it.

[1994KlrWhaleOlds]

I had the part number in a parts manual.

[nequamminor]

Parts manuals aren't in w-body manuals are they? I ordered the two book set of '95 manuals.

[1994KlrWhaleOlds]

No, this stuff isn't in the the service manuals...After 1992, the parts manuals went from being paper to going on microfilche.

[pontiacdohc@gmail.com]

my 93 did the same thing but mine had three hoses that came off of it. mine was warped tho!

[series8217]

Yeah the 91-93 had the oil cooler so there's another barb on the bottom right. They blocked that off in the casting on the 94+ ones.

[nequamminor]

I drove from my home town to Fort Wayne over the weekend and back. Defiance to Fort Wayne is about 50 miles one way, just for reference. The temp gauge fluctuated constantly. I had my water inlet part replaced with a new gasket beforehand. I had the reservoir filled up past the hot mark. Drove to fort wayne and came back that night. Checked my coolant this morning before I left, and the reservoir was empty. I couldn't see any coolant at all in the radiator either. Checked the oil and it looked clear and pretty clean.

I filled it back up, thinking it could have possibly been a lot of air in the system. Drove the car to K-Mart and came back. I checked it again when I got back, and the coolant in the reservoir dropped a good inch and a half. That was roughly a 12 mile drive. The coolant is burning off on the driver's side of the engine. It looks like the steam is coming from underneath the exhaust manifold. What is leaking coolant this fast?

[gpse3400]

might be the quick disconnect fitting in the lower intake manifold to the heater core, or the rubber hose connection from the water pump to the upper intake manifold.