3.4 DOHC leaking coolant.

[nequamminor]

I drove the car just long enough to open the thermostat today, and I checked that fitting you mentioned, along with every other one I could see from the engine bay. I couldn't find a leak anywhere. I didn't see any smoke either, but I smelled coolant heavily. It seems like it is coming from somewhere under the exhaust manifold on the engine. There is a small puddle of coolant on top of the transmission as well. Does anyone have any further ideas? I'm at a loss here. That's a lot of coolant to be disappearing like this.

[gpse3400]

Well unless the fitting is leaking convieniently at certian times, it could also be the lower intake gaskets..Not much else other than the head gasket and that is something that should not be considered yet....

[series8217]

Under the exhaust manifold? obviously not intake stuff..
It's likely either the edge of the head gasket leaking or you have a rotted freeze plug or missing coolant jacket plug. I think there is a screw-in plug on both sides of the engine and also press-in freeze plugs. Take a look from underneath.

[nequamminor]

Well, the car was put up on a lift at my local transmission shop yesterday. Needless to say, I filled the reservoir before I left, and the fluid didn't drop at all on my way to the shop. We didn't see any from above or below the engine, and he was pressure testing it while we looked. Today I drive it to school and the reservoir dropped about an inch. The car doesn't drip coolant anywhere anymore.

This is a picture of what I think is the intake gasket.. I don't know because I've never done one, but if thats the LIM gasket, it looks relatively new. I don't know.

[gpse3400]

yeah thats it...

Are you getting any white smoke out the back continusly?

[nequamminor]

Nope. only on startup, once it warms up its no different then any other car's exhaust in the cold. It misses sometimes at idle, and occasionally when I put in in drive or put a load on it it'll bog down to 600 or so rpms and then come back up. When I first got the car I could start it and the rpms would go up to about 1400 and down to 500 or so, before I did the tune up and all that.

[94GPGTP]

what about the o ring between the lim and uim?? could that have rotted away? plus where r u located??? if ur just adding water and its below freezing and ur system has more water than antifreeze your gunna bring yourself into more trouble..

[nequamminor]

I know that the o ring is leaking. Badly. I've been putting probably 55/45 strength coolant in. I'ts been well below freezing off and on, so ive made sure to keep the coolant and full strength.

[gpse3400]

I think you have found your problem.

[nequamminor]

The o-ring or the intake gasket?

[1994KlrWhaleOlds]

o-ring.

[nequamminor]

The o-ring will make it lose coolant? I'm not so worried about the oil leak right now.. I just want the coolant leak stopped.

[series8217]

Yeah, there's an o-ring between the LIM and the UIM above the thermostat housing. It's for the passage that supplies coolant to the throttle body for the thermostat bypass line. You'll see it when you pull the UIM off.

[gpse3400]

if you replace the in takeo ring you can also fix the oil pump drive O ring with a technique that does not require cylinder head removal.

[nequamminor]

What technique is that? Could you give me a link or anything to it? That'd be awesome.