coolant confusion ?????

[ts_]

Hey All,

i got a 97 VS Commodore V6 and it is leaking coolant from the back of the motor, the only signs i can see is coolant dripping from the front of the transmission sump, im lost to what this could be because the only thing i can think of is the heater box but from memory that would leak on the passenger side.

its only leaking about a litre at a time, im constantly topping it up the overflow because that gets drained but the radiator is still full which also baffles me.

thanks in advance

[Brett_jjj]

Theres welch plugs behind the bellhousing in the engine block.If these leak, it will leak out around the transmission area.It also could be the heater core.Theres overflow lines each side of the transmission up in the trans tunnel for the A/C.Everyones seen a car drip water when the AC is on.If the heater core is stuffed and is leaking,it might also drip coolant out these overflow pipes.Try bypassing the heater core by changing around the heater pipes under the bonnet, drive around for a couple of days and see if it stops using the coolant.If it does,the heater core is the problem.Theres an easy way to replace the heater core in a VS.Renewing the heater core usually includes removing most of the dash etc,but theres an easier way to do it without removing much at all.So post back if you find out thats what it is.

[ts_]

i just jacked the car up and there's a small hole in the metal casing in front of the transmission sump, this is where the water is leaking out of, was that hole ment to be there (sorry im a fair noob i only know how to service the car ) and does this help with the diagnosis

[Brett_jjj]

Without actually looking at it,its hard to say.Id say theres a fair chance that the welch plugs at the back of the block have rusted out.Has the car always had good quality coolant in the radiator,or just plain water?..The transmission has to come off and be moved back to even comfirm this which is the worst part.I dont know if theres any other way to confirm that these welch plugs are the actual cause.Someome else might have an idea on how to confirm it.

[ts_]

its had coolant in it its whole life that ive had it, minus 4 weeks, changed the radiator and got a second hand 1 so it had a weaker mix of coolant for 2 weeks and when i brought the new radiator i made a mix of coolant but it had water in it for another 2 weeks cos the radiator blew again, got a performance radiator (i guess bursons call it performance cos it about 1cm thicker cos i couldnt tell the difference from the original besides that) now its running coolant from the 5 litre premix but its a little watered down because of the leak and i ran out.

just took it for a 20 min drive without topping up the overflow and it didnt leak a drop.

were welch plugs hard to change or should i pay for it to get done

thanks for your help

[ts_]

yep, welsh plugs

$600 later, cars running cool again, now thats crap for a $3 part

[79mat]

hi brett_jjj
i think i have a problem with the heater core because i have coolant comeing out off the aircon overflow just worndering what the easyer way to fix the problem would be i have a vr