GM 3.1L V6 (model year 1995)

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

SFCP

Joined
Nov 14, 2006
Messages
537
Location
Illinois
I own a 1995 Chev Lumina and recently the weather turned really cold. I backed the car from the garage and see a small puddle. I soaked it up with a paper towel and it is yellow/green in color. I check all the hoses (dry), the water pump has no moisture around it, the radiator has no moisture around it or in the pan under it. I'm miffed.
I know this vehicle is notorious for intake seal leaks, but I can't image it being that either as I see no moisture around those areas either. Can a water pump let fluid leak out, then stop, and appear dry when it is not leaking anything? Also, I filled the anitfree to the full line to mark it, and it has droped about a half an inch, but wondered if the radiator will suck more fluid from the resevoir when it gets colder out? Any ideas apreciated.
 
Is there condensation on the underside of your oilcap? Is the oil itself milky? Those two would be an indicator too of the intake leak.

If not, you can also try some Bar's stop leak and see if it stops.
 
Last edited:
The oil looks fine,no condensation under the oil cap either.
Crazy stuff. I don't know guys. I may have my mechanic through it up on a lift and take a real good look from underneath. So, is it my understanding that the intake can leak either internally or externally,or both?
 
If it's never been changed, you may as well just cut your losses and get it done with the Fel Pro Problem Solver gasket set. Like you said, once you can rid these engines of the gasket problem, they are indeed a reliable power plant/good power and fuel mileage.

The only other place I could think of for an external leak might be a weepy freeze plug on the firewall side of the block??? Although that is such a very rare place for a modern engine to leak coolent.
 
Look at the engine on the driver side of the car, under the thermostat housing/where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine. I wouldn't be surprised to see a puddle sitting there in the lower intake/top of the transaxle. That is where the gaskets leak externally on the 3.1/3.4Ls, and if your coolent level is dropping a half inch, get the checkbook ready...
 
Quote:

Look at the engine on the driver side of the car, under the thermostat housing/where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine. I wouldn't be surprised to see a puddle sitting there in the lower intake/top of the transaxle. That is where the gaskets leak externally on the 3.1/3.4Ls, and if your coolent level is dropping a half inch, get the checkbook ready...

Click to expand...


UUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!! Well, not moisture on that are either.
But I'm getting my checkbook ready none the less. It's Christmans. *&$% ususally hit's the fan around Christmas time anyway.
 
Once question I forgot to ask...the heat guage inside the car tends to read toward the cooler side and rarely goes past halfway. However, could an engine still overheat and cause the overflow resevoir to fill up and leak out the top of the overflow bucket even if your thermostat is showing it is running cool vs hot? Since I can't seem to find where the leak is coming from visually, I wondered if at one time this overflow bucket did in fact get filled up. Is this a likely event given the scenario I described?
 
I doubt it and it would be pretty obvious if the temp sender or gauge was malfunctioning. I think it's normal to loose a tiny bit of coolent over a few years from evaporation of the water content in the mixture and it is normal for the level to drop a bit in cold weather from contraction.

You should just get it in to your mechanic because it's likely the intake gaskets. Get it done once with the right parts and a quality installation and it should be the last time you have issues with it.
 
FWIW....I have a 1997 Pontiac with the 3400. I noticed leaking coolant off the rear bank one day while changing the oil. I had my mechanic look it over and sure enough, I had the dreaded intake manifold gasket repair done.....
hasn't leaked since ( approx 4 years & 60000 miles.)
Good luck on what you find.
patriot.gif
 
Backed car from garage today, noticed silver dollar size puddles of antifreez under the passenger side of the engine compartment. Goes into shop on Thursday this week. I'll post the findings after my mechanic diagnosis it. Man! I hope it's a simple fix!!!
 
Ok...I haven't brought my car to the mechanic yet and I'm already freaking out, thinking that this antifreez leak is more than just a hose. For any of you who know anything about the 3.1L V6...when I am standing on the passenger side looking at the belt tensioner...if you look down below the tensioner and back a little towar the rear of the motor, you can see where green fluid is dropping onto the plastic that shields the bottom of the engine. I can loo, up and around to the back of the engine to see where the leak is coming from since I don't have a mirror, but I'm thinking this could only be none other than an intake seal leak. Any of you think my thoughts are correct? I'm sure that after 600.00 dollars I'll know for sure, huh?
 
DOA A UOA so you know if you have an internal leak and how much damage is occuring if any. That is an area you'll see a intake gasket leak with a few drops onto the belt.

From the date of your first post you'd have already gotten a Blackstone email back , or even a phone call if they saw a significant coolant amount in the oil. Before you spend 600-$1000 you need to know eg spend the $20 to test.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

O
AC Delco Universal Coolant not suited for older GM vehicles?
Replies
7
Views
461
Sumboodie
F
2013 ford taurus 3.7L wont start.
Replies
15
Views
447
mk378
Boomer
My Random Thoughts on Keeping a Car Running for a while
2 3 4
Replies
63
Views
6K
Sweetride
MRC01
MTB XC all-around tires
Replies
8
Views
1K
JRay’07
Wylie6G72
Chrysler A604 help
2
Replies
31
Views
4K
QuadDriver
Back
Top Bottom