I got home yesterday and noticed a puddle of coolant under my Buick (3800 S3). Perhaps a cup, so significant. I put it up on ramps and I could that the leak originated from the general area of the water pump. It was a pretty good leak, a steady drip*drip*drip and it was all over the subframe. I have to top it up once in a while (maybe a cup a month), but no visible leaks until now. My mechanic is out of town until Monday, so I took it to the Chevy dealer. They told me that I needed a water pump (leaking from weep hole) and that I had another coolant leak from the "front cover gasket" (apparently the timing cover). The suggested fix was: "Timing chain and gear set R&R" $1012 in labor, Parts $320 (this includes the water pump, he told me). Does this sound plausible? That's a whole lot of labor, I thought. Even if they're right that seems really steep. I drove it straight to my mechanic and am waiting for him to get back next week. I'll have him look at it. But does that even sound right? $1400 is a good bit, and I just want to make sure that it's even plausible. I don't want to attempt this because it's beyond my skill level and there's not much room to work. But, still, $1000 in labor alone seems steep. There was no time stated on the repair order.
3800-Coolant leak from timing cover&waterpump
- Thread starter TmanP
- Start date
- Status
The plastic elbows are a common failure. Easy fix.
That's what I'm asking you guys, because that's what I thought. I would assume that the gasket is in front of the timing chain, not behind it, thus replacing that will expose the chain but not require that it's removed. That's what I assume but I'm not sure.
The problem is when the pump is leaking from the weep hole it tends to run down the timing cover. Given these engines are not know for leaks in the timing cover area, while not impossible I would bet its just a normal WP fail at 150K. It sounds to me like the ol Chevy dealer maybe giving a hose job.
A bad timing chain would be very rare on this engine, I have never seen one.
A bad timing chain would be very rare on this engine, I have never seen one.
I would be DIYing this. You shouldn't need to take a 10 yr Buick to a dealer. You have probably a few weeks before this gets critical. look for an indy and tell him to change the water pump. Have him agree to call you if it is more than the pump. Meantime, its summer time, carry a couple gallons of water and pay attention to the temp gauge and check the level frequently. I commuted for a week with a leaky pump seal. It used a 1/2 gallon each way. Meantime the new pump came in and I spent a Saturday morning changing the it.
Originally Posted By: Trav
The problem is when the pump is leaking from the weep hole it tends to run down the timing cover. Given these engines are not know for leaks in the timing cover area, while not impossible I would bet its just a normal WP fail at 150K. It sounds to me like the ol Chevy dealer maybe giving a hose job.
A bad timing chain would be very rare on this engine, I have never seen one.
ive only had one come into the shop was like a 07 grand prix with the 3.8 with a timing cover leak right below the coil packs. i think all we did was timing cover gasket and WP and it was.. like 1-1.2K i think its prob been 2 yrs since we have seen the car.
The problem is when the pump is leaking from the weep hole it tends to run down the timing cover. Given these engines are not know for leaks in the timing cover area, while not impossible I would bet its just a normal WP fail at 150K. It sounds to me like the ol Chevy dealer maybe giving a hose job.
A bad timing chain would be very rare on this engine, I have never seen one.
ive only had one come into the shop was like a 07 grand prix with the 3.8 with a timing cover leak right below the coil packs. i think all we did was timing cover gasket and WP and it was.. like 1-1.2K i think its prob been 2 yrs since we have seen the car.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: andyd
I would be DIYing this. You shouldn't need to take a 10 yr Buick to a dealer. You have probably a few weeks before this gets critical. look for an indy and tell him to change the water pump. Have him agree to call you if it is more than the pump. Meantime, its summer time, carry a couple gallons of water and pay attention to the temp gauge and check the level frequently. I commuted for a week with a leaky pump seal. It used a 1/2 gallon each way. Meantime the new pump came in and I spent a Saturday morning changing the it.
This is the same advise I would give you.
I'm sure a reputable independent shop would do this job for far less than this stealership.
Another option would be to find a mechanic in the "Services Offered" section of CL....just make sure you get a few references....this isn't a very complicated job.
I would be DIYing this. You shouldn't need to take a 10 yr Buick to a dealer. You have probably a few weeks before this gets critical. look for an indy and tell him to change the water pump. Have him agree to call you if it is more than the pump. Meantime, its summer time, carry a couple gallons of water and pay attention to the temp gauge and check the level frequently. I commuted for a week with a leaky pump seal. It used a 1/2 gallon each way. Meantime the new pump came in and I spent a Saturday morning changing the it.
This is the same advise I would give you.
I'm sure a reputable independent shop would do this job for far less than this stealership.
Another option would be to find a mechanic in the "Services Offered" section of CL....just make sure you get a few references....this isn't a very complicated job.
I would track down the leak a little better myself first. Its probably just the water pump leaking .
- Status
Similar threads
