Coolant Leaking Very Often

[ciwanowski]

I currently drive a 1998 GMC Jimmy with 258xxx kms. It was bought mid july and we started driving it mid August. After about a couple weeks of driving I looked to the dash to see that the car was overheating. We immediately pulled over to the gas station and checked out the manual to see the problem. We came to the conclusion it was the coolant and we addded some in. Since then we have had to do it about 2 more times. We asked a couple friends who are good with cars and they said that GMC`s are prone to having coolant leaking into their engine and then blowing a gasket.. We also had a friend check the oil and it's about good..

Ok so my question is.. is this true? We are going to get it checked out in the next couple weeks (money is tight) but we're just really stressing about it. Tomorrow morning I'm also going to check for the smoke/steam coming out of the exhaust as well as the smell of it.. I love this car, it's my first and was a gift and I would hate to see it go. Me and my boyfriend have little to no knowledge about cars so any help would be appreciated!

[txab]

You don't say how much coolant you added over what period of time. There are plenty of places for coolant to leak out. Don't immediately jump to assuming a head issue.

 

Check:

Water pump and water pump gaskets for leaks -most common location for a leak

Radiator for signs of leaking

All hose connections for signs

Heater core

 

You may not leave a puddle on the ground. Many times as coolant evaporates on an engine it will leave stains, discoloration or deposits. Look for these signs of leaks