anti-freeze leak on '96 tahoe......pic..

EXJAY · February 3, 2003

ok, i got a 96' tahoe w/ a 350 and auto trans 4x4. i hav a small leak of antifreeze that drips down the front of the oil pan and i cant really tell where its coming from but the hoses etc all look good so im thinkin the water pump? it only drips a small drop every min, and the puddles never get bigger than sivler dollar size after sitting a few days. should i worry about fixing it right away or let it ride a while till it gets worse? i have to pay a $100 deductable on my warranty for repairs so im thinkin just to eye ball it a while. i also have a 3hr trip in a few months, so im hoping to have it fixed by then. what do ya think? check it out...

http://www.printroom.com/_vti_bi....am=8321

Wingnut · February 3, 2003

A water pump for that rig will only cost you about $30-40 bucks and is not at all hard to install. Should only take a half hour to an hour or so. Not worth the warranty deduct if you ask me.

Another place you might check though. One of the lines for the heater goes into the intake manifold. (I can't for the life of me remember what it's called.) But there is a fitting on there, that isn't worth a crap. On some models it is near the distributor near the back of the intake manifold, on others (yours included I believe) it's up towards the front on the passenger side. As soon as you put a wrench on it, it will snap...I hope you have a tap-and-die handy.

But I would track the problem and fix it ASAP. Coolant leaks do not get better, and the more they leak, the more they corrode. The more corrosion you get in your coolant, the more leaks you're going to have. It snowballs in a hurry. I will tell you from experience. That radiator will cost a minimum of 200 bucks for a rebuilt one. Catch it before it goes.

Hope I helped a little. It's hard to troubleshoot when I'm not there.

badhammer · February 5, 2003

most likely you have a intake gasket leaking at the left front corner and running down to the oil pan. as wingnut said the other possible place is the heater hose nipple on the intake leaking and if so it will most likely break off as soon as you touch it. if that happens use a small chiesl and chip out enough to start a tap in it the size is 1/2 pipe thread and use sealer on the new fitting to seal it to the intake.

mnstrmdnss · February 5, 2003

the most common part that i see leak on a 350 in my shop is the lower intake manifold, which is time consuming, but fairly easy.

Wingnut · February 5, 2003

the most common part that i see leak on a 350 in my shop is the lower intake manifold, which is time consuming, but fairly easy.

Where exactly is the "lower intake manifold"?

I looked under my intake manifold..But I don't see one.

EXJAY · February 5, 2003

anyone have a clearer pic or diagram of the intake gasket at the common leaking points and what all needs to be removed for repairing this?

Race18 · April 13, 2003

ExJay, I'm not sure if you 350 is the same as mine but if that is the case, GM in their being cheap put a pot metal quick disconnect fitting on the heater hose that connects to the intake. After about 70K miles or so it rots away. I had a coolant leak that I could not find until the thing just exploded and left me beside the road. I bought a steel replacement at NAPA for 6 bucks and will never have another problem. But you have to very carefully chip the old one out. Easy out did not work. Then you have to re-tap the intake for the new on. It's standard 1/2 inch NPT so it's not a big deal. If you can remove it before it rots completely you will be better off. Just my 2 cents. I went crazy trying to find that leak. Being the dexcool and orange I thought what I saw at first was tranny fluid. So did the builders of my tranny. Good luck on finding it but I would definitely look at that before I would go the all the time and expense of the intake gasket.

silverado3500 · April 15, 2003

A good way to fix the quick coupler, if you can get it out without damaging the threads, is to replace it with a hose nipple, and just replace the hose all the way back to the heater core. Also, while you're at it, replace those GM hose clamps with worm drive hose clamps.