Collant leak

TeamGreen · November 14, 2001

Collant is leaking towards the back of the engine in my 89 Sierra. I can't really tell exacly where but its not coming from the heater hose. The coolant drops down on top of the trans pan. Where could it be coming from? Freeze plug?

Victory Red · November 14, 2001

Could be the intake manifold gasket. Check the torque on the intake bolts. I had one leaking at the back (passenger side) of the intake on my El Camino. Coolant was running down in the area you mentioned. I was lucky that tightening the bolts stopped the leak. I didn't want to pull the intake. Has your engine ever been overheated? If so, you might want to check the torque on the other bolts too (exhaust, heads, covers, etc...).

Just a thought

Vic

TeamGreen · November 14, 2001

Is there a site online where I could get torque specs?

Victory Red · November 14, 2001

I did a quick seach and came up with these two sites...

http://www.prestage.com/cars/chevy/engine_torque_specs.asp

http://www.darklair.com/monte/torque_specs.html

Looks like about 30 lbs. on those intake bolts.

TeamGreen · November 15, 2001

k thanks

TeamGreen · November 15, 2001

I checked the bolts and they are tight. Is my gasket be bad or could it be leaking from some other place in the back of the engine? Someone said a freeze plug could be leaking. Could this be possible?

Victory Red · November 16, 2001

Sure it's possible. If you don't see anything leaking out between the intake and the heads, then it could be a freeze plug. Can you see anything if you pull off the flywheel cover and look up? How much is it leaking? A lot? You might have to warm up the engine and then check it then. If it's a slow leak, it might not show up on a cold engine when everything is tight. Good luck.

TeamGreen · November 16, 2001

It only leaks when its warmed up so it might be a freeze plug. How would you fix a freeze plug?

Victory Red · November 16, 2001

If you think it's a freeze plug in the back of the block, then I would say you're looking at pulling the engine to do it right. I've never done one, but it may be possible to change without pulling, but I don't know. They make a rubber freeze plug that you can use instead. It tightens up much like a drain plug in a boat (the rubber expands as you tighten the screw). I would not count on this type of plug as a permanent fix though, unless you were going to get rid of the truck soon. A steel one, or better yet, a brass one will last longer. You would need the extra clearance to install a metal one though, which means pulling the engine or tranny to gain access. Like I said, I've never done one before, but if you need a quick fix, see if you can get the old one out without pulling the engine, and install the rubber type freeze plug. Keep an eye on it though, if you plan on keeping the truck for a long time. The rubber one might loosen up over time.

Only other thing I can think of, is a cracked block (which you probably didn't want to hear about anyway).