Was cruising in the Vette today and got on it pretty hard to pass a slow moving vehicle, (thanks Grandma.) After about a few minutes and a mile or so, I came to a stop light where I saw steam coming out from under the hood on the pasenger side. Lifted the hood and saw a stream of coolant spraying out from the side of the engine block! It was spewing and dripping on the cats directly below where it was coming from. Got home and lifted it, still dripping, stuck a mirror and the only place I can see it coming from is right between the starter and the edge of the oil pan. I can't see if it's leaking from up higher and then dripping here, which is what I think is happening.

Any ideas? After the car was cool and it had stopped dripping, I let it down and the coolant started leaking again. It's drained almost half if not more of the radiator. Any ideas?

I'm in a tight spot because my daily driver just blew a head gasket and I was counting on driving this until that is fixed.

 

check the knock sensor.

if not, I am scare, dude... very scared...

 

Are you SURE it's coming out the side of the BLOCK?

If it is the block, and not a hose, I can think of a few places that could cause that:

Freeze plug

Cracked block

Knock sensor

Coolant Temperature sender

Screw-in allen or square head plug

Head gasket (but that would be BETWEEN the head and block, not out of the block)

If you can't find where the leak is coming from with the car on the ground, you'll have to put it on jackstands and crawl under. You can borrow a pressure tester from AutoZone (they lend them for free), pressurize the cooling system and look for the spot.

Could be something minor, or something major, you won't know until you pin point the location.

Jake

 

Unfortunatly, I can't get a good enough view of where it's coming from.

The fact that it started leaking again when it was cool and i lowered it back help at all?

Do you think it was caused from me getting on it?

I'm pretty scared too!

 

Best way is to have a drop light, time, patience and a pressure tester. Sooner or later you'll see where it's coming from.

Generally, when something goes wrong, go back to the last thing you did before the problem arose and you'll find the cause. So yes, getting on it caused the problem to surface, but it was probably sitting there, just waiting to happen. All it needed was that little extra load to push it over the edge.

Don't be scared. Just find the source of the leak and fix it. Sh** happens. Post what you come up with and we'll walk you through the repair procedure.

Jake

 

Thanks, I love this site and fellow corvette owners! I'll let you know what I find.

 

I was having a coolant loss problem in my 89 L98. I just started removing parts til I found a cause. Both head gaskets were leaking at the rear of the engine. The right one was in three pieces at the rear, the left one torn/worn at the rear across the coolant passage to the sealing ring. Good luck, I hope yours is not the same

 

Still no luck seeing where it's coming from.


I'm thinking that head gaskets could very well be the cause. Should I replace both while i'm at it?

I've replaced the intake manifold gasket a year ago. When I tear into this, will I need to replace all gaskets with new? It's just horrible that this happened in the spring when I can drive it without the top and not get scalded by the sun.

 

I'm with Jake, do the troubleshooting and let us know what you find.

If you do suspect the head gasket, I would definitely do them both at the same time. This is a common problem with aluminum head L98's. I had to replace the head gaskets in my 89, as have many other L98 owners on the forum.

 

NO! Don't jump right in and start changing parts.

FIRST, identify the location of the leak. It may be a head gasket, but it MAY NOT. Don't assume that it something that you haven't verified.

Don't become a PARTS CHANGER. Far too many guys choose that route, by buying lots of different parts hoping that one of them will solve the problem. They spend hundreds of dolllars and countless hours changing parts, only to find that all that money and work didn't solve the problem. That's not the correct way to identify and correct any engine problem.

The source of the leak is there, you just haven't found it yet. You've got to look closer, spend more time and have more patience. Didn't I mention "time" and "patience" before? Don't expect the source of the leak to just "jump" out at you. "Hey, here I am!"; many times it ain't gonna happen. And the magic fairy didn't show up last night and wave her wand to make the problem disappear.

If necessary, get a second pair of eyes to look for it. We're not talking rocket science here. At this stage, it's about Attention to Detail.

As I see it you have two viable choices: Locate and repair the problem yourself or pay someone who will do the same thing. I recommend the former.

There are leak detector fluids that can be added to the coolant and, then using a special light, will cause the location of the leak to glow. Most auto parts stores sell the little kits, but I only mention this as another option. I really feel you can find the leak using only your eyes if you really apply yourself to the task.

Hope this helps.

Jake

 

I totally agree. I wasn't going to go out and buy anything yet. When I get some free time I'll get in there and really look. I think I do need to invest in one of those little mirrors on the end of a telescoping rod. I'm going to call some friends in the club and see if they can help too.

 

Great idea. Keep us posted on how yu make out and let me know if I can help further.

Jake

 

My two cents. Buy a pressure tester and fill up the cooling system with water first while the engine is still cold and engine off and give it a test. You might want to be on a lift or ramps and have a friend with you looking for the leak. Good luck.

 

There's nothing to be afraid of...Vettes are pretty easy to work on and besides it's fun!

If it leaks without pressure then fill it up with water, jack it up (use stands) and crawl under there with goggles and a flashlight. If you can't see the leak then drop the starter and look again. If memory serves there's a freeze plug behind the starter.

Like DA Frank McCoy says... "You can do this! We can help!" LOL

But when it comes to "shotgunning" parts...if you don't have the time or the money to do it right the first time...where are you going to get the time and money to do it over?

 

Two very helpful tools are a mirror on a wand and one of those halogen high intensity lights. You can get the former from Sears and the latter from Lowe's.

If the heads are leaking you should see the side of the block wet; if it's the knock sensor (which is near the stater & oil pan lip) wetness should be localized.

There may be freeze out plugs in the lower block area but I'm not sure where they are located.

But I agree, buy or rent a pressure tester so coolant will spray out. That should easily reveal the source once you are under there.

 

A couple of other tips.

Start off with everything dry. Go to your local auto parts store and pick up a few cans of spray carb cleaner; get the cheapest brand they sell, which will usually be the store brand.

Use old rags, etc., to dry off everything that has been soaked from your previous attempts. After getting as much of the coolant off with the rags as you can, use the spray to wash off any residual coolant.
Give it a few minutes to evaporate.

Now, with everything cleaned off, install the pressure tester and pressurize the cooling system no higher than 20 psi. Then, using a strong light, begin looking for the source of the leak.

If you find one wide area that is wet , look at the upper-most part of the area. Gravity would have caused the coolant to leak downward, so look at the highest area.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

Jake

 

Okay, I'm pretty sure I found the leak. It looks as though it's coming from one of the freeze plugs. Is that the right term? It's located on the passenger side of the engine between cylinder 6 and 8. I think this is the farthest plug to the rear of the engine.

I know I may need to pull the engine replace this but my father suggested a temporary plug until I have the $$ to do this. He said i might be able to remove the exaust manafold and reach the plug, remove it and replace it with a temporary plug made of rubber and a bolt that expands when tightened. Do you think the plug could be replaced with a correct replacement without pulling the engine?

 

Sure, the freeze plug can be replaced with the engine in the car, if you can get a hammer in there to whack in the new one. They're only pressed in. You'll probably have to drop the exhaust though, but even doing that is a LOT easier than pulling the whole engine.

There may even be a screw-in type that'll work.

Be sure not to knock the leaking one into the block though. It would become a restriction to coolant flow. I've never had to remove one, but if I did, I'd first drill a hole or holes in the leaking one, then use a screw driver or some type of hooked tool to pull the bad one out.

You should get a 1/2" drive socket that fits snugly in the new plug, then you can carefully tap it in, maybe using a short 1/2" extension.

Attack it a little at a time and keep it straight. Machine shops have a special tool for installing them, but I don't believe there's any way to get it to fit in the tight confines you're dealing with.

If you go with a metal replacement, probably would be a good idea to use some type of sealant on the OD. I'd check with a machine shop that I trust to see what's best to use. They could probably give you some more specific advice too.

Jake

 

Cotter key extractor, the kind with the bent & twisted end.

 

I've replaced many freeze plugs while in the car. It's awkward, but can easily be done-just get whatever you can out of the way.Take your time removing the old one (I knocked one inside the cooling passage once, and it was a bear to get out). After you get it out clean the surface good-find your self a socket to fit as much as possible in the new freeze plug-do use some sealer-VERY carefully tap the new one in-don't get it cocked-then use the socket-maybe with a short extension
to drive it in til the outside is flush with the block. BTW, years ago I bought a rubber one that had a adjustment bolt-put it in with sealer-tighten the nut and it expands-haven't needed to do one in yrs. so don't even know if you can still get them-check with parts store. Good luck-just be patient.