Coolant Leak

Goliath · 11-20-2011, 01:08 PM

I have a 2001 2.4L Alero and my coolant has been leaking for the past couple of weeks. The problem is, I can't find where it's coming from. It doesn't leak when the car is running or right after I turn it off, and I've never actually seen it leak either. I park it at night and in the morning there is a puddle underneath it.

It seems like it is dripping somewhere from the passenger side of the car. I've read a lot about the LIM gasket, but it seems like that applies to the 3100/3400 engine. Could this be the problem on a 2.4L too?

I'm really not sure where to look. I feel like I've searched every inch of the engine bay. Any help would be appreciated!

a.graham52 · 11-20-2011, 01:28 PM

could be a water pump related leak. those are on the passenger side of the engine.

Goliath · 11-20-2011, 02:09 PM

The water pump is run by the timing chain on the Alero, correct? I'm assuming it's under that metal cover on the passenger side?

a.graham52 · 11-20-2011, 02:22 PM

taht is correct

Redog · 11-20-2011, 05:48 PM

Climb under the car and try to see where the drip is, then follow the trail.

The nice thing about coolant, is it's nasty staining nature and it's easy to follow the path.

Make sure that there are no little ciritters or the family dog goes near your car, that would be bad

Goliath · 12-07-2011, 10:33 PM

After looking for the leak several times, I still can't find it. I've noticed that the coolant seems to leak A LOT slower when it is cold out. Not sure if this means anything.

I think I'm going to look one more time tomorrow. I've read that a common problem is a plastic piece that connects two hoses, but it's hard to trace. And I keep reading about the intake gasket, but again, it seems like a 3100/3400 problem. Not a 2.4L issue. Any advice on that?

EDIT: The car does not get too hot. It's gets to normal operating temperature and stays there...

richthofen · 12-08-2011, 01:43 AM

If you find out where it's leaking, let me know--mine has been doing the same thing for ages. I just periodically add coolant, but it's annoying. Only seems to drip when it's parked on an incline, though oddly it doesn't matter which end of the car is higher. When parked in my flat garage overnight (or for any length of time), no puddle.

Goliath · 12-08-2011, 10:25 AM

Good news is I found where the drip is coming from... Bad news is I still don't know where the source is.

The drip seems to be coming from the back of the engine. I tried to get a good picture, but this was the best I could get.

The bottom of the picture is the oil pan. I'm not too sure where to go from here. I'm still hoping the head gasket is not blown...