More coolant leak, not good
 

The Chevy G 20 sportvan, 5.0 L. Again.

This is not good. I see a dripping off some edge of the block just above the starter, I see nothing in that vicinity above that could be leaking coolant. The only possibility I can come up with is a bad freeze plug in that vicinity. Not sure how many freeze plugs are on these engines. I had a couple of them replaced some years back. If there is a freeze plug in this vicinity, looks like it would be hard to get to.

https://youtu.be/K9TbZa4JSkw?si=40XS995gb20Y-FPy

this might help, also you can look around amazon.com or ebay.com and find similar kits/solutions. Look for a kit that uses UV light and UV coolant dye to help track down hard-to-find coolant leaks. NOTE: according to reviews you will want to purchase the UV coolant dye from a local car parts store because apparently the dye included in this kit is very difficult to flush from your cooling system and clean from your engine block.

Also, Kent over at MS has an adapter for his brake bleeder system for putting pressure into the cooling system through the radiator cap to help find coolant leaks. You will need to take the van to a car wash, spray the area with degreaser then pressure washer that part of the engine clean to make it easier for you to see the leak. Patience will rule the day, if you get frustrated, stop for a few minutes and take a refreshment break then go back at it.

https://www.amazon.com/MASTERCOOL-53351-B-Professional-Detector-Light/dp/B000IHJXHG/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=coolant+leak+ultraviolet+light+kit&qid=1694615227&sr=8-7

First I’ve heard of any of that. Sounds impressive. Definitely going to file that away for future reference, not sure if I’ll use it here or not.

This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. You can clearly see the point on the lower block where it’s dripping from, at the place where the oil pan attaches. I took the engine cover off, of course, and I can’t see a trace of coolant anywhere. Nothing in the area directly above the leak. The only water hose in that area, comes from up front at the heater core, it attaches to a fitting at the rear of the intake manifold.

That hose is new. I replaced the intake manifold and valve cover gaskets in July of this year. I think it was a good thing to do, though I can’t help but wonder if this leak is somehow connected to that. But if it was, it sure seems like I would see fluid on top somewhere, leaking out of some seam on the manifold. I saw the valley and the China walls this summer, anything leaking internally would go right in the oil pan.

I had disconnected that hose to remove the manifold of course, reattached it, and was driving home. It was ran great for about 300 miles until I spied the temp gauge practically pegged. Fortunately, I had been glancing at it regularly, it looks like I pulled over in time. It was that hose that had ruptured at that fitting. It was a welcome sight, because it would be easy to fix. My mind had been racing about what the hell might I have done wrong. I was able to cut off the damaged end, reattach it and limp to the auto parts store for new hose.

Fast forward, I looked and looked, there was not a trace of green coolant anywhere, except below where it was leaking. The oil looks completely fine, no sign of any fluids mixing.

This van might be on its last legs, and I wasn’t interested in pulling everything out of the way to see the area in question, so I did a bad thing. I put in some of that Bars Leak, not the head gasket stuff, this stuff is cheaper and it’s specifically for coolant leaks. Contains a bunch of aluminum powder. It seems to have worked. God only knows for how long.

Only other time I used anything similar was more than 30 years ago on a Dodge van, even further out on its last legs.

https://i.postimg.cc/Hs6SJB2z/IMG-7864.jpg

I guess we will hold our breath and see; I don't think it would be wise to take the van on any trips over 500 miles though. I can't remember where on kent's web site he has the kit he and his helper put together that attaches to his brake pressure bleeder. He designed it to check for coolant leaks.

In my experience with cars/SUVS/vans, I have found that sometimes you have to try two or more methods to get to the cause of the problem.

Here it is, I believe this may be worth purchasing. I really like that you can test your cooling system for leaks with the engine OFF.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpNCuU9-3ao

and


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WYyrgBtv5w

and


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-DnviwS5rI

You made the wrong choice of '89 truck

https://www.deadclutch.com/wp-conten...0-1080x675.jpg

We cannot trust your judgement :)

I’m sure you’re right, short trips only. It’s such a strange leak. There isnt supposed to be antifreeze anywhere near the surface in that area, except, of course, for the heater core return hose. I don’t think there’s a freeze plug back there. But I’m not sure. You can’t see the block at that spot.

Either the factory dealer's service department might know or if there is a factory service manual might show the location of the freeze plug. Just an idea.

Here's another idea; purchase an articulating video inspection camera. Articulating means you can control the direction of the camera head via remote control. A boroscope can go places on your engine that your eyes could never physically go. That's a big advantage for car/van/SUV diagnosis problems.

I am going to try a non-articulating model made by VEVOR that has three camera heads. however, your diagnosis needs might require an articulating boroscope model. Milwaukee tools makes boroscopes, they are just more money than I want to go thus, I am thinking of purchasing a VEVOR at $100 or less.

three head VEVOR, non-articulating scope:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmnhj_65kms

articulating boroscope:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34H7mPkSfGg

here's one that is currently available, I kind of like that you can use your smart phone.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y5S32YV/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?pd_rd_i=B08Y5S32YV&pd_rd_w=u1MaW&content-id=amzn1.sym.08ba9b95-1385-44b0-b652-c46acdff309c&pf_rd_p=08ba9b95-1385-44b0-b652-c46acdff309c&pf_rd_r=6GHA184J579HTGG0Y8VR&pd_rd_wg=TwQsF&pd_rd_r=c66f261a-e720-4e13-966e-daee60ee4cda&s=photo&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUF OUVdDT1Y1TjJXTkkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwOTY1MjkzTTRGMThHM0JSWjQ4JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4MTA1NTUyODRaMkN ES0hCRFg1JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ 1ZQ&th=1

this also looks like a nice boroscope:

https://www.amazon.com/Teslong-Inspection-Waterproof-Semi-Rigid-Industrial/dp/B07TV2BFVR/ref=sw_ttl_d_sspa_dk_huc_pt_expsub_0?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07TV2BFVR&pd_rd_w=6gRDU&content-id=amzn1.sym.421156cc-ae17-4608-955b-a8d126cb098e&pf_rd_p=421156cc-ae17-4608-955b-a8d126cb098e&pf_rd_r=GMXW6GA468XKYWQ7K4MP&pd_rd_wg=4Fz5H&pd_rd_r=b845842e-1a95-4764-9d84-d713a7ad5d33#customerReviews

One thing for sure; I've speng big $$$$ over the past 30 years on know-nothing, do-it-wrong mechanics. I brought the car home and it was worse than when I took it to them.

About 15 years ago, I came across a mechanic who actually knew what he was doing and performed really great work; sadly he has retired which leaves me with me, myself and I. I would rather invest a few dollars into tools and diagnostic equipment and do the job myself.

My philosophy? I can screw it up for half the money!

That is usually my philosophy. But I found an excellent mechanic somehow. I took my old BMW E30 in to get smogged maybe 8 to 10 years ago. I kept going back. Then one day I saw his dual matching 350SD models on the lot. Turns out he is big on the OM603. Used to have an SDL also. He is by far the most experienced Mercedes diesel mechanic I have encountered.

I had a problem with this van about 6, 7 years ago I could not solve. It would stall at stop signs or stoplights, unless I put it in neutral and revved it. I looked pretty hard, among other things I put in a new cap and rotor. It was getting really bad, if I had to do any backing up, I had to keep 1 foot on the brake and keep the engine revved up and try to back up without lurching and scaring people.

I took it to him, he discovered it was the distributor itself. Internally it was friction big-time. I never thought to look at that. It ran so sweet when I got it back. I had about five good years after that. I’m not sure if I’m going to have years like that again unless I go the long block route, which I might do. It’s pretty solid in most other ways.

He’s done some outstanding work on my SDL also that I could not have done. I’m halfway good, but I am definitely limited.

you are fortunate to have found a competent mechanic; hopefully he will stay in the business for awhile.

Well, uhhhh… I am 71 and still working, I think he is about 67 or 68. Doesn’t show any sign of slowing down, and the guy seems to be minting money.

Just for example, I happened to chance onto some fantastic clients (maintenance and remodeling), originally from India, he is a high tech (hardware) wizard, she is an interior decorator. They have a townhouse in SF, it needed a new water heater in a big way, we went to Lowe’s, in his semi new Lexus SUV - it was serious metal on metal and one or two of the wheels, no question. I told him dude you gotta look into that. He said his favorite mechanic retired during Covid. I told him I knew just the guy, a Vietnamese cat, who is very solid, coincidently his shop in Redwood City only about a mile and a half from my client’s house in Menlo Park.

He took it in, told me he really liked him, I had been thinking, who knows, maybe one Asian immigrant would get off on giving his business to another, he referred a bunch of his friends to him. The guy (Ky, the mechanic) is well-known in the area. Fortunately, he still has time for me. Here is a video of us looking briefly at one of his 350SD that he wants about $9000 for. He still has it, I’d like to get it, I better not wait too long. He has one of the aluminum radiators in his other 350SD, that one is practically a daily driver. Not sure what brand it is. Might be just one company making them, I don’t know.

https://youtube.com/shorts/PyKfTc8fnF0?si=OwK5vZtE8EvYQe3L

By the way, I’m not especially proud of myself for going the Bars Leak route. If you saw the engine, you might understand. To even look at the area where the leak seems to be emanating from, I would need to remove the exhaust manifold on that side, the right side. I unbolted both manifolds this summer, I thought I might get the heads done. I sobered up on that action quick enough, I didn’t have the time or space to do it. And I concluded that I really didn’t have a blown head gasket, perhaps a bad intake manifold gasket, and I think that was correct.

At one point I tried to take the right side manifold off, but the first bolt lower down on the hub twisted off. It looks very much like the other two would do likewise. I went the cowboy route and got a tiny C clamp and fastened it where the broken bolt had been. Damn things are expensive, it would’ve been a lot of work.

You would almost have to pull the engine it seems to get a good look at where that leak might be coming from. It is so strange. I hope I do go the long block route eventually, I am curious what could be going on.

I just thought of an idea; I can't count the number of times I thought I knew what was going on with my car only to take it to a competent mechanic to get a second opinion. If the mechanic really knew his stuff, we usually found the solution to the car's problem. The competent mechanic had:

1. A different vantage point.

and

2. A trained set of eyes.

I would point out the problem first, then he would look it over and perhaps poke around a little bit then come up with the answer to the problem. There is an old saying: two heads are better than one.

I've actually experienced this same concept dealing with various health issues. Doctor A might not see or recognize the problem so I went to another doctor to get a second look/opinion. Doctor B would sometimes come up with solutions that Doctor A didn't find or have. That doesn't mean that Doctor A was a total idiot/loser, it just means that sometimes you can benefit from a second opinion/diagnosis/approach to the problem.