bigcountry
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2017
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
In a bit of a pickle here coming up.
I have a 1996 Tahoe (5.7 Vortec) that's been having a really bad coolant leak the past few months. First, I replaced the vacuum valve back in February, then the leaking stopped for a good couple weeks. Then I had a minor coolant leak for a couple months, but I wrote it off as coolant falling out from some of the frame spots it pooled onto, then I just stopped noticing it.
Couple weeks ago, the coolant leak was real bad again, this time it was spraying all over the serpentine belt and squealing here and there randomly. My friend who worked at a full service shop in town, pointed out that my coolant intake was extremely loose, so I bought both the new line with connector, and the threaded intake piece. It stopped leaking, so I filled it up with coolant again.
4 days ago, the damn thing is leaking again. This time, its more toward the front of the truck, and it leaks out faster than before. There's no spraying around the intake, theres no pooling underneath the vacuum valve, and its spraying somewhere on the front of the block, pooling on the bottom of the fan shroud (and overflows onto the ground). Here's my kicker
It doesn't completely leak out, it get's halfway down the radiator, and stops leaking entirely. Which would obviously tell me that the leak is coming from somewhere halfway elevation in the system. But I can't tell. I currently work 14 hour days, have minimal time to even look at it, and even when I do look at it, I'm puzzled because it's all wet. I won't take it to a shop because can't afford that right now. I can't take it apart after work just to get a better look, because it's my only vehicle to get me to work the next day.
So if I'm going to have a first place to look, can anyone point the finger here? If I'm going to tear it apart one of these nights, I don't really have time to stare at it and analyze it.
I have a 1996 Tahoe (5.7 Vortec) that's been having a really bad coolant leak the past few months. First, I replaced the vacuum valve back in February, then the leaking stopped for a good couple weeks. Then I had a minor coolant leak for a couple months, but I wrote it off as coolant falling out from some of the frame spots it pooled onto, then I just stopped noticing it.
Couple weeks ago, the coolant leak was real bad again, this time it was spraying all over the serpentine belt and squealing here and there randomly. My friend who worked at a full service shop in town, pointed out that my coolant intake was extremely loose, so I bought both the new line with connector, and the threaded intake piece. It stopped leaking, so I filled it up with coolant again.
4 days ago, the damn thing is leaking again. This time, its more toward the front of the truck, and it leaks out faster than before. There's no spraying around the intake, theres no pooling underneath the vacuum valve, and its spraying somewhere on the front of the block, pooling on the bottom of the fan shroud (and overflows onto the ground). Here's my kicker
It doesn't completely leak out, it get's halfway down the radiator, and stops leaking entirely. Which would obviously tell me that the leak is coming from somewhere halfway elevation in the system. But I can't tell. I currently work 14 hour days, have minimal time to even look at it, and even when I do look at it, I'm puzzled because it's all wet. I won't take it to a shop because can't afford that right now. I can't take it apart after work just to get a better look, because it's my only vehicle to get me to work the next day.
So if I'm going to have a first place to look, can anyone point the finger here? If I'm going to tear it apart one of these nights, I don't really have time to stare at it and analyze it.
