Coolant leak mystery. 97 Tahoe.

[kirkiscool]

Hi everyone I'm new here! I was fully expecting to be replacing a water pump on my 97 Tahoe but nothing was coming from the weep holes. water pump is dry but coolant is dripping profusely from the center/front of the motor. Dripping from the very bottom/center of the timing cover. I can trace it as far as up to I can to what I think is the front/driver side of the oil pan if that makes sense. Doesn't seem to be a leaky freeze plug. It's coming somewhere from behind the bottom of the power steering reservoir. Everything on the top of the motor seems dry around the intake manifold as well. I'm baffled.

Any help would be awesome. I'm about to just go buy some stop-leak and say forget it.

 

[MO Viet Vet]

The water pump has one weep hole. Could be leaking from the gasket at back of water pump. May also be leaking from the lower rad hose where it attaches at the water pump. A freeze/welch plug that you cannot see. From the head and draining down and fan blows fluid around. From intake? Needs to have system full and pressure test and watch where it spits from. get a telescopic mirror and flashlight and start looking.

 

[lesterl]

You probably have the bad LIM gaskets that 96-2003 GM Vengines are prone to......

 

[WisYukon]

I think there's also a heater hose that goes into the intake towards the front that could be leaking down.

 

[Ice98]

IIRC mine also has a loop back to a collar for the oil filter that I assume is there to equalize the temperature of the oil

 

[lesterl]

Yeah, forgot about the front heater hose, they can leak also (the metal adaptor for shure).......

 

[kirkiscool]

It ended up being a borked gasket on the driver side port of the water pump. My dad used silicone gasket sealer when we replaced the pump like 6 years ago which may have had detrimental effects on the gasket over time. the coolant leaking ruined the gasket on the back of the pump too so we just got a new pump and a set of more sturdy aftermarket gaskets. leaking has stopped.

 

[MO Viet Vet]

Yea, I could see from here that's what it was! LOL! Is there cookies coming in the mail for my guess?

 

[lesterl]

Way to go Ron, good guess....

 

[MO Viet Vet]

Guess is right based off the original post. So was all the other suggestions. I was just reacting to another post of a problem and I suggested first what was the correct remedy and a later poster was given credit. I thought, "Why even try to help?" Oh well.