COOLANT LEAK

[ken's caddy]

My '97 STS with 75K miles has a coolant leak. (Its hard to say where, With the roads being wet and snowy, the whole bottom of the car is wet.) Its not the water pump-NEW, I think it going to be a head gasket problem. I heard people talking about a Coolant Sealer that should be added to the system. Any input on this area? I think it was called "Barsleak Gold" or something. Can this stuff be found at the local auto parts store?

The car is going in for service soon. The oil pan or rear main is leaking also. typical, correct? Any suggestion or help with these leak please.

Thanks Ken

[Bruce Nunnally]

Please have a look at the how-to section here:

http://caddyinfo.netgetgoing.com/howto.html

for some good info on the cooling sealant & alternatives.

[JasonA]

My '97 STS with 75K miles has a coolant leak. (Its hard to say where, With the roads being wet and snowy, the whole bottom of the car is wet.)

This may be pointing out the obvious, but have you confirmed that the "wetness" under the car is indeed coolant? With all the ice and snow you know...

I would seriously doubt a head gasket failure, as external coolant leaks because of a failed head gasket are pretty rare from what I understand. I would look to other items like a leaking radiator, leaking hoses, re-inspect the pump and verify that job (perhaps the seal was installed improperly).

How much coolant are you losing on a regular basis? Are you getting a low coolant message everytime you drive it? Have you had to add any coolant yet?

As for the oil leak, verify that the oil pan bolts are all tight. Some here have reported that they fixed a leak by tightening the pan bolts. I've never heard of a rear main seal leak on a Northstar, so I'd start looking elsewhere. If you're unsure of where the oil leak is coming from, have the dealer add dye to the oil and check it with a black light. While you're there, have them pressure-check the cooling system to see if they can pin down the coolant leak.

[ken's caddy]

My '97 STS with 75K miles has a coolant leak. (Its hard to say where, With the roads being wet and snowy, the whole bottom of the car is wet.)

This may be pointing out the obvious, but have you confirmed that the "wetness" under the car is indeed coolant? With all the ice and snow you know...

I would seriously doubt a head gasket failure, as external coolant leaks because of a failed head gasket are pretty rare from what I understand. I would look to other items like a leaking radiator, leaking hoses, re-inspect the pump and verify that job (perhaps the seal was installed improperly).

How much coolant are you losing on a regular basis? Are you getting a low coolant message everytime you drive it? Have you had to add any coolant yet?

As for the oil leak, verify that the oil pan bolts are all tight. Some here have reported that they fixed a leak by tightening the pan bolts. I've never heard of a rear main seal leak on a Northstar, so I'd start looking elsewhere. If you're unsure of where the oil leak is coming from, have the dealer add dye to the oil and check it with a black light. While you're there, have them pressure-check the cooling system to see if they can pin down the coolant leak.

Yes, I didn't mean that the whole bottom of the car is wet because of the leak, just its hard to pin point the leak. I do not see any coolant on the ground (snow), just the smell of the coolant. No, the "low coolant light" hasn't come on yet. I did add about a 1/2 gallon of coolant. After reading the other posts, I'm sure that I did NOT put the GM coolant supplement pellets into the new coolant after a replaced the water pump. (about 5K miles ago) I'll put the pellets in know, BUT is the damage done already? Will these pellets "repair" the problem? Is this a "GM" part only, or does a auto part store carry this stuff? Thanks Ken

[JasonA]

You can get the stuff at the GM parts counter, or you can buy the Bars Leaks "Golden Seal" supplement at Advance, Autozone, Walmart, etc. Be sure to buy the Golden Seal and not the Aluma Seal or anything else. Just the Golden Seal brand from Bars. Get two of the tubes and add that to one of the large radiator hoses.

This may fix you leak...especially if it's small enough where it doesn't noticeably drip. It's worth a shot.