Coolant/water leak around oil pan.

[GangstaCowboy]

Hello-
I have a 98 Yukon with about 153k miles on it. Today when I stopped at the store there was a lot of water and coolant leaking from around the oil drain area under the engine. I checked the reservoir and it was low. Also the temp gauge is 30-40 degrees lower than it has been. The weird part is the leaking stopped after I got home and has not leaked again. However the temp gauge is still really low. No engine lights are on and no other symptoms are present. Could this be a bad water pump? Maybe something with the heater core? It was dark when I got home so I haven't had a chance to crawl around and pin point the leak. Thanks in advance.

 

[_Dylan_]

The overflow should be full it it came from there. The only coolant leaks near the oil pan would be the casting plugs or "freeze" plugs (which don't work if the coolant freezes btw). The heater core usually leaks on the inside of the vehicle. It is very possible it is a leaky hose.

Have you checked coolant level in the radiator?

When you get a chance to look check for leaks on the back of the engine and onto the starter.

 

[SunlitComet]

if you have coolant om the ground an empty reservoir and low gauge stop driving it you have a major low level in coolant in the engine and risk damage if you do.just look for stains in the engine compartment when you can if you dont see an obvious leak.

 

[99'Yukon]

I'm actually having the same problem recently on my 99. Have to keep adding coolant to the resivoir every three days or so. Level stays the same in the radiator. I can actually see a small amount of coolant leaking from the seam where the intake meets the block, just above the water pump. I'm thinking its either the seal on the front of the intake or its leaking through the head/intake gaskets. Pisses me off too because i just had the plenum off last weekend to do the mpfi upgrade.

 

[SunlitComet]

it gets you every time.

 

[GangstaCowboy]

Thanks. I will check out the back of the engine. The coolant level is full in the radiator. I test drove it last night and not a single drop of water came out but the temp was still running low. Would a water leak at the manifold just be a seal or a symptom of something worse?

---------- Post added at 08:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:30 AM ----------

I checked around the manifold this morning and saw no signs of water leaks from the top of the engine or on the sides. I ran the engine for a while this morning as well drove some short distances to get the engine warm and zero leaks, not even a drop. I refilled the reservoir last night and no changes. The temp gauge still seems to be low, around 1 point over the half mark on the left, stays right around there I am guessing that is 160-170 degrees? It has run higher in the past, closer to the middle mark. Oil looks good, transmission fluid looks good. My HVAC system is a little funky, sometimes when I turn it on it doesn't work, I also have the bad resistor since selector 5 does not work. Is there any valve or connection on the outside of the cab that fluid could have come from the heater system? I also checked the overflow hose just to make sure and it's clear to me it has never have fluid run through it.

 

[retorq]

It's possible it was just a fluke ... what temp thermostat do you have in there?? Mine run about there and I have a 180 in mine ...

 

[GangstaCowboy]

Not sure on what type of thermostat I am running. It has the vortec engine in it though. The temp gauge since I have owned always ran a little higher than it is now so that's why I mentioned it, I suppose it could be un related. It was quite a bit of water/coolant so I don't understand how it could leak like that and then stop. It was about the same amount of water as if I was running my AC on a hot day.

---------- Post added at 10:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 AM ----------

I'll check out this water valve thing from the thread below. If that is not it I am taking it to a mechanic. This truck is wearing me down, I am easily having a problem every week. I'll update if I figure it out. Thanks for the help.

http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44963&highlight=Water+pump

 

[GangstaCowboy]

Mechanic just called, leaking intake manifold. 500 bucks to fix. Sound reasonable?

 

[99'Yukon]

I honestly wouldn't pay that price, but it all depends on how soon you need the problem fixed. Once i get a free weekend sometime soon i'm going to be doing intake gaskets as well. For the time being i'll just add some coolant every few days lol