Just Another Coolant Loss Thread...
06-13-2016, 08:01 PM
#127
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Okay so I get my oil analysis report from BlackStone Labs tomorrow. I purchased a UV light and some dye made for Dex-Cool to try and locate an external leak as well. I haven't had any luck with the UV light and dye so far. However, I did notice that under the car there's a threaded hole just down from the oil pan drain bolt that has no bolt? What exactly is this threaded hole in the oil pan??? Also I have some stuff glowing on the alternator, and small specks of stuff in other random spots, does anyone know what all will glow in UV light???
Thanks
Thanks
06-13-2016, 08:03 PM
#128
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Thread Starter
Also I am really starting to think that my water pump is the culprit for my coolant loss, given that I wouldn't be able to see if it was leaking and that the car heats up quickly when going slow or still vs. how cool it runs when moving. Just a thought. But they couldn't have put the water pump in a worse spot, and they couldn't have made a worse design for it...
06-14-2016, 11:39 AM
#130
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BlackStone Lab contacted me this morning and said that I had a fair amount of coolant in the oil. They said that oddly enough that it hadn't done any damage yet though. They said they would limit driving the car 500 miles and then change the oil again, if I had to drive the car. They really recommended to park the car and fix the problem. The guy said that there was a lot of coolant in the oil but not enough where you could see it on the dipstick etc. so that explains why I couldn't see coolant in the oil myself. At least now I know, but that leads me to other questions. The previous owner stated he replaced the head gasket already and this issue still persists, should I replace the head gasket again or???
06-14-2016, 12:19 PM
#131
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Anyone have any ideas? Would you go through with replacing the head gasket that the previous owner says he has already replaced, or would you look elsewhere on the car such as the oil cooler maybe?
06-14-2016, 02:09 PM
#132
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Thread Starter
Okay car has 169k miles on it. Here are the options:
Pay 500 in labor for head gasket replace plus parts
Pay for parts and replace the head gasket myself (really don't want to).
Buy a new shortblock since I have a lot of miles on my car and replace engine and get old head reworked.
Buy a used engine complete and drop it in.
What does everyone think I should do?
Pay 500 in labor for head gasket replace plus parts
Pay for parts and replace the head gasket myself (really don't want to).
Buy a new shortblock since I have a lot of miles on my car and replace engine and get old head reworked.
Buy a used engine complete and drop it in.
What does everyone think I should do?
06-14-2016, 08:32 PM
#133
The water pump is a likely culprit with that much mileage. I'd change it first just to see. It's not a terrible job but it will be time consuming.
It's not the oil cooler, if they leak you get oil in the coolant due to the higher oil pressure, not just coolant in the oil. LOTS of oil in the coolant. You'd know.
These engines just don't blow head gaskets. If it's leaking there, there's an issue with the sealing surface, like the head is warped or the block is damaged. I would be highly surprised to see that. Much higher chance that it's a water pump or other internal type of leak.
It's not the oil cooler, if they leak you get oil in the coolant due to the higher oil pressure, not just coolant in the oil. LOTS of oil in the coolant. You'd know.
These engines just don't blow head gaskets. If it's leaking there, there's an issue with the sealing surface, like the head is warped or the block is damaged. I would be highly surprised to see that. Much higher chance that it's a water pump or other internal type of leak.
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GreenStang (06-14-2016)
06-14-2016, 09:13 PM
#134
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Thread Starter
The water pump is a likely culprit with that much mileage. I'd change it first just to see. It's not a terrible job but it will be time consuming.
It's not the oil cooler, if they leak you get oil in the coolant due to the higher oil pressure, not just coolant in the oil. LOTS of oil in the coolant. You'd know.
These engines just don't blow head gaskets. If it's leaking there, there's an issue with the sealing surface, like the head is warped or the block is damaged. I would be highly surprised to see that. Much higher chance that it's a water pump or other internal type of leak.
It's not the oil cooler, if they leak you get oil in the coolant due to the higher oil pressure, not just coolant in the oil. LOTS of oil in the coolant. You'd know.
These engines just don't blow head gaskets. If it's leaking there, there's an issue with the sealing surface, like the head is warped or the block is damaged. I would be highly surprised to see that. Much higher chance that it's a water pump or other internal type of leak.
I am thinking that it is the water pump, I mean that is the only thing that the previous owner said he didn't change. He said he changed the head gasket and the timing chain, but didn't change the water pump because it all "looked good". Me personally, if I was already in there working right by the water pump, then I would have changed it.
After exploring on the interwebs I did see that most people with oil cooler issues had oil in the coolant, not the other way around. So you're right, it's not the oil cooler.
The previous owner, as I've mentioned, has replaced the head gasket "he says". He also said that he had the head looked at and someone told him that it needed to be reworked and so he got the head shaved, or resurfaced. After he replaced all of this stuff, the coolant leak still persisted he said. I don't think he had anything to gain by lying to me about what work he has done on the car, I mean heck I already owned the car at this point and I didn't buy it from him, I bought it from a Chevy dealer.
I planned on having this work done by my local Napa service center. They wanted 500 labor to replace the head gasket, install dual pass endplate, option b, water pump, plus install a stage 3 kit, and I was going to provide all parts. So I would think that the price of labor for them to install a water pump couldn't/shouldn't be too bad??? I wish there was a way to tell that it was the culprit for sure... I mean my father kinda thinks that the water pump is the culprit as well due to how the car heats up quickly when going slow or stopped, but it doesn't ever overheat (or at least I don't sit long enough for it to overheat). I mean I worry that if I pay to get the water pump replaced and it doesn't fix it then I have to pay to get the headgasket work done, that the water pump was going to be included in for nothing.
So would you get the water pump replaced, or get the head gasket replaced that will also get the water pump replaced? I really appreciate your help, and I apologize for the lengthy reply, I just wanted to make sure that the situation is understand in its entirety.
Thanks
06-14-2016, 10:27 PM
#136
You don't have to touch the water pump at all to do the head, so I wouldn't worry about it being included or overlapping much.
I'd do the pump first just because I can't see the head gasket being the cause. It's really the only thing I can think of at this point.
I'd do the pump first just because I can't see the head gasket being the cause. It's really the only thing I can think of at this point.
06-14-2016, 11:12 PM
#137
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Thread Starter
Originally Posted by ItalianJoe1
You don't have to touch the water pump at all to do the head, so I wouldn't worry about it being included or overlapping much.
I'd do the pump first just because I can't see the head gasket being the cause. It's really the only thing I can think of at this point.
I'd do the pump first just because I can't see the head gasket being the cause. It's really the only thing I can think of at this point.
Also I agree the water pump is the only thing I can think of as well at this point.
Thank
06-15-2016, 04:28 PM
#138
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Thread Starter
Hey update: I talked to my local napa service center (I'm going to get them to do the work instead of the crappy WAY overpriced GM dealer I've been using) and I told the guy I've done every test you can do and I don't think it can be the head gasket. I told him I wanted a price to replace the water pump he said 200 labor. I told him that I thought the water pump is leaking internally and since its in the timing chain area it's getting into the oil. He said that they have a drain inside that makes them leak to the outside, is this true?
06-15-2016, 04:48 PM
#139
Hey update: I talked to my local napa service center (I'm going to get them to do the work instead of the crappy WAY overpriced GM dealer I've been using) and I told the guy I've done every test you can do and I don't think it can be the head gasket. I told him I wanted a price to replace the water pump he said 200 labor. I told him that I thought the water pump is leaking internally and since its in the timing chain area it's getting into the oil. He said that they have a drain inside that makes them leak to the outside, is this true?
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GreenStang (06-15-2016)
06-15-2016, 05:03 PM
#140
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Thread Starter
Can you get a picture of this drain hole? I believe I know for sure now, thanks to you!, that my water pump is leaking. I mentioned a hole with stuff seeping out of it and the hole looked to be threaded when I was under the car the other day. I believe this confirms my water pump is indeed leaking. I guess it could be leaking some of the coolant out, but some of the coolant is getting mixed in with the oil, thus the oil analysis results from Blackstone Labs. If you could provide some pictures of this drain hole, I would GREATLY appreciate it!!!!
06-15-2016, 06:48 PM
#142
The orientation on that is off, the little bolt on the right side of the pic points straight down in the car. Where did you see coolant from? I can't see an external weep hole on this design, and if there was it wouldn't still preclude the possibility of a leak into the crankcase and coolant in the oil.
06-15-2016, 07:41 PM
#143
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Thread Starter
I think where I seen a little oil coming out of was a hole on the oil pan that looks to be threaded it is on the bottom side of the oil pan (its not the drain bolt), I have no idea what this hole is for, and why it is threaded with no bolt. I will post a picture of this tomorrow. I have yet to see coolant coming out of anywhere, but when I was under the car with the UV light I spotted this leak out of the threaded hole I have spoke of, because my oil lights up the same color as the UV dye makes the coolant light up (I shined the UV light on Mobil 1 oil that was still in the bottle brand new and it makes it appear green so the dye test isn't any help due to this.).
06-17-2016, 10:22 PM
#147
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Thread Starter
Would you get the water pump replaced? Or would you have the Napa shop perform some tests on it to see what they thought before spending the 270 dollars to get the water pump replaced?
06-17-2016, 11:54 PM
#150
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I think I'll have the Napa service center try to diagnose the problem, maybe they'll have better luck than me and the horrible Chevy dealer I have been using. It's got to either be the water pump, intake gasket, head gasket, head is warped, or a bad block. These are the only options.