So I recently changed LIM gaskets, valve cover gaskets, injector o-rings, etc. All went pretty well, but I think I may have a small coolant leak somewhere. The level in the recovery tank continues to drop (its been about 3 weeks since I changed the gaskets) and I keep having to top it off. I used RTV in the corners, looked around the edges of the manifold and saw no leaks there. No leaks around the thermostat housing or radiator hoses either. Today, I jacked the car up to tighten the bolts on my lower motor mount, and I noticed small beads of coolant on the underside of the sub-frame, as if they had trickled down from somewhere. I haven't really noticed coolant pooling on the garage floor. The only thing I can think of is that its coming from one of the coolant elbows on the drive belt tensioner. I replaced the crappy plastic ones with the metal elbows, and naturally they shattered when trying to take them out. I was able to get the one that goes into the manifold out easily, but the other one was really wedged in there. Unfortunately, I nicked the surface inside this port on the tensioner trying to scrape out the old elbow, put some RTV around the elbow to try and help but I guess it didn't. You can't really see this elbow with everything put back together, I can see the one going into the manifold and there are no leaks, so it has to be coming from the other one. If I got a mirror with a handle could I see it? I'd just like to verify this is where the leak is, and then I guess I have to get a new tenioner if that's the case. Damn those stupid plastic parts.
