• The site migration is complete! Hopefully everything transferred properly from the multiple decades old software we were using before. If you notice any issues please let me know, thanks! Also, I'm still working on things like chatbox, etc so hopefully those will be working in the next week or two.

2001 GP SE 3.1 slowly Losing Coolant - From Where?

A

AJ1G

New member
Been having to top off the coolant overflow tank quite a bit lately on the 2001 3.1. Not obvious where it is going though. No sign of it in the oil or the exhaust, engine running great, no CEL codes, no signs of leakage under the engine after parking it hot. Can't see any coolant collecting anywhere in the engine bay either. I do smell a faint whiff of hot coolant when I pop the hood so I think it must be slowly pissing out somewhere and immediately evaporating.

Any ideas on where these engines/coolant systems start leaking? It seems like the system is cooling system is building up pressure OK, radiator hoses are not rock hard, but with the engine coolant temp gauge stable at around 185 F,I would not expect them to be.
 


rent a cooling system pressure tester. it will force it to leak for you when its cold.


then again, those 3100 are known for failed lim, and head gaskets. so it could be eating the coolant and blowing it out the tail pipe.
 
lim?

I'm thinking a leak to outside the engine in the engine bay since there is no indication of anything getting into the exhaust (yet) and I do smell something that must be leaking into the engine bay.

Thanks for your response. Nice looking GS.
 


Looks like I have at least found where it is leaking to - a very slow leak where tiny drops fall down onto the starter solenoid and then evaporate, some evidence of a damp spot below it on the crossmember. My guess its a very slow head gasket leak from the lower left side corner of the front cylinder bank. Still no evidence of any of it in the oil or exhaust. When I get a chance I will try to get better access to the area above the starter, hard to see anything at this point due to the exhaust manifold heat shield in the way.
 
Last edited:
I''m perplexed by this slow leak, its definitely not getting in to the oil or exhaust. Yesterday, I finally noticed a small coolant puddle under the rear of the engine while the car was sitting in the driveway warming up before being driven way. There was some dripping coming down when I first saw the puddle, but it stopped after the car completely warmed up. Today I put the car up on ramps and let it warm up while I kept an eye out for any leaks. Sure enough, as the engine started to warm up there was some coolant dripping off of the lip of the transmission oil pan, which like yesterday, eventually stopped. I had a pretty bright LED flashlight to look for where it was coming from above the tranny oil pan, could not see any thing leaking. There was a small drop of coolant on a plastic wire loom that was anchored just above the oil pan lip, but nothing obvious as a source for where any it was coming from.

I am going to put some florescent leak trace dye in the coolant to see where its coming from. Tried to buy some at Advance Auto, bit the product info on the bottle said it was not for use with GM Dexcool...Anyone know of a what product is compatible? Or where leakage onto the tranny oil pan might be coming from? All the areas carrying coolant near/above the pan appear perfectly dry , including the hoses going to the heater core bulkhead penetrations. I don't think it could be a leak of the tranny oil cooler, the transmission fluid on a dipstick check looks totally normal, and the fluid level level is normal. Over the last month of so I have put in a close to a gallon of makeup coolant, I would think if it was getting into either the engine oil or tranny fluid, I would surely see some signs by now. All I have is some evidence of a slow external leak that apparently seals up as the engine heats up, and its not from any obvious place. The leakage only while heating up seems to be consistent with me up until yesterday, not seeing any leakage under the car - I usually start up the car and drive right off, so most likely any warm up leakage up until now has not been able to collect under the car. Everything in the usual places I can see for such a leak are perfectly normal looking, including the radiator, hoses, water pump, overflow tank, and hard piping and hoses. I'm really not seeing any more leakage on the front of the engine where I did see a few drops onto the starter from somewhere above it last week.
 
id put a cooling system pressure tester on it and force it to leak. you'll find where its coming from that way for sure.


sounds more and more like a lim gasket gone bad. if it stops leaking after its all warmed up that means the parts are heating up and sealing the gasket up becuse metal expands with heat.
 
My buddy has a Grand Am with the 3.4 and his lims went out twice, they replaced the first ones with the plastic ones, and both times the gaskets blew out so the coolant was running down the side of the engine and not into it. If you do the lims make sure to get the metal ones not the plastic ones and buy the rocker arm tool, that will save you a lot of headache.
 


It's your LIM gasket. Change it and you'll be fine. They like to leak out the sides. I didn't use the rocker arm tool just loosened them up and kept the pushrods in the motor and then replaced the gasket and tightened them back down.
 
From all I've read (and most of it pretty ugly) it probably will boil down to (pun intended)being a LIM gasket failure. What's such a repair job for that at a decent indie garage typically run in terms of labor hours/labor dollars and materials these days?

Looks like there was a class action suit against GM on this issue, but it looks like its way over now.

Since the car in question has only 92K on it and otherwise is in very good conditions overall, its probably worth doing. If it wasn't winter and I didn't depend on this car for daily transportation, I would consider doing the work myself. I'm hoping one of the local indies I have dealt with in the past will be able to do it for a reasonable price. From what I have been reading, they likely have had a lot of experience doing them.

Also, from what I have read, once the LIM gaskets are properly fixed, the 3.1s will likely keep running for a lot more miles, more than I am likely to want to put on the car.

Just changed the oil this afternoon, no visual indication of any coolant there (yet)
 
i bet in the neighborhood of 5 to 600 at a shop.


you could do it yourself im sure for a 100 or less in parts and fluids and 3 hours of your time. that 3 hours is dragging your feet, aka taking your sweet time.
 
It'll be around $1000 at a shop. You could do it in about 5-6 hours and for around $150-$200 doing it yourself.
 
Im not sure exactly what it will run you cost wise because I work in a shop and dont ask whats being charged for the job etc.. but Ive done a LIM gasket on a Grand Am 3400 basically the same exact engine as the 3100 and It was not that easy, the push rods go through the LIM gaskets and you have to loosen the rocker arms up and take out the push rods. So that means both valve covers have to come off and gaskets need to be replaced as well. Alot harder then doing LIM gaskets on a 3800. You could get it done yourself though if you feel confident enough and have some experience with things like this.
 


well that sucks. id do them myself, even with the extra BS in the way. the shop costs are as much as the cars net worth almost. i could never justify that cost in my cheap head lol
 
Scottydoggs said:
well that sucks. id do them myself, even with the extra BS in the way. the shop costs are as much as the cars net worth almost. i could never justify that cost in my cheap head lol
Click to expand...

Yea your right I agree with you, except any 1000 dollar 3100 GP you find would probably need LIM gaskets anyway lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top