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Coolant leak behind crankshaft?

So is it just a case of having a lose bolt that can be tightened up, or the pressurized coolant is just being pushed out the least path of resistance near where the gasket failed?
 


Thinking about giving this a go on the weekend when it'll be nice. I saw the common part list for Series II, any part differences with my Series III L26? What am I going to need to buy aside from the LIM gasket (MS98014T)? Is it worthwhile to replace the upper gasket while I'm in there as well?
 
You shouldn't need the upper gasket or a TB gasket. Both should be resusable.

I'd get
The intake gaskets (Will come with a tube of RTV)
The bolt sealant with ptfe (sometimes found in the plumbing section of Lowes/Home Depot)
Coolant
Oil change
Coolant elbows (47065)
A couple cans of brake cleaner
Some gasket scraper/cleaner etc
Rags
Fuel injector o-rings if they have never been done.

As for ...is this a bolt you can just tighten, that's tough to answer w/o seeing it/trying to tighten the bolt. In theory.. You could probably wait for the car to be cool and pull the bolt, put some sealant on it and torque it back down. But if that bolt is loose...why is it loose? Are the others loose? This would all lead me to doing an LIM gasket and redoing all the bolts.

When I do an LIM. I wire brush all teh LIM bolts clean so that the new sealant adheres and seals well.
 
Should I do the TB or valve cover gaskets as well? Replace PCV valve? I'm just past 178,000km (110,000 mi)

I want to do the thermostat as well, not sure which is better, reverse poppet or superstat? Stock is 195 degrees right?
 
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Picked up my car. The 'pissing coolant' was actually coming from the upper coolant elbow, which looked like it was off-center a bit. With respect to the bolt, there's some coolant starting to pool at the back of the engine along the three LIM bolts there, and that's why they recommended replacing the LIM gasket.

What do I need to do to the coolant elbows to make them not fail again? Should I RTV them before install?
 
I would get a set of elbows and some cheap vasoline. Remove the old ones, clean the holes, lube the new o-rings on the elbows and put it together. Wiggle the top elbow as you tighten the bolts for the tensioner/alt bracket. This will ensure it's not going to deform or have issues.

As for the leaking on the back bolts. Likely the engine is pretty dirty and needs to be cleaned down anyhow, Before you go through the job, clean it down. Then watch and see if it returns or is even an issue.
 


Got my Dorman coolant elbows for $5.

Right now my rockauto order is sitting at

Thermostat Housing Gasket FEL-PRO Part # 35595
Fuel Injector O-Ring 3x FEL-PRO Part # ES70599 4 Per Pack
STANT Part # 45849 {#65849} 195 Degree Superstat (1 23/32" x 29/32" x 29/32") Premium; Carded Package
** Engine : Valve Cover Grommet FEL-PRO Part # ES72833 Set
** Engine : Valve Cover Gasket FEL-PRO Part # VS50080R PermaDry®
Cooling System : Thermostat Seal FEL-PRO Part # 35666 {#35486}
FEL-PRO Part # MS98014T Intake Manifold Gasket Set PermaDryPlus®
Subtotal: $111 w/shipping
** means I may or may not replace these, depending on whether they're leaking too or not.

Gonna pick up oil/coolant/brake cleaner/more rags/paper towels/emory cloth ASAP to have them on hand.
 
I have 3 packages in the cart, there's a 3x sandwiched in that line. Haven't ordered yet, need to check which bushings need replacing on my control arms after I determine whether I can borrow a ball joint press locally...
 


buy new lower control arms. i ordered dormans for like 42 a side from partsgeek. they have two nuts and bolts holding them to the sub frame, and the nut on the ball joint.
 
i dont think it matters what it is gt or gt2, just look for 04 grand prix.

i recall some thing about using the 97 to 03 if you wanted to change your sway bar i think.
 


Rockauto has Mevotech MS501061 and MS501062 for $34 each, and Moog's for $88 which seems high. Are the Mevotech's good?

Next problem is shipping's a PITA because I live in Canada, and I haven't been able to find a good Canadian online supplier.
 
oh chit i never saw that you live north of the boarder, not sure how long shipping would take, maybe call their 800 # and ask.

moogs are good, but if its just a daily driver stock replacements will do. never heard of the other brand.

see what your local parts stores charges, anything up to 50 a side seems fair to me.
 
Last time I tried a quote from a local shop / Napa, there was something like a 50% premium. Hell, I want to say they quoted $230 for a control arm when I asked late last year.

Rockauto has some sort of Canadian entity setup so they charge you sales tax for your province and you don't pay customs on the orders that are shipped from the US. Took only a few days for my parking brake cables to show up.

Sounds like I can use 97-2003 control arms according to http://www.grandprixforums.net/lower-control-arm-question-47576.html but I don't really see a definitive answer as to whether I'd need to replace the sway bar/sway bar links too.
 
i cant find any pics of a 04 + set up, but look where your sway bar end links attach to, if they don't hook up to the lca, then i'd say you are safe to run the 97-03 lca. i thought i read somewhere they hooked up to the strut. i could be wrong tho.
 
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