Coolant Problem

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RyanD19

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Hey there

I recently noticed that my 2000 Alero GL V6 3.4 was pretty much out of coolant. I'm going to say I filled it up last year and took more than half of the 3.78L jug. I just filled it up again a few days ago this time taking almost a whole jug.

I was wondering if anyone had any insight about this? I did an oil change 2 days ago and there was no coolant in the oil and there is no external leak that i can see. I've noticed that the coolant reservoir is already down almost an inch after a couple days.

I know the 3.4 is known for the lower intake manifold gasket but could it be something else?

Thanks in advance...any input is appreciated :)
 
Hi Ryan:

Having two Alero's in our family, I can say that they are known for coolant leaks both internal and externally.

I am surprised that you are not seeing something on the ground where you park OR smelling the sickly sweet smell of AF.

Pull out your coolant bottle and check it for cracks. If the coolant hoses on yours are oem, then they are 12 years old and overdue for a replacement.

Does the engine run smooth and without a miss? If you are losing more than a few ounces, a week, I would not wait to address the issue.

Alero radiators are known to leak from the side tanks.
A leak can be from an area where it pools on the engine and then evaporates so you won't see it, but you will smell it.

Don
 
Thanks for the suggestions Don.

I went through the car today with a fine tooth comb and no signs of any leak. I know it could be a very small leak since it took almost a year to run out so I can't rule out a tiny radiator leak.

The engine runs fairly smooth. I took out a spark plug and noticed it was just slightly white; hardly noticeable, but I'm guessing its running a little lean so there is a possibility the coolant is burning up with the gas.

It's looking like I should start preparing to do the lower intake manifold gasket.
 
Ryan:
I agree that if it took that long to lose that coolant, the leak must be pretty minor.
It could become major at some point though.

If you have not had the LIM gaskets done yet, that also could happen at any time.
Our daughter's 01 LIM went for the previous owner around 70K. We had to have them redone 6 months and 8K later because it was not done right.

I did the LIM gaskets on our 02 myself at 56K. Dorman makes a nice gasket kit that includes the new one time use intake manifold bolts for $80.
There is also a tool that allows you to remove the pushrods without disturbing the rocker arm lash. They pop right out and right back in.

The push rods BTW are different lengths for intake and exhaust so you gotta make sure they go back where they came from.

Don
 
Don:
I haven't had the LIM gaskets done myself, but I've only had the car for 20K and it has 273,000K on it so I wouldn't doubt that it is time to do it.

Is the Dorman fairly good quality? And where did you get the tool that removes the pushrods? Any tool that makes the job easier is fine by me haha.

Thanks for the info on the different length push rods, much appreciated!
 
Ryan:
I bought the gasket kit from AZ. It was not a stock item, but only took a day or two to get it.
If you search here, I believe I made a post about it.

The rocker arm tool is made by Lisle, and I bought that at Carquest.
Both items can be ordered on line from places like Amazon as well.

Because the 3.4 engine is a 60 degree instead of a 90 degree engine (as in degrees between the cylinder banks), the push rods travel through slots in the intake gaskets to get to the lifters. This is why the push rods have to be removed.

Don
 
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