I have a 2003 monte ss with the 3800. It has started leaking pretty bad from the passenger side. Thought it was the water pump so i replaced that yesterday but after further review it wasnt the problem. I also have checked the two elbows and they are dry as well..all i can tell is when im under the car i see coolant running down.the block.right behind the power steering pump. But i dont see any coolant at the base of the intake.. heater hoses are dry... Im at a loose on where the leak is... Any help.would be great... Praying its not a head gasket. Thanks in advance.

 

You also have a coolant line to your throttle body. I know the leak is on the other side but were do those lines come from? I don't know the details of those line. Haven't had to deal with them yet.

 

Everything is dry on drivers side... This car has been bullet proof.. have been loosing coolant super slow over the last couple years. But now once it gets to full.operating temp it leaks quickly.. i do have a stuck.thermostat too

 

Has the lower intake gasket ever been replaced? Milage?

I wouldn't say it's the head gasket. It's probably the lower intake gasket.

With all the crap on the passenger side, it's hard to see the backside. Get out some mirrors and check it while it's running and up to temp. Also, the coolant elbows could look dry, but unless it's running and up to temp it's harder to tell.

Freezing temps are here. Fix that leak NOW!

 

Did a lot more , but that part took me about an hour, after geting parts for Advanced Auto Parts.... I have pick out the ends and o-rings( H/F $1.99 4 part Pick set ) The one with the big end goes in the motor behind the tensioner mount..... Took time to clean the motor and changed oil and flushed the radiator....My Mom bought it new and just gave me the keys....My son will drive it till I get his 80 El Camino restored... then 91 Corvette F & R suspention and a Northstar with 4-sp auto will take place of the original drive train, which will be restore at some point...

 

There could be a leak in 1 of the elbows....That only shows up when the vehicle is warm...and the system starts to pressurize!
We just replaced the elbows on a 2001 3800 that was cracked right at the 90 degree corner...from the seam of the mold!

What state do you live in????

 

I lived in Jacksonville, Fl.....the elbow under the tensioner mount was not leaking..... the one you can see, was cracked along the seam, along the whole elbow.... The hidden one just crumble when I pulled it .... looked like black bacalava (sp) ... all of the ends broke off and stayed inside.... used a cheap pick set....hook and 90 degree ones to pull the ends out...small 1/2" strip of green scotch-brite, held on my finger with a small rubberband to clean passages. Flushed with waterand then used a very thin film of vaseline..... alinement is tricky, but slipped in easy enough....

 

What all do you have to remove to get to the elbows? Do you need gaskets for anything removed? The elbow you can't see is the one leaking on my car now and I'm trying to get info on what all is required to repair it.. I only have the one car so...I don't want to get half way through the repair and realize that I'm missing a gasket or something. A general write up or something should be fine, there seems to be a lot of this same issue on here just looking up "coolant leak" lol

Thanks in advance for any insight..

 

I just bought the kit and used to picks with the hooks to pull out the ends in block, placed the elbows in the alt mount and aligned them with the block and pushed...went in easy, probably didn't need the lube... ; )