My car is a 2001 monte ss 3.8 n/a

The coolant elbow that goes into the LIM broke while driving(accelerating quickly) and I'm wondering if there is a way to get a new one in there without taking the idler assembly or the LIM off? I feel fortunate that I noticed it immediately and pulled over... the temp gauge got just barely above middle and i knew something was up. I had to call a tow truck for the first time today. But at least it didn't overheat and kill my engine.

Any ideas? Is it possible?

 

Nope. You must take the Alternator mounting bracket off. Not a big deal though. I can do one at work in under an hour.

 

how are you only getting 19.5mpg? i'm getting about 26

 

You have to go through all that :p pretty easy job, it's much easier than it seems!

 

It's a piece of cake. No need to remove the LIM. Usually the piece stuck in the LIM can be spun around with a light touch/tap from a screw driver and then pulled out with some needle nose. 30-60 minute job.
BTW - I just had one push out on me a couple weeks ago (I changed it last spring and this year it decided to cause me grief). I read a LOT of people had issues with the Dorman replacements pushing out. Supposedly Dorman early this year had revised these. I bit the bullet and got "genuine GM". The elbows between GM and Dorman are NOT the same, minor differences.

 

Yea I figured I would have to take that assembly off xD... I was hoping I could get this done quick tonight since i work weekends :/ Luckily i found a loner car until Monday when i get some time. I'm probably gonna just get the gm elbows just because i should. I got all the old elbow out, luckily it was in just two pieces so that's good. Thanks for the responses everyone I really appreciate it.

btw Jimbo7 I drive 95% city... I average 22 mph.

 

DO NOT USE DORMAN. I bet a did 12 comebacks that were Dorman and leaked.

 

yea the one that broke was dorman. I'm gonna get some genuine ones and see if it helps

 

For the record, the genuine GM elbow will eventually brake (it's plastic in a high heat location with hot fluid passing through, so it's inevitable). All I was getting at, the Dormans I was reading have higher failure rates. The common observation is poor o-rings.

 

Ok so I put in new gm elbows and I don't have any leaks! But It is running a little warmer than it usually did. Before it would settle around the quarter mark on the gauge (180* tstat) now it acts weird and sits around 2 lines above, halfway between quarter and half on the gauge. It does drop to to quarter mark after a while but it doesn't sit there like it use to.

Anyway I bled the air out of the system and a stream comes out when i open the bleeder... so yea. any ideas besides air in the system? Thats what im thinking (hoping)