I'm leaking coolant and oil. As many of you have read my other thread concerning the thermostat I put in and how the "low coolant" light kept coming on now I've noticed I'm leaking oil, about a quart between oil changes.

Is there a "common" problem that would cause me to be losing both coolant AND oil or are these symptoms unrelated. I don't see any signs of oil in the coolant nor do I see any signs of coolant in the oil. But I'm losing both? I'd say probably losing more oil than I am coolant.

 

I gotta wonder what the smoke out the tailpipe looks like. No puddles?

 

No puddles of either coolant or oil that I can see under the car.

Its been so cold here that I haven't paid attention to the smoke out the tailpipe. Bear with me here--should I be paying attention to it as I'm accelerating? Is that when I should notice it or simply idling? Or some other time?

P.S. Not that it probably matters but its an '01 SS 3.8 liter.

 

I would think it would be bluish (oil) or wet (water). Do you use synthetic oil?

 

No I did switch from 10w-30 to 5w-30 though when I did my last oil change just before Winter but I wouldn't think that would have made any difference.

 

Probably not, but trying synthetic might help the oil loss. Obviously it'll do nothing for the coolant loss. If you stick your hand behind the tailpipe for a minute while its running, does it get wet? A quart of oil between oil changes isn't that bad. The LS4 engine are supposed to use that much oil...

 

OK I was almost wondering that after reading up on Google and here if it was supposed to be using oil. My 3.1 Oldsmobile actually used about the same amount between oil changes. Thanks for the advice.

Oh and the tail pipe test? Is that for coolant loss or oil loss?

 

OK well it appears as though I am leaking coolant. I saw some in the snow after I got back home from leaving this morning.

Its definitely passenger side and I would say almost even with the passenger tire or maybe even a little bit ahead of it? Its like two indents in the snow where it looks like it leaked on either side of something? Now I think its only leaking when I run the defroster. Does that sound like maybe the water pump? I have also noticed that when I first start it I get like a "whine" or almost like a metal on metal coming from the A/C pulley. Its not a grinding but almost like if you took pieces of metal and rubbed them together back and forth very fast. My nephew said there is a "spacer" or something that needs to be adjusted on that and that it "hits" and can be adjusted to not hit. The leak almost looks like it could have come from that area given the spacing on where the leak is.

Any thoughts?

 

Ok if its the 3800 first thing to check is the coolent elbows. If you haven't replaced them with alumin then im going to bet thats your coolant leak. A common oil leak is the valve cover gaskets. Mine are leaking and as soon as it warms up outside I will be replacing them.

 

Cool thanks. My nephew mentioned those damn elbows when I told him I thought I was leaking coolant. Apparently those are definitely a common fail point that mechanics know about as well.