Hi guys, 2001 Monte Carlo SS with 209,000 KM.

I noticed a little smoking under the hood today (it's -10C outside these days) and got home.

I see coolant around, but most noticeably there is a little spout facing upwards next to the rad cap (not the cap for the reservoir) but the cap above the radiator itself. Next to that looks like a tube facing upwards. It's wet around with coolant, and inside the engine, and going on the belts (which I can tell from looking at the underside of the hood they are flicking it upwards). There is a little bit of pooling here and there down below but it looks like it is coming from that open spout area...

There was also a little bit of coolant on my driveway. But I just noticed it and I usually check every day.

I had recently topped off the reservoir with coolant. About a week ago. Not sure that has anything to do with it.

Could anyone help me try and sort it out myself? I'm not the best mechanic but a shop isn't going to be in the budget for a little while atleast.

 

I had recently topped off the reservoir with coolant. About a week ago. Not sure that has anything to do with it.


I hope you didn't top it off. Only to the fill line for Cold.

If you did top it off that is the leak and it is coming from the overflow tube. It may have popped the little hose off. I attached 2 photo's of the engine bay if you can indicate where on the photo you are experiencing the issue.

 

See below... to that thing next to the rad cap. And you can see it pooling very closely below (and then it goes down below/onto belts)

 

My reservoir is like 75% full... that is most likely the problem? Fill line is closer to the bottom?

 

You only want to fill that reservoir to the cold line. it is difficult to see stick a Flashlight in the top and it should show up.
Mark it with the Sharpie pen.
As the coolant heats up it all expands and there may be a relief overflow there and now it has popped off the top kind of like freeze plugs, in the engine.
some other things to remember never over fill the Power steering, the brake fluid, or your tires.
If you do the windshield washer fluid no problem it just runs out.

 

So does that thing next to the rad cap suppose to have a cap? or be open like it is? And should I siphon some coolant out if I put too much in? That's what might be happening? It's overflowing out of that little nozzle?

 

The thing next to the radiator cap I believe is just a bushing for the radiator mount.. Its like that on mine anyway..

 

So I siphoned out the excess I had in resevoir and put it right where it should be, then I dumped some warm water over everything to sorta ofrinse it.

Let the car run a bit and get hot and when I look over top of the belts I can feel slight spray/coolant flicking onto me (as well the pattern under the hood of wetness). I can't find drops or any obvious leaks and around the cap seems to be dry. The majority of the wetness is around the belts - you can see in these pics where it is getting on to.

 

Everything drivernumber3 and wht02monte said is correct. If the leak is still there after correcting the level in the reservoir there might be a needle fine leak, possibly from the radiator that's hard to see. Take the car to a dark area at night and with the car running and up to full temperature on the temp. gauge. Then shine a flashlight around that area and look for a fine stream of coolant spraying through the light beam. If the radiator has never been replaced it might need to be. Unlike the old heavy copper radiators the newer aluminum radiators don't last like they used to and they say they should be replaced every 10 years.

 

I saw a few threads in here about coolant elbows or heater hose fittings --- could that be somewhere to look as well?