This is in regards to the '89 IROC in the sig.

I just got back home from college (~200 miles away), and my dad noticed that my car was leaking something. I was going to change the oil anyway, so while I had the car up on ramps, I noticed a stain going down the passenger side motor mount. I could also see some fresh coolant leaking down off of the passenger exhaust manifold, which traveled down the exhaust pipe. Problem is, I can't really see where it's comming from.

I do know for sure that there is coolant leaking from the heater control valve--I know because I can see it dripping off, traveling down a wiring harness, and falling onto the exhaust manifold. That explains the leaking from the *front* of the exhaust manifold. But, I can still also see smoke coming from the *back* of the exhaust manifold somewhere when the engine is running, and it's definitely coolant burning.

I don't think it's a head gasket, because how would it get to the exhaust manifold (since the head gasket is below the exhaust ports)? I also checked the hoses going towards the heater core, but I can't find any leaks there.

I know that I'm probably going to end up having to pull a bunch of crap off of the passenger's side just to find this, but I'm just curious to know if anybody else has had this problem and what might have caused it. Any ideas as to where some common coolant leaks might come from?

Thanks

 

id fix the heater control valve first.

most likely, the leaking coolent is going down the wires or along the outside of the hoses and then falling onto the exhaust...

or even going along the head..... like when you accelerate, or the wind from moving down the road could be blowing it to the back half.

fix that leak, then look for more.

 

I had a similar problem recently with coolant running down the sides of my manifold on the passenger side. After much searching, worrying about manifold gasket leaking, and cussing. I found the culprit, it was the hose that ran from the heater control valve to the throttle body that had a small cut in it and leaking coolant out. As pressure built up with the engine running, it sprayed out more coolant. Replaced hose and solved my problem.

The Trickster!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

get coolant dye and look at t in the night with a black light if you are really unsure

 

fix your known leaks then see if you still have a leak, try a preasure test on the system

 

Thanks for the replies, guys!

Well, I did the obvious thing and just fixed the area that I knew was leaking. There actually wasn't anything wrong with the heater control valve itself--just the hose that went to the heater core was loose. I tightened it up, and that fixed the leak "everywhere".

I still can't figure out how the heck coolant wrapped its way around the head to leak on to the back of the exhaust manifolds (and I inspected the heater hoses to make sure coolant wasn't traveling on the ouside of them). But, oh well, it's fixed...

Thanks

 

Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:hail: :hail:

 

Consider yoursefl fortunate that you didn't have a rearmost freeze plug rotting out on you.