I have a coolant leak, it was leaking under that pipe in that picture, i took it off and there seems to be some sort of gasket or seal that helps seal the pipe to then engine. Its the pipe that connects to a hose that leads to the radiator. Also is there a gasket that that goes on the intake manifold cover. When i took it off there was no gasket but it did seem like there was a little bit of silicone or something on both the intake and the pipe but no gasket. Is that what i need to buy to make sure the parts seal well and there is no leak? What is the name of the silicone and the name of the pipe. Thanks for the help

 

thats a thermostat. and it looks nasty. replace it, and clean the sealing surfaces (intake and water neck) with a mild abrasive sanding disc. get new waterneck/thermostat gasket and coat the gasket with silicone by tacking it in your hands. dont use a bead on it (gets too messy,and just too much)

 

First pic is where I think i need a gasket on the intake manifold cover.
Second is the pipe i removed
Third is this little piece thats hidden under the pipe. Im not sure if it has to do with my coolant leak.

 

Thank you soooo much. I'm gonna buy everything i need tomorrow. I went through quite an ordeal thanks to this leak so I'm eager to finally fix it and be done with this whole mess.

 

Also, any particular silicone I should use? Is there such a think as automotive grade silicone?

 

When you go get your thermostat & gasket tell them what you're doing.
They will most likely recommend Permatex RTV Blue..

RTV- Room Temperature Vulcanizing Silicone.

 

thanks for the advice

 

One more thing, this part of my engine was also a little wet, if the leak was from here how big of a pain would it be to fix? Its is also sealed by silicon, could I just dab some where its leaking and be done with it? Rather than having to take apart half of my engine just to be able to take off a couple bolts to remove the whole piece?

It would also be great if someone could recommend a pressure tester for radiators that doesnt cost over $100?

 

did you post a pic? if so, i cant see it on this computer, id have to wait and use the one at home. but im assuming your talking about an intake gasket leak just by you describing it?

 

i did post pics, its not the intake gasket thats leaking, i just had to take the intake off in order to be able to reach a very pesky bolt so that i could fix the leak. Now I just want to make sure the intake is properly sealed since i took all the silicone off of it.

 

there is no fixing a coolant leak by appling silicoln to the outside of anhthing as coolant is undef pressure the hotter it gets the more pressure .so any thing thats leaking needs to be taken apart and re sealed properly . sory it just wont hold outherwise.

 

ok thanks for the input, yeah i figured as much. I just wanted to see if i could get away with being lazy.

 

I got the the water outlet thermostat and gasket but still ne the one for the intake. What exactly would it be called? Heres a pic of where it goes.

 

upper plenum gaskets.

 

U can use goop on the plenium ones

 

thank you so much, all the auto parts stores would only sell me a set of gaskets for the whole engine. I dont want to spend 20 bucks when all i really need to spend is 4.

 

I actually had no gaskets anywhere, it was all silicone, but since i wont be able to tighten all the bolts to torque specs or maybe not even as tight as they were before i took them off (they were REALLY tight). Im just gonna get the gaskets so it will seal better.

 

trick is to only righten them a bit till the silicone is cured, then torque down, if torqued when wet, it all just squishes out.

 

oh, that makes sense. I had no gaskets when i was taking the intake apart and all the silicone the car had did look like it was squished out the sides. Im not sure if the PO messed with the engine and thats why i had so many problems.

 

Why silicone has a bad rep, people put a thick bead on the gasket, then torque it down ubar tight wet, all that silicone squishes out and end ups floating around the engine looking to cause a problem.

 

so ur saying just a small amount, enough to cover the surface and then let it dry? That does seem like it would seal better. I know you've heard this like a million times but nice ride Gumby, looks real clean with the notchback.

 

I can't find a new thermostat housing (that pipe where the thermostat goes) for my 2.8, they're all for a v8. Will it matter if I use that one, i dont see how it would hurt the car or why the part wouldnt work.

 

I found one for an IROC but it has two holes that look like there supposed to have bolts go through it. Does anyone here with an IROC know what the deal is with those holes? Here's what im talking about.

 

why dont you reuse the factory thermostat housing?

 

just put a pipe plug in those holes, they are regular NPT pipe thread, take it to the plumbing section of the HW store.

 

I own an 87 IROC that used to have a 350 TPI and the thermostat housing shouldn't have an holes in it because it sits almost under the throttle body and there isn't any room to put sensors in it. All the Coolant Sensors for the IROC-Z are located in the heads and on the bottom front of the intake.

You can use NPT plugs from a hardware store to plug them, just make sure you use pipe dope or Thread Sealant Tape when installing the plugs.

 

Hmm, i dont know what was up with those housings then. It almost looks like it was just a little window so u can see ur coolant but im not sure. Anyways O' Reilly's hooked it up and i was able to just order it there. I didnt reuse my old housing because it was just that rusted. Last time i had a piece of metal that rusty it broke off and it was so difficult to get to the housing i dont want to have to replace anything near there for a long time.

 

Those hole, on that thermostat housing are for the old "Ported Vacuum" switches, that GM used on the carbureted engines. My 1980 Chevy Malibu had them, and it was a smallblock V8. I tried pipe plugs, and even with thread sealer, they still leaked. So Junk that and get one with no holes, if you can.

 

Ok, I read through your posts. I have a few suggestions, as I just did a thermostat on my V6.

To help, with the pesky thermostat housing bolts, buy a set of 3/8" drive "universal" swivel sockets. Get them from a Snap-On dealer, if you can afford them. I have had my set for over 13 years, and they all still work just fine. You will need a 6" or longer extension on the socket. This will give you the angle you need, to get the socket on the left side housing bolt, without removing the upper intake plenum and throttle body.

There should be a rubber o-ring, that goes over the thermostat. Save it. Once you clean the garbage and crud off of your lower intake manifold, you'll notice a recess for the thermostat. Also, the gasket for the thermostat runs about $.50, at NAPA. Get the gasket. Clean all surfaces around the intake hole, and on the housing. A gasket scraper tool will help greatly. Buy one. Make sure to NOT let any of the corrosion or gunk fall into the lower intake manifold.

When reinstalling the new thermostat, test it first. The easy way to do this is to tie a long piece of string at the top, of the thermostat. Then fill a deep pot with at least 6" or 7" of water. Drop the thermostat in the water, and turn on the heat to your stove. As the water starts boiling, hold the thermostat for a few seconds, after. Then remove the thermostat, and check to see how far it "opens". If it doesn't open evenly or at least 1/8"(if you look at it from the bottom, you will only see 'cracks' of light, with a faulty thermostat). You should be able to look under it, and see a decent drop in the thermostat itself. You will also note, that once it begins to cool, it will slowly close back up.

Clean the O-Ring to the thermostat and slowly place it around the new thermostat. Drop the thermostat in, the opening of the lower intake manifold. The pointed end should be facing up. The copper weight and spring should not be visible and inside the manifold. Place the gasket on top of the new thermostat.

Next is the tricky part. I do not like using silicone, so I do not use it, unless I have to.
Move the housing into position, over the thermostat. The gasket may move a little. that is ok, because, you can use a bolt to line it back up. Use slight movements, if the gasket moved any, and drop the right(passenger) side bolt in first. Once you have the bolt, housing, and gasket lined up, the bolt should freely drop into the hole. Now, for the important part. DO NOT cross-thread the bolts!!! Use only finger pressure, to start the threads. If you cannot get a full turn, and the bolt has tightened up, back it out and try again. Once you have made a turn or two, try to pull lightly, on the bolt. It shouldn't come out of the manifold. Now you have to do the same thing, with the left(drivers) side bolt. You may need to line the bolt up, with the gasket and manifold, on this side. If you do, then do so. That is why you want to leave the right side bolt loose. Once you have a couple threads, you can begin tightening the bolts. Tighten them snug, one side at a time. Once they are bolt snug, you can begin tightening them to specs.

When you refill the cooling system, fill the overflow bottle and radiator. Once they are filled, you should see a hose, on the passenger side of the engine bay, to your water pump. It'll be located under you alternator, and in front of your right exhaust manifold. There is a black plastic cap. Unscrew it and begin "priming" the water pump. This also fills your heater core. When the level if at the top, of the cap threads, place the cap back on.

You should be ready to start the vehicle, and test the system for leaks. As the engine idles, watch the temperature gauge slowly. It should go up, to just under the "220" mark, or the "1/2" mark. When the thermostat opens, the gauge should drop back down to just above the "1/4" mark. If it continues to climb, without dropping, shut off the engine. There is an air bubble or another cooling issue, in your engine.

When I did my water pump, I didn't fill the rubber line, to my pump and heater core. Within a few minutes, my temp gauge had shot up the red area. When I let it cool, I popped that cap, filled it up, and that took care of the problem.

Once your thermostat is "open", check for leaks around the housing. Also, check your system pressure. Check the level, in the overflow bottle, over the next couple days. Make sure to keep it between the Full "Hot" and "Cold" marks. Also check the radiator and keep it refilled, as needed.

 

Ok well thanks for all your help. I replaced the housing (O' Reillys was the only place that sold the 2.8 housing) and the thermostat. Then when i pressure tested the cooling system I saw that my leak was actually coming from somewhere else but at least i replaced my old beat up thermostat and housing.

 

I'm sorry to hear, that you still have a leak. I just found where my leak is at. The freeze plug, near the #3 cylinder(passenger side bank). I'm not even getting into that. The leak is so slow, that I add a little coolant monthly.

 

im praying it isnt a freez plug thats causing my leak. I prefer to fix my car myself but i dont want to buy a tool to install a plug or risk screwing something up if it turns out to be major.

 

just get one of them rubber expando freeze plug, hole plug, they have many sizes, just a rubber "cork" with a bolt in the center, jam it into a hole and tighten the bolt.

They can plug up anything but a cat forward exhaust leak.
They take heat n pressure well.

 

Good looking out Ill look into it, ill probably get a lot of hate from my uncle for not doing it right but I just need this engine to hold over until i get that LS1 engine swap ive been dreaming of. Thanks for the help and once again, thats REAL nice firebird you got there.

 

You can find videos, on YouTube, that show how to replace freeze plugs. I'm not looking forward to replacing mine, but it doesn't look too hard. They can be tapped out with a screwdriver, though I recommend using a proper punch tool or chisel. The new ones can be installed very easily. Of course, the video I watched showed it done, with the engine removed.

 

its not that hard to put in a reg freeze plug disc if you can get access to knock it in but rubber ones with a bolt are the go to not just because its easier, but because you may get the hole plugged back up but then once started, up to temp and pressure, water spews out the cracks in the block

might shoot yourself if you did all that to put in a stock one then its a bad block now.

 

Ok well thanks everyone, I still have a few things to work out with my car before everything 100% assembled again. Ill post pictures soon of where my leak is and what parts i need help with. There a sensor that i cant tell where i pulled it from and i need to plug it back in. Tomorrow imma go round 2 with my car but i might be forced to take it to the mechanic since all the morons where i live say im not allowed to wrench on the car while in the apartment parking lot.

 

ok, i finished assembling everything but ran into 2 problems. I broke a little plastic hose (it was very brittle) and also dont know where this senor goes. Do i really need to replace that tiny little hose? There seems to be a dozen useless hoses on the 2.8s. I'm probably gonna have to take a bunch stuff apart again but i need to move the car somewhere they'll let me work on the car and to give my mom back her parking space.

 

Um are these crucial to the engine? my car wont start and i need to move it :/ Its a little plastic hose that broke off

 

Yea they are. There vaccum references

 

Would that cause my car to die as soon as i start it? And where could i get another one.

 

I would rather have a freeze plug pop then a head gasket .. The rubber ones will hold you over for a while...

 

try looking on ebay. I have a spare one if you can find one. Let me know ill ship it out too ya for next to nothing. Just give me a day or 2 if possible. Alot of working in the next few days.

 

That would be great but if they're vacuum lines could i just plug up the hose? Also would that cause my car to die as soon as it starts? It just starts, redlines, and dies Im assuming its a sensor i didnt plug in or something but idk if it could be the vacuum line. And u have the little hose? I need the one thats to the left (when facing the car from the front).

 

There are three lines coming off that vac reference port area. The major one is the fuel pressure regulator. You cant just plug it, or it will rich at idle.

If all else fails just take those lines that went to that spot originally and run them to the back of the intake. There are more ports back there. One is for the brake booster, another for the map sensor, and another one that I cant remember what its for. I dont have any emmisions on my car so I forgot what some of those lines are for.

But if you just get somr fittings and some vaccum hose, you can make it work pretty easy.

plus sould do the trick. Just be creative, its not rocket science.

 

ok thanks, ill probably get the fittings and hoses just cuz mine are so fragile. Thanks for the help.

 

As far as gaskets go: Just get some gasket material from the autopart store and cut your own...

 

Thanks, didnt know I could do that. But ill just go with using silicone. Good advice though, I'm sure I'll use that in the future

 

Use some RTV, its the best stuff IMO. Theres different blends but I use the back and orange(high temp) stuff for everything I re gasket. Never leaks period.

 

The orange high temp stuff is awesome!
My neighbor had a caddy with a hole in his valve cover. He used two tubes of orange and a cardboard form to reseal bit three yrs ago. Still not leaking.
Would I recommend doing what he did? No. But it's pretty damn cool it worked.