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Just Spotted An Antifreeze Leak

2K views 20 replies 8 participants last post by  astroid 
#1 ·
1999
93000 miles and runs great!

Noticed a green drip coming from my lower pulley and a low reservoir under the hood.

Any ideas where it may be coming from? I power-washed the underside today in the hope that it may be easier to spot the leak.

Any problems with running only water until I can get this solved?
 
#2 ·
You can run only water until you fix it, just be sure to fix it before the temperatures drop to freezing and get the water replaced with anti freeze.
 
#4 ·
astroid said:
a green drip
The fact that the coolant has been changed back to green is a great thing!
astroid said:
Any problems with running only water until I can get this solved?
Check Bowties' suggestion about the water pump and fix this as soon as possible. This does not mean you can run straight water for a month. Find the leak, repair it, and refill with green again.
 
#6 ·
I would suggest you take off the top haft of the shroud and air filter box off for a better shot at it.It sure does making the belt idler easier to get to.My 94 LT has a leak too that I am having issues finding.I am going this wkend buy the coolant dye and UV flashlight which will cost about $35.00 from Autozone.Not a bad thing to have in your toolbox.
 
#7 ·
Hi astroid

You will need to get under the van to remove the lower rad hose first and no, it isn't a tough job to do. The hard part is keeping the gaskets in place while you install the new pump. I use the 3M Super Weatherstrip Glue (the yellow stuff) to hold mine in place on the pump:
http://www.3m.com/product/information/S ... esive.html

I run a bead around the outer flange where the gaskets sit on the pump. This saves a whole lot of grief on the install.

:)
 
#9 ·
Hi astroid

The importnat thing here is to leave the Serpentine belt on while you try to break the Clutch Fan (CF) free from the pump pulley. The CF nut is just slightly over 1" (11/8"?) in size.

I have a special Crescent Wrench I use on mine that just fits when it's fully opened. You will need something to hold the water pump pulley while you break the CF nut free from it. Leaving the serpentine belt on at this point really helps in achieving this.

To loosen the nut, you turn it "Anti-Clockwise". Once you have removed the CF, then remove the serpentine belt by unloading the belt tensioner.

There is a 3/8" square whole in the tensioner body you use to put a 3/8" ratchet with a 3" extension attached and move it "Anti-Clockwise" or in a "Downward Motion" to release the tension on the belt.

Remove the belt from the center "fixed" pulley only. The reverse is done the very same way.

Hope this helps, if you have anymore questions, just fire away and myself or others will be more than glad to help if we can.:)
 
#10 ·
If you go to Autozone they rent out a cresent wrench set that has the right size in it to break the fan loose. On my '96 it took me holding the pulley and putting everything I had into the wrench to finally get it to break loose. :banghead:
 
#12 ·
Maybe a link to the post your talking about might help astroid get their RECox286.

Just a thought.:)
 
#13 ·
OK, sorry, but I'm not much of a wiz with computerize. I learned to type pretty good, but this new fangled computer speak has me at a loss. I guess I'm like an old fisherman:
they never die, they just smell that way...

Bob

EDIT:

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=8381&p=86647#p86647
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the replies. I was out of the state for the last week and resumed the effort to remove the fan today. I am tired of messing with this thing! I could have the job finished if it were not for the fan.

I cut off the belt already because I plan on replacing it. The bearing on the A/C is bad so I am going to add a by-pass pulley.

I purchased the parts today at Autozone and they mentioned that they had a rental strap of some sort that supposedly holds the pulley. I guess that I will head back and check it out and also look at the wrench that was mentioned in a previous post. I do not have a large enough wrench so I tried using a pipe wrench, a hammer and a crowbar. No luck. I believe a previous post mentioned that the nut behind the fan should be turned counter-clockwise to loosen?

What are those metal lines that run from the block to the radiator that are partially covered with the corrugated plastic? Mine are covered with crude and may be leaking. Now might be a good time to replace them.
 
#15 ·
astroid said:
I could have the job finished if it were not for the fan.
:rofl: That is exactly what I was screaming at my Van the first time I had to remove that stupid clutch fan! :screaming:

The lines running to the driver's side of the radiator are the oil cooler lines. I have seen them mentioned on here for like $55 a piece at the dealer.

I just had to take my fan off again and used my big cresent wrench and a longest 10mm close end wrench I could find at the store....10mm wrench was holding the nut on the water pump pulley as I turned the cresent wrench. It took a ton of muscle, but I got it off that way. I tried the so called hit it with a hammer and it didn't work for me. Its a pain to get off if you ask me. I like the old style clutch fan that bolted to the water pump bolts on the pulley. Oh ya its LEFT LOOSEY/counter clockwise ON THE FAN NUT. :D
 
#16 ·
Where did you put the crescent wrench????

I just ran across town to Autozone and rented two different fan removal kits. What the heck!!?? They have long, flat wrenches off different sizes. The smallest is is a little sloppy on the bolt. The other tools are a series of flat, short, odd looking things with different size openings with a square hole that you supposedly put your 1/2" socket wrench into. I seee no way to use a socket wernch with the fan still attached. I tried to get instructions on what these were designed to hold onto and the best that I could understand is somewhere around the four bolts that hold on the pulley....that does not seem to work.

I belt diagram shows the pulley located under the A/C for non-airconditioned vehicles but the pulley that I purchased has a 3-hole bracket with the pulley mounted at a 90 degree angle that I was told mounts in place of the A/C. I had no intention on removing the A/C at this time (bad bearing). There is a threaded hole in the bracket that the A/C is mounted on which is located just under the original pulley and a little to the left.

Mass confusion. :banghead:

I am getting a headache. Time to grab a couple of ibuprofen. :screaming:
 
#17 ·
Victory is Mine :banana:

I removed the fan with one of the thin, long wrenches that came in the 5 piece clutch rent set OEM#27141 and a long screwdriver wedged between the rear fan and one of the pulley bolt heads. I am surprised that it worked as the screwdriver put pressure on the nut. I also have the water pump off.

The compressor is attached with 4 metric bolts that seem too tight to get a wrench on plus I am not so sure that I want or know how to remove the lines.

Metric on the shroud & compressor, SAE on the pump. I need to go out tomorrow and purchase some sockets.

AI had the van in the shop some years ago and was told that the oil cooler lines was leaking. Is this a common occurrence? The van uses very little oil between the 5000 mile oil changes but the lines are somewhat dirty. The access could not be better then it is now so perhaps I should go ahead and change them????????

Too dark to work...time to relax.

By the way, my headache is gone!
 
#18 ·
Great!

Yep, the oil cooler lines will leak at the crimps. It's a common occurrence. If you think you have easy access, go for it. Better before it's an emergency than when they're squirting oil everywhere. If, that is, the cooler lines are leaking and it's not oil dripped down from somewhere else.
 
#20 ·
Hi astroid

I'm glad your making some head way with the Water Pump.

As for the oil lines, yes they are a common problem. I replaced mine with the Dorman set. They are much cheaper than OEM and they hold up quite well. It's been about 3 years since I replaced mine and still no leaks.:)

As for replacing the oil lines, what I found worked well for me and my suggestion to you is, remove the lines from underneath, then feed the new lines from the top (by the radiator) down to the engine by the oil filter. Just remember how it's routed before taking the oil lines out (very important).

Hope something here helps, let us know how things work out.:)
 
#21 ·
I replaced the oil cooler lines with Dorman for $103. OEM cost $150. Easy except for the hour I spent trying to thread the clamp into the block above the a-arm. I finally raised the van about 5" and pointed my feet towards the rear and used a nut driver.

I found a by-pass pulley at the Chevy dealership for $51. Autozone did not show this pulley. The pulley they carried was meant to be attached to a triangular , 3-hole bracket that bolted to up in place of the compressor. Access to those bolts were very tight. I use my van for work and rarely get out on the highway. It can get hot here in Fort Collins, CO but I prefer not to get in and out of an air-conditioned vehicle while I make my rounds during the day doing handyman work. Therefore, I felt little need to spend the big bucks on a compressor bearing replacement. And after 93000 miles, it was time for a belt change.

I am glad to have accomplished this work myself as I could not have afforded to pay someone. Lucky for me, I was able to use my Indy Ram for work for a few days.

Thank you all very much for all of your help! I would hate to go back to the days before forums when the only way to repair anything was either to guess, ask around or pay someone else to do the work.
 
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