water is leaking from somewhere and im getting two different answers
Asked by mikeemac Nov 23, 2015 at 12:15 PM about the 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
i have a 2001 dodge caravan with the 3.3 liter. we noticed water under the
motor and took it to two different repair shops and got two different diagnosis.
one said it was leaking water from the lower intake gasket and the other shop
said it was a freeze plug behind the transmission. the van has 90-k miles and
is garage kept here in Arizona. Who do i believe ?
3 Answers
That is impossible for us to say without seeing the car. Could be either. Yes, a freeze plug, which is exactly that, it will blow out or partially blow out and leak, to prevent the block from cracking. A freeze plug will even leak if you live in the part of AZ where it never freezes. BUT.. a freeze plug is not behind the transmission, they are in the block and heads if front of it
Is the water clean, clear water or is it green? Clear water could be condensation from your air conditioner. The leaks may be from both places! The one behind the engine will be expensive to repair but the intake gasket not so much. You could always try some Alumaseal if the leaks are small and you can't afford to do the repairs right now.
Ghibli_789 answered 7 years ago
All of the freeze plugs are behind the bell housing on a 3.3, look at the online images, and yes the tranny needs to come out in that case. The intake manifold gasket leaks right there at the top of the bell housing also, and is a relatively common problem, especially in hot climates.